About Us

I'm Emma, a local Canberra winemaker who's passionate about wine communication.

I’m in my fifth year of a wine science degree – so close to graduating! I work at a local winery, Collector Wines, and am a huge supporter of the Canberra wine district and the quality of wines that are produced in this region. In between raising two kids and volunteering where I can, I spend any spare time with friends and/or eating gooey French cheeses. 

I started Pique Nique as a way to help people get comfortable with wine appreciation and to introduce them to the Canberra wine region, which is a lot bigger than many people realise!

A few years ago, I noticed a gap in the market - in my day job, I’d do tastings and would get into chats with people who were curious about wine but didn’t feel confident with wine, beyond saying what they liked and what they didn’t like.

I am a firm believer that wine should be fun, not intimidating, and I really want to encourage people to explore wine in a relaxed environment. 

So I designed an introductory wine appreciation course - it's got everything I wanted to know when I started to learn and explore the world of wine. 

The class takes you through the fundamentals of wine, how to taste wine, food and wine pairing, etc - and there are no silly questions! Throughout the class, I use Canberra wines as examples, so it provides an introduction to the region and our wine styles too.

Now, I offer private tastings for groups, collaborate with others in the wine industry and around Canberra, and generally just have a whole bunch of fun!

My Philosophy:

Wine is meant to be fun. Not snobby, not stuffy, not scary. 

You don’t need to know heaps about wine to know whether you like it or not. At the same time, learning something new about wine can help you appreciate it even more.

It’s always quality over quantity. Drink less, but more of the good stuff, and enjoy it with food and friends and fun times.

The Canberra wine region is producing some seriously amazing wines, and I want to help you discover and uncover just why that's so.