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Wayne Gretzky Estates Senior Winemaker
Ontario Wines

Craig McDonald

on winemaker craig

Our ON Winemaker

Wayne Gretzky Estates, Ontario

A good coach knows how to stack a team, and Craig McDonald’s unfaltering commitment to excellence rivals that of the man for whom he now crafts wine.

As the founding winemaker and creator of Wayne Gretzky Wines, Craig has played a pivotal role in creating the family of wines that Canadians have come to love. His attention to detail from vineyard to cellar has earned him Ontario Winemaker of the Year awards in both 2008 and 2016.

Whether he’s in the vineyards to check if the grapes are ready for harvest, or tweaking blends in the cellar, creating wines that Wayne Gretzky will be proud to call his own is always top of mind for Craig.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Winemaker
British Columbia

Sydney Valentino

sydney valentino

Our BC Winemaker

Wayne Gretzky Estates, British Columbia

Sydney Valentino was named the head wine maker for Wayne Gretzky Okanagan in 2019 but has been working closely with the winemaking team in Kelowna for over 10 years. She was previously the head wine maker for the Conviction Wines portfolio. Sydney was born in Winnipeg and raised in Kelowna. She has degrees in Chemistry and Teaching from UBC and studied wine making at Okanagan College in Penticton. She is proud to be the third in the line of female-only winemaker to take the helm of the Gretzky Okanagan Winemaking team – (Fun fact – the Gretzky Okanagan wines have only had female winemakers to date!). She has been inspired by some of the Okanagan’s leading wine pioneers - including working with Howard Soon for 5 years before his retirement.

While they may live on different sides of the country, Craig and Sydney work closely to ensure consistency and quality across the entire Wayne Gretzky portfolio of wines. The unique terroirs of Niagara and the Okanagan each offer their own opportunities and challenges that always make for interesting conversations between these two passionate Winemakers.

As Senior Winemaker for Wayne Gretzky Estates and Vice President of Winemaking for Andrew Peller, it’s not uncommon for Craig to hop on a plane to see firsthand what’s happening in the Okanagan and develop a strategy for the vintage with Sydney.