Toronto, June 13, 2007 - Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd., the Toronto-based sales and marketing agency that owns four Southern Ontario wineries including EastDell Estates, Lakeview Cellars, Birchwood Estate and Thomas & Vaughan will add to its exciting portfolio of owned and operated wineries by building The Dan Aykroyd Winery, announced Murray Marshall, CEO, Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits.
The $12-million, 45,000-square-foot winery will be built off the QEW highway where the company's Birchwood Estate winery is currently located. Groundbreaking on the project is scheduled for fall 2007 and the winery will be operational for the fall 2008 harvest.
"This amazing facility is a symbol of my ongoing commitment to helping sustain the growth of the Canadian wine industry," said Dan Aykroyd.
The Dan Aykroyd Winery, which is being designed by the award-winning firm Moriyama + Teshima Architects, will feature a multi-level hospitality building that will accommodate Diamond Estates' agri-tourism strategy. The winery's theme will pay tribute to the region's terroir and to Dan Aykroyd's 30-plus years of work in film and television by showcasing some of his favourite memorabilia throughout the building.
"The Dan Aykroyd Winery presents Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits with the opportunity to accelerate our company's expansive growth in the Ontario wine industry while ensuring we continue to create and deliver compelling branded VQA wines," said Marshall.
The winery's hospitality building and production facility will be designed with a number of environmentally sustainable elements including a geothermal heating and cooling system and solar lighting.
"I am very proud to lend my name to this winery. It is a true expression of my passion for the world-class wines of the Niagara region," said Aykroyd.