Winetraders UK Ltd is the leading specialist importer of high-quality estate wines from Italy, Spain, Germany and New Zealand and was founded in 1997 by Michael Palij MW. A Canadian, Michael emigrated to the UK in 1989 after reading English and Philosophy in his home city of Toronto. He qualified as a Master of Wine in 1995 at the age of just 29. A career in retail was brought short when he was recruited as the wine buyer and sent on his first buying trip to Italy. He promptly fell in love with both the country and its wines and has subsequently visited Italy on more than 100 occasions. Winetraders works globally but the majority of its business is in the UK where it supplies the prestige on-trade, regional wholesalers, Majestic and Waitrose.