Internationally celebrated wine writer Tony Aspler also joins the team as special contributor
VineRoutes is pleased to announce Kate Dingwall as a contributing editor. She joins the online wine publication’s expanding writing team just as VineRoutes Media reports a readership gain of 24 percent in 2024 over the previous year.
Dingwall is a seasoned writer and editor, who covers the intersection of spirits, wine, business, culture and travel, regularly writing industry deep-dives for Wine Enthusiast, Forbes.com, and SevenFifty Daily, as well as trend analysis for Food & Wine, Vogue and Toronto Life. Her work also appears in The Toronto Star, InsideHook, Eater, and Elle. She’s also an experienced sommelier, having worked the floor at some of Canada’s best restaurants.
Dingwall’s breadth of experience will play a significant role in VineRoutes’ ability to increase its coverage and expand on its growing readership, which is trending towards younger audience numbers.
In addition, VineRoutes welcomes seasoned wine writer Tony Aspler as a special contributor.
Tony Aspler joins VineRoutes as a Special Contributor.
An internationally known writer, speaker and wine expert, and based in Niagara, Aspler has been writing about wine for over 50 years. He was the wine columnist for The Toronto Star for 21 years and has authored 27 books, most of which are on wine and food. In December 2007, Aspler was awarded the Order of Canada. In 2012, he was the first Canadian to be inducted into the New York Media Wine Writers Hall of Fame. In that year he was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal. And in 2017, he was awarded Spain’s Officers Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, Spain’s highest civilian decoration.
in 2000, Aspler co-founded the charitable foundation Grapes for Humanity and is currently working on the fifth Ezra Brant wine murder mystery, entitled ‘One Foot In The Graves’.
“Having contributors with both Kate and Tony’s impressive background and expertise is an important step in VineRoutes’ evolution in the modern media landscape and providing content that resonates with all generations of wine and spirit consumers,” said Carmelo Giardina, who is the brand principal for VineRoutes Media. “Bringing these two on board reinforces our position as a major source for wine information. We are thrilled to have such strong writers.”
Shifts in the editorial team, including last year’s promotion of Tod Stewart to senior editor and the appointment of Alana Lapierre to regional editor for eastern Canada, supports regional synergies and growth for the brand overall.
Further, VineRoutes is poised to continue its practice of blind tasting wines, especially for top wine announcements at year-end. In 2024, members of the editorial team blind tasted dozens of wines that were provided by wine agencies and wineries seeking consideration. “Objectivity and integrity are required to build trust,” notes Giardina. “We hope to see more agents and wineries wanting to participate in this initiative in 2025.”
For more information about VineRoutes, visit www.vineroutes.com/about-vineroutes. Questions and specific information can be addressed via managing editor Paula Henriques by emailing paula@vineroutes.com.
Media Contact: Paula Henriques | Managing Editor | paula@vineroutes.com | 1-844-378-8463
