About
Debbie Shing
Debbie (DipWSET, Certified WSET Educator) is the founder of boutique wine agency Quvé and a Certified WSET Educator with more than 20 years of wine sales and marketing leadership experience across Canada.
In addition to running Quvé and The Beverage Lab, you can also find Debbie sharing her expertise and passion through her work on CTV Your Morning, as well as championing BIPOC industry excellence across Canada as co-founder of Vinequity, a national nonprofit that offers scholarships and mentorships to deserving beverage professionals of colour. She is also a judge for the annual Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition.
Michael Tremblay
Michael (Sake Samurai, DipWSET, Certified WSET Educator) is the James Beard Foundation Award-winning co-author of the book Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth (tuttle Publishing 2022) with journalist Nancy Matsumoto. He is a certified WSET sake and wine instructor, a Panel Chair for the International Wine Challenge, held in London and Japan, and the U.S. National Sake Appraisal in Hawaii.
Michael is the founder of the Sake Scholar Course, an advanced certification that explores Japan’s many sake regions. He is also currently the Beverage Director for Toronto’s Ki Modern Japanese + Bar, where he manages an award-winning wine and sake list. He is dedicated to being Ki’s ambassador for sake, educating guests and staff alike in the beauty and subtle art of sake, wine and food.
In October 2018 Michael was inducted as a Sake Samurai at the Matsuo Taisha Shrine in Kyoto, a 1300-year old shrine to sake. This is a distinction held by only 70 people at that time. In 2024, Michael received the Foreign Minister of Japan’s Commendation his achievements to promote sake.