About Laura Batten

I always joke that my foray into wine happened by osmosis, growing up next door to a vineyard in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia.

Wine was always on the table. My parents encouraged me to try it often, though it wasn’t until much later in life that I was bitten by the wine bug.

I started by hosting casual tastings for friends on the weekends, themes like comparing reds from different regions, or tasting beer blind to see if there would be mass consensus (there was — apparently everyone loves Stella.)

My path meandered, leading me into wine sales, vineyard work, winery management, and eventually entrepreneurship, where I capitalized on all the things I’d learned over the years.

It was once I moved to Toronto that the idea for CRUSHABLE was born — a place where I could share my ideas, sell the latest wines I was buzzing about, and host wine tasting experiences for like-minded folks.

Along the way, I honed my digital marketing skills, organically building a national audience both via email and social media, that I realized I could offer this expertise as an expansion of my portfolio of skills.

I reside in Toronto with my husband, Andreas, and our adorable pup, Dottie.