Meet the trio bringing sparkle to sobriety with Glimmer, B.C.’s first premium non-alcoholic blanc de blancs

Having a conversation with people in the wine industry these days is a little bit like being in an Old Testament bible study group. If it’s not the rampant fires, it’s the killer frosts and even when the crop does survive it’s met with indifference from a global population that is moving away from fermented grape juice in unprecedented numbers. But, thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom—there’s one category in the wine world that’s on such a tear that it’s forecasted to double its revenues in Canada by 2030. But when Jane Stoller first had the idea to get into the non-alcoholic wine game she wasn’t anticipating any of this—she simply wanted to find a way to enjoy her cherished glass of bubbles without waking up groggy.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Yes, Stoller loved her bubbles (her nickname then, as now, is Champagne Jane), but she was also a serial entrepreneur and business coach who had a knack for hitting on trends that she was personally invested in. It was over a glass of de-alcoholized French wine at a Whistler retreat that she wondered why there was nothing local catering to the market of those who wanted serious wine sans the alcohol. There had to be a better way than paying a premium to have wine shipped halfway across the world to serve what seemed like a growing demographic of people interested in decreasing their alcohol consumption. She did a deep dive into the market and the results were encouraging: Europe was already seeing a huge move toward non-alc products, with figures showing that one in 15 beers sold on the continent were now alcohol free—and wine seemed to be following the same trend.

So, there was a future, but what sort of product? She had a love for sparkling as a starting point, and after tasting through a multitude of sparkling, red, white and rosé wines she was confident that, to her thinking, the sparkling products came closest to mirroring the taste of “normal” wine. So, that moment of truth: an entrepreneur has a good idea in a growing market, but now what? Stoller knew enough to realize she’d need some partners. That’s when she thought of a former coaching client of hers, Marina Billinghurst, who had solid background in marketing and creative design—and, given that Billinghurst’s brother owns Three Sisters winery, was someone with an understanding of the idiosyncrasies of the local wine industry. Billinghurst took very little convincing, and a partnership was formed. “We knew it would cost 10 times more than we planned for, but we were undaunted,” recalls Stoller.

A final—and crucial—piece of the puzzle fell into place in an oddly fitting locale when Stoller met Janet Helou at the Wild Blue long-table dinner in Whistler. Not only was Helou a food scientist, she had also been working with Charton Hobbs, the national representative for LVMH: makers of Veuve Clicquot, Dom Perignon, Krug and Moët and the unquestioned leader in both the production and marketing of champagne. She loved the concept and was interested in joining the team to help oversee the absolutely key process of removing alcohol from the wine. There’s a multitude of ways to do this—spinning cone columns, vacuum distillation, even boiling is possible—but the team hit upon a proprietary method of reverse osmosis plus a subtle rebalancing to achieve the lightest impact and preserve the most authentic flavour profile. And, through trial and error, they hit upon a 100-percent chardonnay formulation—a “blanc de blancs,” in Champenoise terms—that they were confident could sway potential customers. They just had to get the word out.

Billinghurst crafted an elegantly minimalist label, Helou pounded the pavement with samples for sommeliers and retailers and Stoller got working on the socials. Things were moving in June 2024 in anticipation of a fall launch, but by the time the big October kickoff happened—a black tie event at Vancouver’s Terminal City Club dubbed the Glimmer Ball—the buzz, and orders, were already reaching a fever pitch.

Of course there have been roadblocks: for starters, the aforementioned capital intensity is very real for a startup in this area—but the team has been astute in leading several successful rounds of financing. And because the end product is technically classified as food, the company’s Okanagan production facility needs to comply with the more onerous food safety requirements. But the rewards have been more plentiful: not only does a who’s-who of Vancouver’s top restaurants now stock the wine (Maenam, Elisa, Published on Main, to name a few), the brand is also a hit at traditional wine stores like Marquis and Liberty. And one of the most encouraging placements is the number of fellow wineries—like French Door and Monte Creek—that actually offer Glimmer as an option for their patrons.

It’s been a heady journey for a team of non wine pros, but, luckily, they’re clear-headed enough to meet the challenge.