About Us

How We Carry Out Our Philosophy

deVine Wines & Spirits considers itself to be a highly specialized retailer in the premium sector of the beverage alcohol market. Here is a brief background on how we have distinguished ourselves from other stores:

History

deVine Wines was created by a group of 5 partners who dreamed of opening a retail store that would provide customers with a unique and pleasant shopping experience. We wanted to 'Wow' our customers with service, selection and more service. If the customer feels excited, special and positive when exiting, we have done our jobs and fulfilled our mandate.

The goal is never to lose sight of our Mission Statement: 'The purpose of this venture is the creation of a fun, unintimidating shopping environment where consumers can purchase premium wine, beer and spirits.'

deVine opened its doors on Feb 28, 2005 after two years of careful research, planning and development of our business plan.

The five partners share the same common goals and possess a complementary skill set to see our vision through. Four partners have worked previously in the industry. The fifth is a passionate wine lover looking for a new adventure.

The team members are Ed Fong, Annabelle Evaristo, Chad Gascho, Dirk Chan and Robin Kennedy.

Store Ambience

Located just off Jasper Avenue, in the historic Birks Building in Edmonton's downtown heritage zone, the store offers old world sophistication with a dose of urban chic. Original plaster moldings, warm wood fixtures, Italian tiles, Spanish sconces, designer drapes, high ceilings, oversized windows and elegant lighting set the mood. A selection of paintings from local artist adorns the walls.

A U-shape tasting bar lit up by a satin black chandelier is the center piece of the store offering an area where customers can talk wine and sample the newest products. For those interested in reading, a wine library is also available.

To keep the look clean and uncluttered, you will not find shelf talkers or cut case displays. The store space is open and the aisles generous.

The store is designed for letting our customers shop in a relaxed, unintimidating and unpretentious environment. No wine snobbery is permitted at deVine Wines!

Staffing

Without a great staff, our retail outlet would merely be walls surrounding shelves full of product. With great staff, you suddenly have the key ingredient required to operate a fine wine and spirits store.

At deVine, all the partners and staff have a passion for great wine, great food and helping others discover and enjoy the good life. We are there to help our customers and we love doing it!

Our five part time staff members are keen to learn more about the products we sell and the services we offer. A sense of belonging to the 'deVine Team' creates loyalty. The part time deVine team members are: Michelle Rochon, Melissa Priestley, Alasdair Mills, Joel Semchuk and Renzo Koornhof.

Products & Services

The deVine brand portfolio is geared towards offering unique and value driven products to the consumer. We strive to bring the consumer the best wines for their dollar at all times.

We do not specialize in "New World" or "Old World" wines, just good wine! The partners are on the constant lookout for great wine and developing trends. As there is no 'head office' to answer to, we can make snap buying decisions and quickly ride the wave of the hottest wine trends. Hot categories like single malt scotch, vintage port and the wines of Spain and Portugal can be ramped up very quickly. Constant research is done to keep up with future waves of demand. As we are putting the final touches on the 2003 vintage port selection, we ready ourselves for the 2005 Bordeaux futures campaign. deVine is always looking for the next wine wave to ride before everybody else jumps on.

Consumer education is a main focus at deVine. This is done through the many in-store tastings and seminars offered on a weekly basis. Our tastings are carefully chosen for variety and affordability - ranging from fun (standup beer tasting), unusual (Roast Suckling Pig) to the sophisticated (sit down, white linen Fonseca Vintage Port Vertical). Customers flock to the store to learn about their favorite beverages and how best to enjoy them with friends, family and food. Customers may also enjoy free tastings of new product that take place every weekend. When wine makers come to town, invitations are sent out to our customers to drop by, taste wine and meet the person behind the label. These value-added consumer events for our customers keep people coming back. And most importantly, they tell their friends!

The deVine Team can fully assist our customers in planning their own tastings and special events. Whether it is a wedding, anniversary or dinner party for six, we can help make a customer's event special. As well, deVine also provides private client services to the corporate sector and to individuals. Personalized service is what we are all about.

At deVine, we are very proud to be able to assist our customers in their native tongue. Assistance can be given in Portuguese (by Annabelle), Cantonese (by Dirk & Ed), French (by Michelle), Spanish (by Melissa) and Afrikaans (by Renzo).

Getting the Word Out & Looking Towards the Future

deVine Wines keeps in touch with our customer base through a bi-weekly e-newsletter. This is developed and written in-house and keeps customers well informed of new products and events. In a short period of time, we have added over 650 names to our e-mail list.

At present, deVine is developing a first class website to create a virtual store front. Customers will soon be able to log on and place their orders online, search for wines by ratings and discover new recipes for their wine and food pairing adventures. Online shopping will greatly assist those who 'fear' parking downtown and who choose to take advantage of our delivery service.

Giving back to our Partners and the Community

deVine Wines knows it cannot succeed without the help of industry stakeholders. We say thanks by acknowledging the special work and role that registered representatives play in our business. Agents are never treated as adversaries or 'sales people', but partners to profitability and success.

deVine Wines knows it cannot succeed without acknowledging our customers and taking every opportunity to say a heartfelt 'thank you' for their support.

And lastly, deVine acknowledges that we are part of a larger community and we give our support whenever we can. We strive to be responsible corporate citizens and work to support charities that touch our hearts. To date, we have partnered our events to raise money for the Edmonton Food Bank, the MS Society and Camp fYrefly.

In a nutshell, this is the essence of deVines Wines & Spirits. The spirit with which we carry out this philosophy has been and will continue to be the road to our continued success.

Awards & Accolades

deVine was awarded the ALSA (Alberta Liquor Stores Association) Retailer of the Year 2006 for Edmonton & Northern Alberta

Named in the May issue of Wine Access, Canada's only national wine magazine, amongst Canada's Top 50 stores to shop

Awarded the 2006 Golden Fork by VueWeekly magazine as Best Independent Wine Store