Who We Are
I suppose we should assure the reader that we're indeed hardworking, responsible, business people who know that dollars are made from nickels and to the worker goes the spoils. Yes! We wouldn't have made it this far if we weren't. We're Albertans after all! But we also couldn't have made it this far without our passion. We are the quixotic souls who decided to make careers out of finding real wine for our communities to toast with and make jokes with and get close with. Or better still, let's say We are the hapless bon vivants—the ones who asked "How many angels can dance on the head of an olfactory bulb?"
We read a lot, taste a lot, and ask a lot of questions. Bit by bit, we find our way to vigneron/nes who are
doing the damn thing: crafting
Important and
Necessary wines in all-of-the-above modes. Then we put our money where our mouth is and bring these gems home to Alberta. We bet as big as we can (and it's usually on the little guys).
Believe In Wine.
We are a ragtag ensemble of sommeliers, aspiring winemakers, farm brats, and big-city alley cats dancing the fake-it-till-we-make-it shuffle all the way to the wine fridge. Somehow or other...
We Are Importers of Real Wine.
Our Raison d'Être
This is the part where we're supposed to prattle on in market-tested prose about terroir and authenticity, about importing the wines we like to drink and how sure you are to love them.
At Vino al Vino we chafe at the diluted reiterations of wine-world double-talk. We are simply obsessed with wine and love telling the stories of the people and places that grow it. We believe the wines our vignerons are crafting are needed here at home, and so we put our money where our heart is and import them here to Western Canada, be they already cult favourites from well known regions or be they legends in the making from unsung appellations.
We seek generous expressions of honest winemaking, winemaking that gets out of the grape's way, sings the land to life, and puts history in the glass. These are the wines that give our lives greater depth and texture. Teleportation devices!
Every wine we import is farmed without synthetics and vinified with minimal intervention. If you've had a wild strawberry beside the grocery store version grown for yield rather than complexity, you'll know what we mean. It's farming first. Organic, Biodynamic, or Regenerative farming, these are our watch words. We truly believe the talented folks growing these wines (call them vigneron(ne)s, terroirists, wine farmers) are truly artists, collaborating with nature to capture a year and a place in a bottle, a canvas painted in tastes and smells.
The Principles We Live By
This has been our internal compass on what we do and how we do it to serve you, our clients, in those defining moments that matter. We decided to share them openly as they speak to our culture and the North Star that guides our actions.
The Vino al Vino Team
Our team of highly knowledgeable wine professionals is dedicated to curating the best selection of artisanal wines and sharing their passion and expertise with our customers.
More than likely you have met them already at one of the hundreds of events we host annually, such as store pours, wine festivals, private tastings, partnerships and collaborations. To connect you with the wines and the stories of our producers and bring cheer to your life.
Were you looking for "natural wine near me"? Click the button below! We're eager to get to know you and share our love for vino and exceptional artisanal wines!
Joe Gurba
Edmonton, Alberta
Joe Gurba is spearheading the charge to bring Edmontonians and drinkers across Northern Alberta a greater selection of exceptionally nuanced and authentic wines. Having formerly directed sales for Strathcona Spirits and with previous experience in marketing, finance, and as a restaurateur (The Watch That Ends the Night, a cocktail and wine bar in Nova Scotia that earned 2018’s Best New Bar in Canada), Gurba is familiar with the in’s and out’s of Alberta’s restaurant and retail industries. His passion for wines of poetry and nourishment make him an ideal standard bearer for our portfolio.
Sanda Silakaktina
Mountains
Sanda came to Canada in 2019 from small but mighty Latvia, armed with a BA in Cultural Business Management and a decade of experience working in fine dining restaurants and cocktail bars across Europe. She fell in love with wine during her WSET Level 3 studies, realizing that sharing a bottle and the stories behind it was just as exciting as tasting it.
Now based in the Rockies, Sanda helps connect drinkers to expressive, story-driven wines, building wine lists, hosting lively wine nights, and uncovering the bottles that make people stop and say, “Wow, I didn’t know I’d love that.” When she’s not pouring or studying wine, you’ll find her chasing her dog Pepper, climbing, or paddleboarding.
