Tom Firth first started in the wine business in 1996 when he worked for Willow Park Wines and Spirits, one of the largest private wine retailers in Canada in their fine wine department eventually managing one of their satellite stores and finally returning to their fine wine department. 

After 7 years with Willow Park, he made the transition to the Kensington Wine Market as one of their on-staff experts and buyers. During this time, he confirmed his love of fortified wines  and became the Port buyer for the wine market as well as the beer buyer-but that was because no-one else wanted to do that part. Tom led a number of regular tasting events which included the Port, Champagne, and the odd “Tightwad Oenophile” and Speed Dating Wine Tasting evenings. 

Joining Wine Access Magazine in 2006 as the Events and Promotions Manager he managed the Wine Access Competitions and the Savour Wine and Food Festival eventually, in 2008, he joined the Wine Access Tasting Panel as one of the reviewers and commentators and contributors for the magazine which he continued to do until the magazine folded in February of 2013.

Since 2013, he is now the Contributing Drinks Editor for Culinaire Magazine in addition to his consulting and freelance writing work, and since 2013 he has been the Competition Director for the Alberta Beverage Awards- a beer, wine, and spirit competition celebrating the best products in Canada's only private (and truly competitive) liquor market.

Tom is a frequent contributor to:

• Alberta Liquor Retailer
• City Palate Magazine
• Avenue Calgary
• Culinaire Magazine

and periodically contributes to a number of other publications. Such as Civilta del Bere in Italy, The Tomato (Edmonton), and the Publican (BC).

Tom judged wine at the International Value Wine Awards, the Canadian Wine Awards, and has judged at Concours Mondial de Brussels. In 2013 he was one of the International Judges at the Argentina Wine Awards and in May 2013 he judged for the Wines of Portugal Challenge taking place outside of Lisbon. He has also judged at the National Wine Awards of Canada. He has presented on wine at the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festivals, Whistler’s Cornucopia as in retail seminars for a number of consumer events and master classes.

His formal wine training includes certification with the Wines & Spirits Education Trust and the International Sommelier Guild. More recently, we was one of the inaugural graduates of the Wine Location Specialist program sponsored by the Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP). 

The typical week involves several wine tastings, wine seminars, and wine related travel. In his spare time he blogs and tweets under the handle @cowtownwine.