Launching a wine brand may not seem like a typical move for a craft brewery, but to Cold Garden Beverage Company co-founder Blake Belding, it makes perfect sense.
“I remember some of the beers I made when I first began brewing in my apartment were absolutely horrendous, and I made a batch of wine, and it was quite good,” says Belding. “I remember a lot of my friends would come over, and they wouldn’t drink my beer, but they would drink the wine.”
Nowadays, Cold Garden’s beloved craft beers are a big draw for Calgarians visiting the Inglewood taproom, but Belding always knew they would expand into other beverages. In 2020, he acquired 1,000 litres of juice and produced the first batch of wines, which Cold Garden quietly sold in the taproom. This year, it was ready for a full launch to the public.
The official wine launch happened at a Valentine’s Day “wine rave” at the brewery, unveiling two wines, a fruity riesling and an oaky chardonnay, made with grapes sourced from vineyards across the country. At the same event, Cold Garden also launched its line of canned sparkling wine cocktails — a French 75, mimosa and kir royale — utilizing its house-made wines.
Through his own wine tasting experiences and with the help of his wife, Katie Eyre, Belding learned about the diversity and complexity of flavours in different wines, just as you get with craft beer. That similarity made wine an obvious addition to Cold Garden’s repertoire.
“I’m trying to turn craft beer people into wine people, because they have that mentality,” says Belding.