MANITOBA'S VINEYARD
We like to think we embody the entrepreneurial spirit and charismatic swagger of the doctors selling “elixirs” that could cure everything.
Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to elevate their home cocktail game without buying dozens of bottles? A: Just buy dozens of bottles and put them on your credit card if you have to. You would rather owe a debt to the bank than a debt to your conscience. Q: Do you think drink pairings should ever challenge the diner, or should they always aim to please? A: I am challenged enough in my professional life. I want my meals to be pleasing. Q: The name Shrugging Doctor is memorable — what does it represent about your approach to drinks and culture? A: The name Shrugging Doctor comes from the doctors of the turn of the century, riding from town to town on wagons carrying potions and hosting “medicine shows.” We like to think we embody the entrepreneurial spirit and charismatic swagger of the doctors selling “elixirs” that could cure everything. Q: How has your palate or philosophy around drink‑ ing changed since you first started Shrugging Doctor? A: Every day I fall in love with alcohol as a concept more. Doing this my entire life, I am fully convinced that soci- ety was built around a glass of wine. Q: If readers take one idea or mindset away from your work, what do you hope it is? A: Show up, every single day. Work hard, and it’s possible to achieve your dreams. Q: Product reviews from Shrugging Doctor mention your top products. Discuss them and how they com‑ pare to the “big brand” companies. A: The tagline for Shrugging Doctor Beverage Company since our inception has been “Revolutionizing Liquor,” but what does that mean to me?
WILLOWS CHRISTOPHER SERVES A WINE FLIGHT AT SHRUGGING DOCTOR'S TASTING ROOM IN WINNIPEG. Photo courtesy of Shrugging Doctor
We were the first winery to grow grapes commercially in Manitoba. We were the first non-beer alcohol company in Manitoba to sell wine direct to consumer. We were the first non-beer alcohol company in Manitoba to open a sit-down location. We were the first same-day alcohol delivery service in Manitoba. I have made a career and an impact in Manitoba by spending time and effort setting myself apart from the “big brand” companies. We make the most unique products and the best tasting products because we honour what makes our home province unique. By utilizing the fruits that Manitoba is famous for, we can craft fruit wines like our Strawberry Rhubarb Wine, Saskatoon Berry Wine, Raspberry Wine and Blueberry Wine that top our sales in that category. Of course, our unique grape wines from Manitoba- grown grapes are unlike anything else and top our sales in the grape wine category. Our different sangria and wine coolers are the best of their class and top the big brands in every way. However, the most important point I want to get across is that I have never once tried to compare myself directly with the big brands. We don’t compete with the big brands. Every day we wake up to make wine. We only compete to make the best products we possibly can in this province that I love so much.
The opinions contained within are not the opinions of Savour Manitoba or FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. They are solely the opinions of Willows Christopher and should not reflect on this publication. Publication is not endorsement. – Management
16 | SPRING 2026 | SAVOUR MANITOBA
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