As a young child, Wayne Gretzky watched in fascination as his grandfather picked and pressed his own grapes, carefully tended his collection of wooden barrels and bottled his own wine. Decades later, inspired by family tradition and motivated by his unfaltering commitment to hard work and achieving excellence, Wayne set his sights on making his own great Canadian wine. His goal was simple: to create a collection of wines that people might buy once because of the name on the label, but would choose to enjoy again and again once they discovered the quality of the wine itself.

The positive reaction that wine critics and wine lovers alike had to his portfolio of Niagara and Okanagan wines soon planted another seed in Wayne’s mind. Watching what his team could do with Canadian grapes made him wonder what might happen if they expanded their focus to include Canadian whiskies made from locally sourced grains. His overarching philosophy for this new chapter remained consistent: Whatever your craft, do it well.

In the spring of 2017, passionate wine enthusiasts, whisky aficionados and hockey fans gathered to celebrate the opening of the all-new Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery and Distillery in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake wine country. The 23,000-square foot facility nestled amongst the grapevines is the first combined winery and distillery in Ontario and another shining example of the great things that happen when The Great One is leading the team.