Handsome Brut

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When we rebranded as Goods & Services in 2013, part of our goal was to launch our own line of products. For this, the first of our “goods,” we partnered with Angels Gate Winery to create our own sparkling-wine lifestyle brand.

Our research showed us that, by and large, most consumers think of sparkling wine as a special-occasion—and expensive—indulgence. They also tend to think of it as a feminine drink.

Angels Gate crafted the wine—produced with 100% Ontario Chardonnay grapes and aged for a full two years—while Goods & Services developed and managed the brand, a playful yet sophisticated package that’s equally at home with Friday-night pizza or at a posh cocktail party. Both partners participated in the marketing, which included social media contests, farmer’s-market tastings, consumer and restaurant communications and swag, including t-shirts, buttons and custom glassware.

The wine was well received by LCBO’s buyers, and was featured in the 2014 Holiday issue of Food & Drink magazine, as well as being featured in Strategy and receiving favourable reviews by WineAlign’s critics. It also hit a chord with winery customers, quickly becoming the winery’s bestselling sparkling-wine brand.

Our goal was to produce an award-winning traditional-method sparkling wine that would break down the barriers that keep people from enjoying sparkling wine on a regular, everyday basis—the way they would enjoy still wine, or even beer.