Canada’s largest wine review site, WineAlign, launches in B.C. today amidst the just-rebranded Vancouver International Wine Festival.
WineAlign bills itself as “a free, community-based service for reviewing, sharing and discovering wine.” It provides wine consumers with ratings and multiple critic reviews on wines available at local BC Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) stores.
The site makes its B.C. debut today with 4,500 BCLDB wines now incorporated into its website. WineAlign said that, following its debut, it will be “exploring partnerships” with private wine retailers, in a bid to expand its base of B.C. wines.
WineAlign has announced that Vancouver Sun wine columnist Anthony Gismondi has joined the website as a partner and will be lead B.C. critic.
WineAlign has stated that other B.C.-based critics will be announced shortly.
The website plans to launch in Quebec “in the months ahead.”
WineAlign was founded four years ago by Toronto entrepreneur and wine lover Bryan McCaw. According to the company, McCaw’s original goal was to provide “immediate, objective and comprehensive advice” to shoppers at Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores. In 2012, the site attracted 967,000 different site visitors.
