Jenna Briscoe – Apprentice Judge

Jenna Briscoe is a wine educator, sommelier, and event director working to create a more open and connected wine culture in Canada. Based in Vancouver, she co-founded This is Wine School (TIWS) to create wine education that’s rigorous without being rigid — offering WSET Level 1, 2 & 3 programmes and TIWS’ own thoughtfully created alternative classes that invite more people to the table.

She holds the WSET Diploma in Wines & Spirits, is a certified educator for the programme in Vancouver, and is a VinItaly International Italian Wine Ambassador. She is also the Project Director for Top Drop Canada, a terroir-focused wine festival held in Vancouver and Calgary, and judges internationally at competitions like VinItaly’s 5StarWines and the National Wine Awards of Canada.

Jenna spent over a decade leading Café Medina as GM, where she built an award-winning team and helped define modern Vancouver hospitality. Her restaurant experience includes sommelier roles at Hawksworth and Elisa, and time in London at Medlar and Lorne, with her contribution continuing beyond the floor in places like June on Cambie.

Inspired by her mentors, she loves sharing her perspective and experience on industry panels and other wine trade-focused events, like the Best Sommelier of BC, where she became Technical Director in 2023. Jenna is endlessly proud of the province she calls home, representing the wines of BC at home and abroad through her work with Wine Growers of British Columbia.