Originally published by: St. Catharines Standard

In the Ontario wine industry, Gabe Magnotta was a maverick.

As head of Magnotta Winery Corp., he was the guy that took on the giants, such as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, and won.

When the provincial alcohol retailer refused him shelf space when he opened in 1990, Magnotta and his wife, Rossana, fought back and found a way to open seven of their own stores across the Greater Toronto Area to sell products directly to consumers at cut-rate prices. more…