OUR HERITAGE
From Roesti to Vins Horizon
It all began with Paul Widmer, founder of the Roesti agency and Maître Rôtisseur of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs du Canada. He dedicated his career to discovering exceptional producers and building lasting relationships between vineyards, restaurateurs, and lovers of fine wines.
Gastronomy is the art of elevating every moment to the level of excellence.
Paul Widmer
This passion was passed on to Daniel Bourgeois, who took up the mantle in 2001 by founding Les Vins Horizon. Faithful to Paul Widmer's values, he developed an approach based on integrity, closeness to producers, and the creation of long-term partnerships.
Today, Dominique Gagné and Richard Milot have joined the agency, once again bringing together an experienced team under a single banner.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
A brand is not launched, it is cultivated
The Quebec market has many agencies capable of selling wine. It has few that accept the challenge of building a brand with a producer over several years, weathering both lean and prosperous years alike.
Les Vins Horizon occupies that space. To us, a producer is not just an account. It is a family, a terroir, and a story that we commit to carrying over the long term.
What we do not claim: volume, low prices, or speed. We judge ourselves by the longevity of our relationships, not by the number of our references.
OUR VALUES
Passion
An authentic passion for terroirs, gastronomy, and exceptional products. In practice: we do not represent a product that we have not tasted and cannot defend before a sommelier.
Integrity
Relationships built on trust, respect, and transparency. In practice: we share bad news with the producer just as quickly as good news, using real data.
Lasting Partnerships
A long-term commitment to producers, some of them for 20 years, and to Quebec partners. In practice: we refuse an account that we will not be able to sustain in three years rather than taking it for a single season.
Excellence
A constant pursuit of quality in representation, marketing, and service. In practice: a document leaving the agency is finished. A rushed or incomplete document costs more than a day's delay.
THE FACES OF THE BRAND
Three people the producer calls
In a representation agency, a brand is not an abstraction. It is comprised of named, reachable individuals who stand behind their decisions.
Daniel Bourgeois
President, founder, brand development strategist
For over 25 years, Daniel Bourgeois has accompanied wine, spirit, and beer producers in developing their brands for the Quebec market. His journey is deeply influenced by the legacy of Paul Widmer, at whose side he discovered the world of fine wines and the representation of international producers early on. His expertise covers the entire brand development cycle, from its introduction to the market to its growth within the SAQ, the hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) network, and private imports.
Dominique Gagné
Director, private import and business development
The son of a baker and a passionate chef in his own kitchen, Dominique Gagné early on combined his love of dining with a passion for wine born over thirty years ago. After a career in the Canadian Armed Forces, he launched his own management company in 2004, then co-founded a private import company with Daniel Bourgeois. His listening skills and understanding of the HRI network's needs make him a top-tier point of contact.
Richard Milot
Consulting Sommelier, education and oenological development
A wine enthusiast for five decades and a retired colonel after 39 years of service, Richard Milot transitioned from a professional soldier to a wine professional. Fifteen years abroad allowed him to traverse the vineyards of South Africa, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal. It was in Alsace, thanks to a long friendship with one of the region's oldest winegrowing families, that he benefited from an privileged apprenticeship in vineyard and cellar work.
Accreditations: WSET Level 3, French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Scholar, Spanish Wine Scholar, Alsace Superior Accreditation, Champagne Superior Accreditation, Algonquin College Sommelier (2008), Maître of the Confrérie Saint-Étienne d'Alsace (2005).