Our Philosophy

At GW we stand proudly behind every bottle of wine we bring to you. Not only is each bottle we buy delicious, it is also well made with the environment and local community in mind. Here are some of our pillars you can always count on.

Organic Farming

Farming matters. All our international wine is organic at minimum, with many producers taking further regenerative steps. That means our wines aren’t sprayed with harmful herbicides or fungicides that can damage soils and pollute the planet. We seek out growers who see farming as part of a larger ecosystem and are committed to protecting the health of their vineyards, their communities and the land for generations to come.

No Additives

Think wine is just grapes? There are actually 50+ allowable additives beyond grapes in many wines, with little transparency for consumers about what’s in the bottle. Ours are naturally vegan and made without harsh filtering, sweeteners or unnecessary additions. The one allowable addition is sulphur, used at a fraction of commercial levels—and we’re always seeking great no-sulphur-added wines, too. Find them by searching “zero-zero” on our site.

Family Owned

Great wine comes from great people and places. We work with family-owned farms thinking not only about their environmental impact, but their social one too. We’ve visited many of the wineries we work with and care deeply about the human side of winemaking. We particularly love supporting producers leading by example, from ensuring living wages and transparency to creating mentorship programs and generously sharing their knowledge with the next generation.

Local Wines

Supporting local matters! We love Canadian wine from coast to coast because it’s delicious, supports local communities and can have a lower carbon footprint. We source from BC, Quebec, Nova Scotia and, of course, Ontario. Ontario is the one region where some cuvées we purchase aren’t organic: we make this local exception for sustainably minded wineries working thoughtfully within the realities of Ontario’s extremely wet and humid growing climate.

Diverse Voices

Wine needs more perspectives. We created GW as an inclusive, women-led space within a traditionally patriarchal industry, while recognizing the intersecting barriers of race, class and sexual orientation. Whenever we can, we support BIPOC makers and agents, as well as the queer wine community. There’s a long way to go, but we’re excited by the change we’ve seen since 2016, including our annual GW Grant with Vinequity supporting future BIPOC wine leaders.

Future of Grapes

Wine is an agricultural product, which means climate change can dramatically affect what ends up in the bottle. We seek out winemakers responding to these changes with curiosity and delicious experimentation, planting resilient grape varieties native to North America, creating grape-fruit blends or mixing vintages. Wines made from hybrid grapes can have especially low farming inputs and are some of our favourite bottles in the shop. Curious? Just ask us!