About Alta
Our mission at Alta is to foster an authentic appreciation, understanding, and passion for artisan wines. With the creation of Alta Wines in 2018, we took our first step in realizing our mission.
Alta Wines is a Toronto-based import agency that specializes in the distribution of wines from many countries including, but not limited to Italy, France, Spain, Argentina, and Chile. We seek to provide our customers with an immersive experience that will allow them to discover and appreciate the flavor, culture, and artistic expression of various distinctive wines.
Our Story
Our story began from humble roots in the province of Bari, Italy. Our hometowns, with their frequent family get-togethers, town celebrations, and religious feasts were breeding grounds for our foray into artisan wines. Over time, wine became a staple of our cultural identity; not just for their flavors, but the stories, traditions, and the human connection created through them.
Moving to Toronto from our stomping grounds in Italy has been nothing short of a dream come true. There are very few places in the world that welcome community, diversity, and openness as much as this place and we are proud to be a part of it.
The Team
Domenico Basile
Domenico (or Dom) is a purebred Barese that hails from Altamura, Italy, a town known not just for its exquisite bread, but also for its entrepreneurial mindset. An avid globetrotter at heart, Dom has travelled to and lived in many countries for both leisure and work. During his time in Italy, he specialized in a variety of food products, including olive oil, flour, coffee, and gelato; eventually launching successful companies commercializing and promoting these products.
After a conversation with Vincenzo, Dom recognized an opportunity to combine a passion in wine with his 10 years of business expertise in the food industry to create Alta Wines. If you’re ever interested in speaking to Dom, you can catch him at your local Italian bakery eating focaccia or dancing at a salsa bar.
Vincenzo Ferrulli
Vincenzo, an epicurean by nature, comes from the coastal city of Bari, Italy, where he grew up among a family with a strong and long standing farming heritage. His passion and curiosity for languages, arts, and food pushed him to explore many parts of the world, before deciding to settle down in Toronto in 2013. Out of sheer determination to master English, he worked in local restaurants, cleaning dishes and bussing tables.
Fascinated with the culture of hospitality and wine, he then decided to pursue a career as a Sommelier. That decision brought him to pursue a formal education with Master Sommelier, Bruce Wallner. After attaining his Sommelier certification, he spent a year in France, studying the wine business, wine-making techniques, viticulture, and French cuisine. If you’re interested in speaking to Vincenzo, you can find him at your local martial arts tournament or avidly reading manga in the park.
Our 5 Pillars
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Authenticity
We try to foster an authentic appreciation for the practices, people and flavors that go into a wine. To achieve this, we only distribute artisan wines that represent many generations of traditions and history. To us, wine is more than just a tasty beverage; it is an expression of the territorio, culture and environment
The Core of Our Business
Curiosity
This mentality has driven us to find the most unique and rare products across the globe. It has even pushed us to meet EVERY winemaker represented by our portfolio. We don’t just pop in and out of these wineries: we break bread with the farmers and winemakers; we walk through the vineyards, touch the soil, breathe the air, and pet their dogs (or horses)
Curiosity sparks Discovery
Lifestyle
Great wines can be a part of so many aspects of life; from celebrations, to small dinners or home movie nights. With our wine pairing recommendations, we hope you will discover new ways to integrate this beautiful beverage into your daily life. Stick with us and soon enough, you’ll be casually sipping Sangiovese on your roof for evening sunsets or showing off your new Orange Malvasia for your next family dinner.
Incorporating Wine into the Everyday
Passion
What we do is at the heart of our culture and personality. It’s indescribable and can only be seen first-hand. Come by to one of our tasting events where our charming in-house experts can dazzle you with conversations on the history, flavors, and cultures behind wines. Attend enough of these events and you will be filled with the same passion for wine soon enough
We Love What We Do, A Lot
Environmental Sustainability
Most of the wines in our portfolio are naturally or organically produced; that means that there’s no artificial fertilizers, genetically modified crops, pesticides or sprays used in the making of any of the wines. We believe that wine is a direct expression of the environment that it is produced in - why make that experience artificial when natural is so much better?
Organic, Natural Wines
Our Services
Through our services, you, as a restauranteur or a private customer, have exclusive access to an unique portfolio of a vast array of wines. Our in-house sommeliers have an expert palate cultivated over years of being in this industry and will hand-pick a selection of wines catered to your needs and desires. We go the extra mile (literally!) to deliver orders to your doorstep! We also host exciting events where you, as customers, get the opportunity to taste our staple and new wines. On top of that, you will get the chance to engage in fruitful conversations with our winemakers and listen to the exciting anecdotes behind each and every bottle.