Select Wines
Select Wines is a privately held Canadian wine import and distribution agency founded in 1982, representing over 25 international producer brands across Canadian retail, on-trade, and collector channels via four regional offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Select Wines does
Select Wines Merchants Ltd. (operating as Select Wines) is a privately held Canadian wine importation and distribution agency founded in 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company operates as a full-service wine agency, representing international wine producers and providing brand management, strategic planning, market intelligence, channel distribution expertise, direct-to-consumer access, and logistics and inventory management across all Canadian provinces. Its curated portfolio spans more than 25 producer brands across 16 countries, including marquee names such as Opus One, Champagne Billecart-Salmon, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Dr. Loosen, Allegrini, Famille Hugel, and Craggy Range.
The business runs a B2B transaction-based revenue model, earning margins on the importation, distribution, and resale of wine to commercial and boutique retail, chain and independent restaurants, and direct wine collectors. National coverage is delivered through four regional offices in Vancouver (headquarters), Calgary, Etobicoke (Ontario), and Montreal, with specialized import operations for each major provincial liquor board (LCBO, SAQ, AGLC, BCLDB) including Québec's private import system. Select Wines distributes over one million cases annually and is positioned as one of the top five wine import agencies in Canada, with 65+ employees and an executive team led by President and CEO Chris Hoffmeister following a 2016 leadership transition from founder Pierre L. Doise.
Select Wines firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Select Wines
- Legal name
- Select Wines Merchants Ltd.
- Website
- https://selectwines.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Select Wines is a privately held Canadian wine import and distribution agency founded in 1982, representing over 25 international producer brands across Canadian retail, on-trade, and collector channels via four regional offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Select Wines industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wine Importation and Distribution
- NAICS
- Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail (CRANABAE), Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF)
Keywords
Where Select Wines is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Select Wines business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Wine Importation and Distribution: Select Wines operates as a Canadian wine importer and distributor, earning revenue through the importation, distribution, and brand management of international wines to Canadian retailers, restaurants, and consumers across all provinces.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Select Wines product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Select Wines is a Canadian wine import and distribution agency that represents an international portfolio of producer brands across 16 countries and provides full-service trade support including brand management, strategic planning, market intelligence, logistics and inventory management, and direct-to-consumer programs. The company manages listings across provincial liquor boards (LCBO, SAQ, BCLDB, AGLC) and distributes to commercial and boutique retail as well as chain and independent restaurants and hospitality venues coast-to-coast.
Product overview
Select Wines is a proudly Canadian full-service wine import and distribution agency established in 1982, servicing all channels including commercial and boutique retail, chain and independent restaurants, households and wine collectors from coast to coast. The company represents a curated portfolio of international wine brands across 16 countries (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and USA). Services include specialized brand management, strategic planning, business intelligence, market expertise, direct-to-consumer access, and logistics management. With offices in all major Canadian markets (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec), Select Wines is one of the five largest wine import agencies in Canada. The company operates specialized services for different provincial liquor boards including LCBO (Ontario), SAQ (Québec), and private import systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wine Distribution Services Full-service wine agency offering brand management, strategic planning, business intelligence, market expertise across all channels, direct-to-consumer access, and logistics management for wine producers entering the Canadian market.
- Importation Privée (Québec) Specialized import services for the Québec market through the province's private import system, allowing Select Wines to deliver wines directly to Québec consumers and certain trade accounts outside the SAQ monopoly network.
- SAQ Importation (Québec) Import services for wines distributed through the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) monopoly, providing producers with full distribution within the SAQ system alongside complementary Importation Privée activity.
Companies that use Select Wines
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Select Wines technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Select Wines partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Brown Family Wine Group (Brown Brothers)coreSelect Wines serves as the Canadian importer for Brown Brothers' wines, including the new Moscato Strawberries & Cream product launching in select LCBO stores across Ontario for summer 2026. Brown Brothers is an Australian family-owned winery founded in 1889 that pioneered Moscato in Australia.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Select Wines competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mark Anthony Group: One of Canada's largest privately held beverage alcohol producers, importers, and marketers (e.g., Mike's Hard Lemonade, White Claw, Glendalough). Directly comparable as a national multi-category alcohol agency/importer with scale and breadth comparable to Select Wines.
- Philippe Dandurand Wines: Canadian family-owned wine agency representing premium international producers across Canada. Closely comparable in business model — agency-based premium wine importation and distribution with national reach — making it one of the most direct competitors to Select Wines.
- Trialto Wine Group: Canadian wine agency representing a portfolio of international family-owned wineries (Australia, Italy, France, etc.). Directly comparable as a multi-producer premium wine agency operating across Canadian provinces.
- Lifford Wine & Spirits: Canadian wine and spirits agency with a curated portfolio of premium international producers. Directly comparable in agency model, premium positioning, and national Canadian distribution through provincial liquor boards.
- Authentic Wine & Spirits Merchants: Canadian wine and spirits import agency focused on family-owned and premium producers. Closely comparable as a multi-producer agency with similar GTM into LCBO, SAQ, and on-premise accounts.
- The Bacchus Group: Canadian wine and spirits import agency representing premium international producers across Canada. Directly comparable in agency model and provincial-channel focus.
Broad incumbents
- Arterra Wines Canada: Canada's largest wine producer and importer (formerly Constellation Brands Canada), distributing Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin, Kim Crawford, and many imported labels. Comparable as a national-scale wine importer/distributor, though broader in vertical integration and proprietary brands.
- Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits: Canadian wine producer, importer, and retailer (VQA, international agency brands, retail). Comparable as a Canadian wine agency/importer with both proprietary and represented brands across multiple provinces.
- Andrew Peller Limited: Major Canadian wine producer and importer (Peller Estates, Trius, Hillebrand, plus imported agency brands). Comparable as a large-scale national Canadian wine business with both proprietary production and import/distribution operations.
- Corby Spirit and Wine Limited: Canadian marketer and distributor of spirits and wine (Pernod Ricard partnership). Comparable as a national Canadian alcohol distribution platform with imported and represented brands across LCBO and other provinces.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Select Wines social profiles
Digital presenceSelect Wines financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Select Wines leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Select Wines funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Select Wines M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Select Wines
What does Select Wines do?
Select Wines is a Canadian wine import and distribution agency that represents an international portfolio of producer brands across 16 countries and provides full-service trade support including brand management, strategic planning, market intelligence, logistics and inventory management, and direct-to-consumer programs. The company manages listings across provincial liquor boards (LCBO, SAQ, BCLDB, AGLC) and distributes to commercial and boutique retail as well as chain and independent restaurants and hospitality venues coast-to-coast.
Is Select Wines a public or private company?
Select Wines is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Select Wines founded?
Select Wines was founded in 1982. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Select Wines based?
Select Wines is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Select Wines make money?
One revenue line is on record: wine Importation and Distribution.
Who are Select Wines's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mark Anthony Group, Philippe Dandurand Wines, Trialto Wine Group, Lifford Wine & Spirits, Authentic Wine & Spirits Merchants and The Bacchus Group. Broad incumbents are Arterra Wines Canada, Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits, Andrew Peller Limited and Corby Spirit and Wine Limited.
Does Select Wines have an API?
No public API is recorded for Select Wines.
What industry is Select Wines in?
Select Wines's product category is Wine Importation and Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAB, Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands, with a secondary code of CRANABAE, Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail. Its NAICS code is 42482 and its SIC code is 5180.