Robert Bell's
Wines of Canada
Since 1992
The Jackson-Triggs
Story
One of the best known and most successful Canadian Wine labels is Jackson- Triggs
The story begins with a man named Donald Triggs. Growing up in rural Manitoba as the sixth generation on a family farm, Don developed a passion for the land and a farming lifestyle very early in life. While Don's career led him into leadership roles in consumer goods marketing, agro business and the wine industry around the world.
Donald Triggs - photo by Bob BellDonald started his career in marketing at Colgate Palmolive after completing a B.Sc.H in Agriculture at the University of Manitoba and an MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business. 10 years with John L Labatt's wine division, first leading the Canadian and then their U.S. wineries sharpened Don's understanding of the wine market from a consumer, a grower and a financial perspective in Canada and internationally. The next seven years saw Don return to Canada and the UK where he and his new team grew a struggling Fison's North American Horticulture business in to a leader in North America.
In 1964 John Labatt a major brewer in Manitoba plunged into the wine business by acquiring Château-Gai in Ontario and the Casabello Winery in BC. In 1965, Labatt's acquired control of the Parkdale Wines Limited changing the name to Château Cartier and, a year later, acquired Grimsby Wines Limited to establish a position in the growing Canadian wine market. Labatt's hired Don Triggs making him responsible for the Canadian wineries. Labatt's also hired a man named Allan Jackson to run Ridout Wines. In 1970 Labatt's introduced a new label, Chateau Cartier, Labatts sold to a group of investors including Triggs and Jackson. The wines were briefly sold under the label Cartier Wines. When this new group merged with T.J. Bright to form Vincor some wines continued to be sold under the Cartier label. Please see Vincor History
In 1989, three partners, 26 fellow employees and Don pooled their life's savings to purchase the wine business of John Labatt. With the impending North American Free Trade deal's elimination of all protective barriers and an often questioned potential for the quality and future of Canadian wine, much of the banking and financial community thought that Don and his partners had “totally lost it”. The team only saw opportunity and with partner Alan Jackson they co-founded the Jackson-Triggs brand which went on to drive the growth of the new company, renamed Vincor International Inc., through 12 acquisitions to become the largest winery in Canada, and the 7 th largest in the world with 14 wineries and 2,250 employees located in Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Vincor International Inc. was North America's 4th largest producer and marketer of wines and related products by volume with leading brands in all segments of the market. Vincor has wineries in California, Washington State, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. Its family of estate wineries are supported by an international distribution network and dedicated sales and marketing forces. Vincor's premium wine products are complemented by a variety of popular priced wines, wine kits and refreshment products. Vincor was taken over by Constellation Brands. Read about Vincor's History
The story of Vincor should begin with two men Co-founders Donald Triggs and co-founder Allan Jackson. Two men with a deep passion for wines and the ability to make IT HAPPEN.
Allan JacksonAllan Jackson was a scientist by training well educated in the field with a PhD. His career in the wine industry began with Labatt Brewery to initiate a wine research program in association with the National Research Council to improve the quality of Canadian table wines. Soon he was responsible for research and quality control for the company's Canadian and American wine divisions. During the 1980s, Allan managed production at Ridout Wines, Labatt's Canadian wine company, and worked both in the Niagara region and the Okanagan Valley.
As mention Vincor was taken over by Constellation brands. In turn Constellation Brands Canada was purchased by the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund in Nov 2016. The new name Arterra Wines Canada.
Today we we know Jackson- Triggs by their many TV commercial with the tag line "We have a wine for that". They also say "We’re proud to be one of Canada’s most awarded wine brands. We’re even more proud to be the wine of so many Canadians."
In 2006 Jackson-Triggs won the Gold Medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) for best Shiraz/Syrah; the first Canadian red wine to be recognized by the IWSC. In 2010, they won their seventh "Canadian Wine Producer of the Year" trophy at the IWSC. They claim to be Canada's most awarded winery.
The head office for the brand is Niagara On The Lake, Ontario, with a second winery in Oliver, British Columbia. Arterra head office is Mississauga, ON.
Allan Jackson and Donald Triggs moved on to start their own wineries after Constellation purchased Vincor. Allan in Ontario and Donald in the Okanagan.
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Welcome to Robert Bell's Winesofcanada.com ! This is a personal website. We do not represent the wine industry or any aspect of the Canadian Government. We have been promoting Canada's wines and wineries since 1992. We do not sell or purchase any products. Please enjoy the website. Your comments are welcome.
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