Moirae Choquette didn’t jump into wine with the idea of making it - it was a winding road to get there. From tech, public service, e-commerce to marketing - she did it all. Travelling through Italy provided a glimpse into the culture. Witnessing the generosity and hospitality became the guiding light, inspiring her to launch Tomato Wheels.

Tomato Wheels originally began as an Italian food company, curating an array of spices, working in tandem with food scientists at NAIT to develop various flavour profiles. Concurrently, Moirae was granted an award to cook with David Chang in Italy. The campaign was coined "Fuck Takeout". The message shed light on being present and spending time with loved ones. Covid happened, and the project collapsed.

Moirae remarks, “I got to play with different household products, realizing if I wanted to be a big player, I needed a couple million dollars in digital advertising to be competitive. I had always loved Lambrusco and championed it for years - I was always looking for it on restaurant lists. That's where the idea came about - there was a big gap in the market. I dove into research with the goal to re-introduce Lambrusco in its original, high quality form.”

Lambrusco is not a household name. Prosecco dominates as the main bubble in the sparkling wine category. “I didn't know a lot about wine. I came across Calgary based wine consultant Brad Royale, took a risk, and reached out. I asked if we could chat so I could pick his brain. He was into it. Research began, and we started sourcing a vineyard in Emilia-Romagna. We ended up finding a 4th generation family owned and operated vineyard, Bertolani Alfredo. This was still in the middle of the pandemic - it all transpired via Zoom. The family must have been thinking, 'who are these two yahoos from Alberta?!’ “

The vineyard dates back to 1925, and tradition prevails - suspicion was palpable upon the first conversation. It was challenging for Moirae to transcend the cultural barrier and successfully explain her vision. Eventually, the family agreed to ship samples to Canada. From there, Moirae and Brad purchased every sku of Lambrusco available in Alberta, blind tasting them up against the samples received from Bertolani Alfredo. There was no contest.

The wheels began spinning. Moirae shares, “I immediately started brainstorming - who can I find to do the label? What province do I want to start in? Serendipitously, I found local artist, Lee Kreklewetz in Alberta, so we started there.”

Intimate connections can be made through food and wine, especially with a well made, high quality product, though Moirae never set out to be an entrepreneur, especially not in the wine industry. Letting go of control and allowing life to lead the way has paid off, evidenced by the success of Tomato Wheels in such a short amount of time.

Moirare grew up in Saskatchewan, living in Edmonton on and off for years. She spent time in Mexico during Covid going remote, and flying back and forth to Vancouver. “I was everywhere. I lived as a bit of a nomad for awhile.”

In 2018, Moirae took a solo trip to India. Returning to Canada revealed a stark contrast - a brutal life lesson she wasn’t prepared for, while living and working in Toronto. “The world I had just seen versus the one I was living in wasn't connecting any longer. There was an extreme reverse culture shock. How are we complaining about the things we are, witnessing extreme poverty? I felt so hopeless.”

She kept hearing "build a global brand" through her meditations, and decided to surrender, working toward whatever that meant.

Moirae is passionate about giving back to her community. Years ago, she gathered chefs to pose nude for a calendar, covering their “bits” with kitchen items. All the proceeds went to people facing food insecurity. Her dream is to focus on the philanthropic angle again, as Tomato Wheels grows.

For Moirae, the through line is healing and helping.

“I know nothing about wine, but hiring Brad Royale bridged that gap. His knowledge has been so helpful.

Knowing that 85% of consumers still don't know about Lambrusco - it’s my goal to show them.”

Curious to try it? Purchase here.

The Albertan bringing Lambrusco to the world

East End Vine: a vestige of Old Toronto