ARTERRA WINES CANADA ACQUIRES CULMINA FAMILY ESTATE WINERY.
A LONG-STANDING HISTORY WITH THE TRIGGS FAMILY COMES FULL CIRCLE
Mississauga, ON (July 9th 2019) – Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. (AWC) announced today they have closed a deal to acquire Culmina Family Estate Winery a premium boutique winery, founded in 2007 by Don and Elaine Triggs.
Culmina (CUL-mihn-uh) in Latin translates to the ‘peak’ or apex, which reflects the Triggs’ desire to grow the highest possible quality wine from their incredible terroir in the Golden Mile Bench.
Since its inception, their mission has been to create wines of excellence through the blending of art and science. The Golden Mile Bench, the Okanagan Valley’s first sub-appellation created in 2015, was purposely selected as the home of Culmina, with the help of Bordeaux-based consultant, Alain Sutre. The Triggs’ scoured the valley for terroir with potential to create iconic quality wines which continue to earn high accolades and recognition across Canada and internationally.
The addition of Culmina Family Estate Winery into the AWC family of wineries complements its diverse selection of Canadian and international award-winning VQA wines. AWC has been making wines in the Okanagan for more than 30 years, with over a thousand acres of premium vineyards like Black Sage and Sunrock. They make recognized wines from Black Sage Vineyard, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, See Ya Later Ranch, Jackson-Triggs and Inniskillin Okanagan, Nk’Mip Cellars, Laughing Stock Vineyards and employ over 500 people in British Columbia.
“We have a long history with Jay and his team at Arterra Wines Canada, so we are confident they will continue the development of Culmina’s destiny as a producer of iconic quality wines,” said Don and Elaine Triggs, co-proprietors and their daughter Sara, Culmina Family Estate Winery.
“I have personally worked closely with the Triggs family over the years, so I’m immensely proud to bring the Culmina Family Estate Winery into the Arterra Wines Canada family. They have played such an integral role in building our Canadian wine industry and we are proud to continue the legacy Culmina has created,” said Jay Wright, president and CEO, Arterra Wines Canada, Inc.
Don and Elaine are planning for retirement but will be supporting the transition over the next several months. Sara will be joining AWC as Sales and Marketing Director in continued support of the vision, strategy and planning for Culmina.
Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. is the country’s leading producer and marketer of award-winning, globally recognized Canadian and imported wines. Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. has grown and evolved to owning and distributing 100+ wine brands, including seven of the top 20 brands in Canada: Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin, Sawmill Creek, Wallaroo Trail, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Ruffino and Kim Crawford. In the last five years, the company’s portfolio has received over 1,500 accolades and awards in national and international wine competitions.
Headquartered in Mississauga, ON, Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. operates eight wineries and over 1,700 acres of premium vineyards in Canada’s wine regions. It owns and operates 164 Wine Rack retail wine stores in Ontario and sells wine kits and products for winemaking through its RJS Craft Winemaking brand. It employs approximately 2,000 full-time and part-time staff across the country. For more information about Arterra Wines Canada, Inc., visit www.arterracanada.com.
Culmina Family Estate Winery is located on the Golden Mile Bench in the South Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, is the result of a lifetime of experience in the wine industry for Don, Elaine and Sara Triggs. Through their hard work, scientific study, commitment to craft, unwavering pursuit of excellence and a longstanding faith in the potential for icon-quality wines from Canadian soil, Culmina Family Estate Winery was born.
This acquisition highlights one of the major British Columbia Wine trends predicted in BC Wine Trends for 2019.
