Richard Johnston: has been an educator, politician, and social activist.  As the MPP for Scarborough West from 1979-90, he was known for his work on poverty, child abuse, nuclear disarmament and deaf education.  After politics, he became the Chair of the Council of Regents, the governing body for the province’s colleges, where he led a number of reform initiatives and helped establish two French-language colleges.  From there he assumed the presidency of the First Nations Technical Institute on the Tyendinaga Territory. Working with the Mohawk community brought him to Prince Edward County, where he purchased a farm and, knowing nothing about grapes except for the end product, immediately felt drawn to plant grape vines.  By the time he became president of Toronto’s Centennial College in 1999, his family finally succumbed and 3,000 Riesling were planted with the help of friends on a cold, rainy, muddy day.  The vines flourished and Richard commuted back and forth, building both the college and the winery.  Now retired from the college, he spends more time at home driving tractor, pouring wine and coaching his daughters’ soccer team.

Vida Zalnieriunas:  is a psychotherapist with a private practice in Prince Edward County.  She is almost ready to say she is the winemaker.  She and her mentor, Martin Gemmrich of Niagara-on-the-Lake fame, have a running debate: is the winemaker the person who gives instructions or the one following the instructions, meaning the person doing all the slogging?  As with all wine matters, it can be so complicated.  In any case, she is drinking wine much more intensely than she ever imagined, and is amused to discover that a post graduate degree in counselling psychology comes in handy when attempting to deconstruct the meaning of winemaking, and slow down the senses to really experience wine.