Corby 2018 Annual Report – Top Stories

2018 Annual Report

From the moment we changed our name to Corby Spirit and Wine back in 2013, we’ve been bold and unapologetic in our approach to marketing wines. With an eye on millennials, we started marketing wines at music festivals, tweeting about Jacob’s Creek Moscato during episodes of The Bachelorette, offering samples out of travelling vans, and selling it in cans.

In fiscal 2018, we made more waves when we acquired the Foreign Affair winery in Vineland, Ontario, in the Niagara region. This was no ordinary winery. It was a luxury boutique winery – the first in Canada to craft wines exclusively applying the Italian appassimento technique for winemaking and, most importantly, one that was producing big, bold wines of exceptional quality. In short, it was a perfect fit for Corby and our way of doing things.

“Our goal is to drive scale and growth while maintaining the signature winemaking process and quality of Foreign Affair wines,” said newly appointed Foreign Affair general manager Rae Gibson, who has been learning the ropes from founders Len and Marisa Crispino as they prepare to retire.

Temptress 2015 earned the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Ontario Wines in 2018, as well as Silver and 90 points in the Decanter World Wine Awards.

The Crispinos started the winery with a dream of creating the Amarone and Ripasso wines they enjoyed during their years of living as expats in Italy. Upon their return home, they purchased a 40-acre vineyard and, over the years, perfected the winemaking technique of drying the grapes prior to fermentation to produce denser and more concentrated juices.

Our goal is to drive scale and growth while maintaining the signature winemaking process and quality of Foreign Affair wines.

“They built a loyal following through friends, families, word of mouth and referrals,” explained Gibson. “We plan to use the same method of discovery to introduce more people to the Foreign Affair portfolio, but amplify it to the nth degree.”

Not only are we supporting the highly successful wine club, but we’re also sending direct-to-consumer email offerings, connecting with key media and influencers, pursuing strategic sponsorships, and winning medals and accolades at key awards shows. We’re also leveraging our retail distribution network and on-premise relationships to expand both inside and outside of Ontario.

Like the Crispinos, we intend to go boldly forward. Foreign Affair wines are proving that they can hold their own against any international product, and we aim to make the most of this compelling opportunity.

Learn more about our wines.

Foreign affair winery

Go For the BOld

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