Our Team
Costa Gavaris DipWSET
Costa's obsessive interest in wine is the reason we started this wacky adventure in the first place. His first exposure to the world of fine wine occurred while working a summer job in college as a server at the Windsor House in his hometown of St. Andrews, New Brunswick. His interest in wine was shelved through his early career days until he arrived in Kelowna, BC in 2008, and began exploring and experiencing the wine country of the Okanagan Valley. After following Jody to Vancouver, he spent 5 years studying wine in night school and working part-time jobs at wine shops off the side of his primary career in health care. In 2016, Costa finally allowed himself to realize that he truly, madly, deeply wanted to make wine, and the concept and first vintage of Rigour & Whimsy was born.
Past lives: small-town kid, hockey player, raver, health care professional, urbanite, sartorialist.
Alter-ego: Darth Vader
Jody never in a million years would have imagined she'd be owning and operating a wine business. Although fine dining and wine are in her lineage - her father having studied hospitality at Ryerson PTU in the 70's - Jody's early career followed in the footsteps of her mother, studying environmental and ocean science and obtaining a Ph.D. in marine microbiology. After suffering severe burnout and a mental health crisis while working at her first job outside academia with a start-up in Vancouver, Jody realized she needed to make some major changes in her trajectory, and agreed to move to the country with Costa to support the growth of Rigour & Whimsy. Jody is committed to fostering a work culture that provides psychological safety and supports all team members in pursuing their most honest self-expression in a lifestyle that meets their deepest needs.
Past lives: small-town-kid, figure skater, extreme sports enthusiast, triathlete, microbial oceanographer, urbanite, corner-office aspirationalist.
Alter-ego: Rainbow Brite