Hemispheres Wine Guild is pleased to have Marcus Ansems as our wine guru. Marcus is a second-generation winemaker who fell in love with wine as a young boy helping with vintage in his native home Australia. He graduated from Adelaide University Roseworthy program with a Bachelor of Science Oenology major in 1996. Since then he has jetsetted around the world making wine in South Africa, France, Italy, Australia and Canada. Marcus has achieved international success with his wines earning more medals and awards than can be listed. The most recent is best Shiraz in Canada for his private label “Marcus Ansems Shiraz”. Outside of this dream job, Marcus is and avid lover of music an enjoys getting outside whenever possible, especially with a fly rod in hand.

Rachel is the Creative Director at Hemispheres Wine Guild. She is bringing to life the wine experience through photography and creative writing. Rachel’s experience in the wine industry spans many different aspects of working on site at wineries including accounting, merchandising and cellar door management. She also has the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines & Spirits. An avid photographer, she brings her passion for wine and knowledge of the industry into creative form, allowing our members to identify with the wine experience. Aside from enjoying a good glass of wine, Rach loves great music, is an avid and accomplished traveler and appreciates many aspects of fashion and the arts – including of course photography.

Mike is the primary point of contact for the members of Hemispheres Wine Guild, and those thinking of joining. He is focused on ensuring that all members receive the highest level of service and has an active role in other areas of the organization. Mike looks forward to building a strong relationship with our members and growing along with HWG. He has spent the past decade working in the Niagara wine and tourism industries in customer service positions while completing his education. A graduate of the University of Waterloo and Niagara College, Mike studied Geography –Tourism and Hospitality & Tourism Management respectively. Away from work Mike aspires to travel, enjoy food & wine experiences, and of course follow his beloved Maple Leafs every step of the way back to the Stanley Cup.

Rob, one of the founders of HWG, brings his diverse work experience within the wine industry to Hemispheres spanning from sales and marketing with an Australian wine label to hands on experience at an Okanagan winery. He combines this with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree to assume the “behind the scenes” role here at Hemispheres, making sure that operationally we deliver on every service promise. Extraordinary Service, social responsibility and happy members are some of Rob’s goals. On a personal level, he’s a lover of everything outdoors; mountains, oceans, vineyards and everything in between.