Wine Classics International has struck an agreement to act as Canadian travel retail agent for E. & J. Gallo Winery Canada.
Toronto-based Wine Classics International was set up by Jonathan Hemi in 1995, working with small domestic wineries and a local distillery in Ontario, Canada. It has since expanded to represent a range of international wines and spirits brands in the Canadian domestic and travel retail channels.
US winemaking giant E. & J. Gallo Winery’s brand line-up in Canada includes Apothic, Barefoot Wine, La Marca Prosecco, Orin Swift, Pink Whitney New Amsterdam vodka, RumChata and High Noon.
E. & J. Gallo Winery Canada National Dales Director Matt Wicksted said: “The E. & J. Gallo Winery Canada team is excited to be working with one of the leading agencies in the duty free and travel retail segment in Canada.
“Jonathan, Sherri [Gidney, Director of Sales and Marketing Travel Retail] and the Wine Classics team are working closely with us to bring our category-leading, innovative and profit-driving items to the business. We are looking forward to growing this business together.”
Jonathan Hemi commented: “We believe in representing premium spirits and E. & J. Gallo Winery has a wonderful, already-established portfolio of premium wines and spirits. We are excited to be partnering with a company that is global and has so many iconic brands.”
“We are looking forward to a strong partnership with E. & J. Gallo Winery in Canada travel retail,” Gidney added. “Brand building and customer relationships are two of our key strengths. With this fantastic portfolio of brands, that includes strong branding as well as taste, we are confident they will resonate with our consumers in the duty free channel.”
Wine Classics also works with Edrington, Iceberg vodka, Heaven Hill, T. J. Carolan & Sons, Roust (Russian Standard), Globefill (Crystal Head vodka), Signal Hill Canadian whisky, Konzelmann Estate Winery, Frescobaldi and Calamus Estate Winery.
