Elsa Macdonald

Elsa Macdonald MW has been a wine enthusiast for most of her life so it wasn’t all that surprising in 2003 when she left her management consulting career to attend regional wine courses in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. This experience fueled her desire to develop professionally. She entered the trade by joining Vincor Canada as a territory manager in downtown Toronto and has taken on progressively more senior roles learning the intricacies of both the trade and the consumer environment. Always studying and traveling in her spare time, in 2018 Elsa achieved the highest standard of wine credential when she became a Master of Wine (MW). She is only the second woman and sixth person in Canada to do so. There are just over 400 MW’s worldwide.

Elsa has traveled extensively to wine regions in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, USA and of course across Canada. Her passion is in understanding the unique expressions of this truly international drink and in helping people appreciate its pleasures.

Elsa is the Head of Wine Education for Arterra Wines Canada. She also delivers wine education to sommeliers, WSET diploma students and trade professionals through several wine schools in Canada including IWEG.