Diamond Estates

Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc. is a producer, marketer and distributor of wines and spirits in Canada. The company operates two wineries in the Niagara region of Ontario producing VQA and blended wines under such well-known brand names as 20 Bees, EastDell, Lakeview, Dois Amigos, Hat Trick, Dan Aykroyd, Benchmark and Seasons.

The Niagara - on- the - Lake wine company founders Andrew Green and Murray Marshall started in 2000. They began by purchasing two small wineries Lakeview Cellars & Birchwood Estates. Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd. is an innovative, leading representative of compelling beverage alcohol brands, providing superior sales, marketing and distribution across Canada.

Andrew and Murray had known each other for years through amateur baseball and this, combined with their commitment to quality, inspired the name Diamond.

In 2005 Diamond Estates merges with Niagara Cellars Inc. (EastDell Estates & Thomas and Vaughan wineries). New partnership with Canadian acting legend Dan Aykroyd, Diamond begins crafting Dan Aykroyd wines. The following year Mr. Aykroyd invested $1 million in Diamond Estates.

In 2006 Diamond purchased 20 Bees Winery in NOTL a 43,000 square foot winemaking facility, 29 acres of land. They also purchased De Sousa Wine Cellars in Beamsville. Three years later Lakeview cellars was consolidated into 20 Bees Winery. In 2011 EastDell was also consolidated into 20 Bees.

In 2011 the company opened its first “Diamond Estates The Wine Store” in Toronto, Ontario. In 2012 20 Bees was re-branded as Diamond Estates The Winery. They are a publically traded company. The president and CEO is J.Murray Souter

In 2014 they produced over 70 wines Perhaps they are best known for their EastDell Estates Black Cab, and the Lakeview Cellars Reserve reds, also known for Dan Aykroyd and NHL Alumni partnerships. Other brands include Fresh Wines And Sundance Wines.

In 2012 The NHL Alumni Association and Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Ltd., launched Hat Trick Red and Hat Trick White with 50 cents from each bottle sold goes to the NHL Alumni Association to support various charitable causes and help further promote the game.

They produce dessert and icewines along with a wide range of wines. They have 9 vineyards and also buy from local growers resulting in about 200,000 cases annually. The wines can be found in Eastern and Western Canada with importers in China, USA, Germany, South Africa

The De Sousa Dois Amigos red wine (hand-crafted of Baco Noir and Marechal Foch) became an instant hit in Ontario LCBO stores, especially in the Portuguese neighbourhoods. Dois Amigos (meaning Two Friends)

Diamond is a leader in Sustainable Winemaking Practices and Energy conversation. Diamond Estates V.P. Winemaking, Tom Green served as the past Chair of Sustainable Winemaking in Ontario; helping the Ontario Wine industry create the first Ontario Sustainable Winemaking manual where wineries can now be certified as adhering to sustainable winemaking practices.

The company also imports fine wines and spirits from around the world and serves as the marketing and sales agent for these brands in all regions of the country. These brands include Fat Bastard wines from France, Fireball Whiskey Shooter from Canada, Hpnotiq Liqueur from France, Anciano wines from Spain, Francois Lurton wines from France and Argentina and a number of top bourbons.