Born and raised in Alberta, Shelley Boettcher is the executive editor of Wine Access magazine, and a weekly wine columnist and blogger at the Calgary Herald. Her stories have appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world. She holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Western Ontario, and an intermediate wine and spirits certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. She has also studied with the International Sommelier Guild. Boettcher has been a judge at Vinitaly, one of the world's largest wine fairs, and a judge for the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Throughout her career, she has interviewed many renowned winemakers, including Wolf Blass and Penfolds' Peter Gago. Her favourite wine? Whatever she's drinking at the moment.