Fluffy
stuff
WineDiva™
is Daenna Van Mulligen, a certified Sommelier who
has been honing her palate, practicing her spitting
techniques and swinging her pink saber for fifteen years.
Daenna loves to write about virtually anything she can, swirl, gulp or
legally consume.
And, she doesn't mind taking the stance of the wine opposition.
She is a wine writer and wine reviewer that habitually
drones on about her favorite wine-y topic. She is known for her quirky, casual and humorous approach to all things related to grape juice and likes
doesn't mind if you throw her in front of a crowd with a mic.
Serious Stuff
Residing in the beautiful city of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada
WineDiva™ unapologetically
flogs her trivial and non-trivial bits of wine information
on
the unsuspecting public via her bi-weekly, internationally read newsletters.
Daenna has traveled extensively internationally and to every major winemaking
country in the world - In Italy: Abruzzo,
Friuli, Marche, Tuscany, Veneto and Umbria, in Germany to: Nahe, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, the
Pfalz, Oregon, Washington, Okanagan Valley in BC, Niagara Peninsula, Constantia,
Walker Bay, Paarl and Stellenbosch in South Africa and Bairrada, Dao,
Estremadura and Alentejo in Portugal and to Aconcagua, Maipo, Casablanca,
Cachapoal, Colchagua, Curico and Maule in Chile as well as Napa Valley, Santa
Lucia Highlands and
Sonoma County in California and to the Hunter Valley, Riverina, Barossa,
McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley and Clare Valley in Australia,
to Spain's Catalunya regions of Penedes, Cava and Priorat and to Argentina's
main winegrowing region of Cuyo as well as to France in Burgundy (north to
south) and the Rhone Valley (north to south). Most recently Daenna traveled
throughout New Zealand to Central Otago, Waipara, Marlborough, Wairarapa/Martinborough,
Hawkes Bay, Auckland and Waiheke Island...
*Judging wines: the worlds largest wine fair, VinItaly, for
Cornucopia's Top 25, Vines Magazine's InterVin International Wine Awards,
Okanagan Wine Festival's Wine Awards and at ViniPax in Portugal. Daenna has been
a presenter and a panelist at Whistler's
well known international wine festival
Cornucopia and
The
Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.
*
She has spoken for peers in the wine trade and media on Portugal for
ViniPortugal.
*
She has been the host of the wine stage for 7 years at
Eat!Vancouver
Now celebrating eight years of publishing WineDiva™ and
four years publishing
WineScores.ca
these sister sites are now two of the most visited wine
websites in Canada.
Other Print & Media
(consistent contributions)
Daenna is a regular contributor and a
tasting panel member of the Canada's
Vines
Magazine and to
BCLDB's
Taste Magazine
Radio
You can listen to her wine reviews each Saturday on Terry David
Mulligan's radio show
The Tasting Room am1150 in the Okanagan, on Vancouver Island & the
Gulf Islands and now on the CKUA
network, throughout Alberta Wednesdays at 6pm.
Or listen in on
www.thetastingroomradio.com .
Television
Daenna has also made
numerous appearances on
CityTV as well as on
Global BC and has been
interviewed by Fanny Kiefer on Studio 4
link to watch here
and on Urban Rush
link to watch here
Visit
WineDiva's
sister website
WineScores.ca
for more in-depth articles and wine scores!
Merchandise
WineDiva™ has available
branded merchandise (clothing, cards, coffee mugs etc.).
If you are interested
in WineDiva™ branded merchandise, please
contact her via her
contact page.
*WineDiva is a Registered TradeMark and the use of WineDiva™ in any form, without consent is prohibited.
What others have to say
CityFood Magazine
November 7th 2006
It's not over until the pink lady swirls...
"Now, I know that Daenna likes to spin the
“I’m just a girlie girl” line, and to come across as pink and lightweight as
cotton floss in the breeze, but aside from that being a clever branding device –
a way of making herself stand out by contrast from the dour seriousness of the
old boys who dominate the wine scene - it also serves as a smoke screen to
distract those same boys from noticing that she is entirely capable of strutting
in on high heels, and stealing their bottle of post-banquet congratulatory Port
right off the club table --- and then quaffing it all down with a box of
bonbons.
Yeah guys, she’s ditsy like a fox allright..."
-Rhonda May-Editor, CityFood Magazine
London Free Press -
Worlds of Wine by Christopher Waters
"There are also a bevy of informative
websites and magazines that speak to all facets of wine appreciation. Some, like
Ontario-based Billy Munnelly’s Billy’s Best Bottles (billysbestbottles.com) or
Vancouver wine writer Daenna Van Mulligen’s Wine Diva (winediva.ca), are
blessedly idiosyncratic, which makes for fun reading."
Michelle Leroux
Whistler is awsome.com
"Daenna is truly a professional wine drinker, tasting over 2,200 wines a year
and reviewing around 1,000 of them on her tongue in cheek website
www.winediva.ca."
MorethanMerlot.com -
Great information on Argentine Wines...
"I really like the Wine Diva’s style! She shares articles in other wine-related
forums such as VinesMag.com, where I found a great little post on the wines of
Argentina..."
Granville Magazine GranvilleOnLine.ca -
Wine, Women and Stories... "I love a
good story. And, for me, besides the very real sensual experience, the story of
a wine constitutes much of the enjoyment. Tuesday evening's Diva(s) at the Met
event—hosted by the Wine Diva herself, Ms. Deanna Van Mulligan...
Winnipeg Free
Press -
Uncorked - Wine Arts, Manitobans bring their expertise to
the Industry... "Daenna Van Mulligen's lack of pretension and
genuine enthusiasm for wine was evident at the tastings I attended with her in
Germany last year. It came as little surprise, then, when I learned that she was
born and raised in Brandon. Now based out of Vancouver, this successful
sommelier and writer administers two hugely popular wine websites..."
TheseBoots.travel - Eat/Drink -
WineDiva's 2009 Top 50 under 50...
"I can tell you
that if this woman says you should put it in a glass and drink it, you should
definitely pay attention..."
WineCouver
-
IVSA November 9 the whites..."For Daenna
traveling has been intense recently and between flying, events and writing for
her website, there is little time for anything else. As usual she was fun,
friendly and looking spectacular..."
Poivre Media -
Wine Festival: Diva's at the Met "Last
night, I felt as if I were part of a women's rally..."