Carrie Rau is pouring it straight and rewriting the rules of wine

Carrie Rau is a chef, certified sommelier, and one of the most interesting voices in Canada's evolving wine scene. One of the co-founders of Vinequity, a nonprofit created to increase visibility and opportunities for BIPOC professionals in wine, Rau brings both technical skills and back- and front-of-house experience to the table.

Her career spans fine dining, wine education and teaching roles at George Brown College, but what sets her apart is her commitment to creating space for others. Rau, who was adopted during the Sixties Scoop, has reconnected with her Cree roots in later life and continues to lead her career in hospitality with this inclusive perspective. Alongside her latest role at The Royal Hotel in Prince Edward County, where Rau is pairing beautiful pours with chef Albert Ponzo's Italian-inspired menu, she's busy pursuing her Master of Wine. 

Rau shares her insights on why diversity in the wine world is not only overdue but absolutely essential. She speaks about the challenges facing marginalized voices in hospitality, the power of mentorship and how Indigenous values can transform how we think about food and wine. Pull up a seat — she’s pouring it straight.

What was your a-ha moment in wine?

“I always say it was an Alsace riesling. Back then, I didn’t have access to great wine, or the knowledge to pick a great wine, and probably not enough money as a chef school student to buy it. Then we tasted some really amazing styles in class. Riesling, for a beginner, is a palatable and lovely wine, because you have that dry style all the way to super sweet. Then you can explore by country and dive deeper. That's the problem — I fell into a deep wine hole, and I haven't figured out how to come out of that yet.”

How does your background as a chef influence your approach to wine?

"I started cooking when I was 23 and was introduced to wine at a beginner level ... I've always been told that I could get aromas and flavours a bit better. Maybe it’s because I had more exposure to food, like the ripeness of peaches and being able to understand a white peach that's crunchy compared to the stages of something ripe and fragrant. I have this career that's sort of brought front-of-house and back-of-house together.”

Tell us about going from back- to front-of-house

“I [loved working at] Lighthall Vineyards. It was great to get that experience and learn how hard it is to produce a bottle of wine, but it did make me feel a bit insulated. That's one of the reasons for my push to get into more of a front-of-house role [at The Royal in P.E.C.], and back into a global menu again, where I’m tasting wines and understanding food and wine pairings. I'm just a lifelong learner, and kind of a nerd.”

How did Vinequity come about?

“I think it started with the conversations in COVID about racism. Wine can be exclusive, and [the co-founders of Vinequity] wanted to explore that ... A lot of times, people ask me innocently where I'm from. As an Indigenous person, I try not to take that as an insult, but at the same time, I'm like, 'I'm indigenous to Canada.' I don't need to explain that. Conversations like that were what really connected us.

"From there we started to think of ways to fundraise and talk about food and wine. When you think globally, about what different people bring to dining rooms, wine can pair with so many different things — but we tend to really focus sometimes on a Western-style menu ... You have to open the room and have seats at the table and space for everybody.”

What advice would you give to someone starting their wine journey?

“Find a group of people that you want to taste, study and share bottles with. It can be an expensive habit, so [it’s great] if you can share some bottles of wine and ideas. It's really important to calibrate and taste together and get on the same page. You're building a library of terms, that's kind of how we analyze and assess.” 

George Brown College has several continuing education courses for wine aficionados looking to take things to the next level. Click here to learn more.