Laughing Stock Cashes in Portfolio

It’s the fourth winery sold to an Ontario company this year and joins a large group of wineries and wine enterprises owned by the Ontario Teachers Fund. Here is the official release that went out today at 9:45 PST across the country.

ARTERRA WINES CANADA WELCOMES LAUGHING STOCK VINEYARDS INTO ITS FAMILY OF OKANAGAN WINERIES CO-FOUNDERS DAVID AND CYNTHIA ENNS TO CONTINUE LEADING THE WINERY.

Mississauga, ON (November 28th 2017) – Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. (AWC) announced today an agreement to acquire Laughing Stock Vineyards (LFNG), a family-owned, premium boutique winery, founded in 2003 by David and Cynthia Enns. LFNG is located on the revered Naramata Bench and their flagship wine, Portfolio, is considered one of Canada’s iconic wines receiving impressive accolades year over year, most recently earning a 94 score on the 2015 vintage.

The winery will continue to operate as usual, with David and Cynthia Enns continuing to play a key leadership role sustainably growing the business over the next several years.

AWC has been making award-winning wines in the Okanagan for more than 30 years, with over a thousand acres of premium vineyards like Black Sage and Sunrock. They make recognized wines from Black Sage Vineyard, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, See Ya Later Ranch, Jackson-Triggs and Inniskillin Okanagan, Nk’Mip Cellars, and employ over 500 people in B.C. The addition of LFNG into the AWC family of wineries complements its diverse selection of Canadian and international award-winning VQA wines and becomes AWC’s first estate winery in the esteemed terroir of the Naramata Bench. "We started Laughing Stock Vineyards to create a premium, boutique Naramata Bench winery and after a decade and a half, we reached a tipping point both in terms of scale and demand. We made the decision to partner with Arterra Wines Canada because of their commitment to maintaining the integrity and quality of our wines and their solid history in the Okanagan," said David and Cynthia Enns, co-founders, Laughing Stock Vineyards.

"Laughing Stock Vineyards has earned the distinct reputation of being a well-respected and recognized premium, boutique winery in the Okanagan, with a strong team dedicated to making wines of superb quality. We are proud to welcome them into our family of Okanagan wineries and look forward to working together into the future," said Jay Wright, president and CEO, Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. "AWC and LFNG's commitment to excellence in winemaking will remain unchanged with founder David Enns continuing as winemaker sharing his passion for creating high-end Bordeaux style blends and other highly acclaimed wines."

Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. is the country's leading producer and marketer of award-winning, globally recognized Canadian and imported wines.Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. has grown and evolved to owning and distributing 100+ wine brands,including seven of the top 20 brands in Canada: Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin, Sawmill Creek, Wallaroo Trail, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Ruffino and Kim Crawford. In the last five years, the company’s portfolio has received over 1,500 accolades and awards in national and international wine competitions.

Headquartered in Mississauga, ON, Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. operates three commercial wineries, five estate wineries and over 1,700 acres of premium vineyards in Canada’s wine regions. It owns and operates 164 Wine Rack retail wine stores in Ontario and sells wine kits and products for winemaking through its RJS Craft Winemaking brand. It employs approximately 2,000 full-time and part-time staff across the country.

For more information about Arterra Wines Canada, Inc., visit www.arterracanada.com.

Laughing Stock Vineyards is located on the prestigious Naramata Bench in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley. Founded in 2003 by former investment professionals, David and Cynthia Enns, the winery was a pursuit to follow a dream and they woke up every day with the goal of not living up to their name. Laughing Stock is one of the most reputable wineries in B.C. known for the flagship wine, Portfolio. Their highly acclaimed wines have been twice awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in B.C. Wine and named the Best Red Wine in Canada by Decanter World Wine Awards.

For more information about Laughing Stock Vineyards Ltd., visit www.laughingstock.ca.