ABOUT VINESTONE

It is the goal of the Vinestone Wine Co. to become the centre of wine culture in the Cochrane, Northwest Calgary and Bragg Creek area.

Our company philosophy hinges on the notion that wine, and the experience of shopping for it, should be accessible and comfortable. We provide a warm boutique environment with a diverse selection of wines and spirits combined with expert knowledge and impassioned customer service. At our tasting bar and through tasting events we strive to create opportunities to enjoy wine for people of all levels of interest.

People
On a sunny Alberta evening a group of local wine-lovers were sitting together enjoying each others' company and someone else's wine. This group was more than just a bunch of friends who 'thought it would be cool to own a wine shop', but rather incorporated numerous talents and abilities that, combined, could actually pull off a great concept and a successful business. Some were business people, some were engineers, some were wine people and some were nice. In hatching the concept, this group of wine-lovers felt there were some needs that could be provided for.

The first and most obvious need was a response to the commonly heard phrase “The only thing I have to drive in to the city for now is wine”. Hmmmm.

The other thing these wine-lovers of Cochrane wanted was a choice. They wanted a place to explore their passion and to be able to share that passion with the rest of the community. They wanted to create an interactive space where the local population could feel welcome and guided.

The Name
In creating the Vinestone concept, we wanted to evoke a number of different things. At lunch over a couple of beers we established that first, the name had to sound like a wine store of some kind, and indicate that we sold wine and wine-related things. We also wanted both a somewhat Western feel, as well as to speak to the importance of the soil in which good wine grapevines grow. Stony soil types can give not only excellent, but also individual, characterful wine. We further felt we should evoke a comfortable, earthy sense that reflected the location and community in which the shop would exist. The relationship between vines, soil, air, community, indeed the sum of the influences of a total environment is what makes each wine, and wine shop, different, special, sustainable.

The logo that was spawned from this concept can be seen as both a pile of rocks with a vine sticking out, or a bunch of grapes lying on its side.