For a long time, the unwritten rule for local wine lovers has been that Ontario handles whites well, but if you want a serious red, you buy imported from California, France, or Italy. A winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake might have just challenged that assumption.
Wine critic Tony Aspler awarded a 100-point score to Big Head Wines’ 2023 Lipinski Syrah. It marks the first time he’s ever given a Canadian wine a perfect score.
If the name Tony Aspler doesn’t sound familiar, he’s essentially the most established wine writer in Canada. He spent 21 years as the wine columnist for The Toronto Star, published dozens of books on food and wine, founded the Ontario Wine Awards, and was awarded the Order of Canada for his work in the industry. Over more than 50 years of reviewing thousands of local bottles, he had never handed out a 100-point rating to a domestic wine— until now.
The news is already causing a stir across the local food and wine scene, sparking congratulations from local industry figures like chef Michael Bonacini. Even people who worked on the production team chimed in, noting the wine was special from the start and recalled the tanks smelling like olive tapenade while digging them out during harvest.
Long-time skeptics of Ontario reds are changing their tune. In the post’s comments, one drinker admitted they only tried the Syrah at a restaurant because no imported options were available, only to be shocked by how good it was, comparing it directly to bottles from California and Europe. The news is even drawing envy from out-of-province drinkers in places like British Columbia who are begging for cross-border shipping to get a taste.
If you want to try it yourself, you’ll have to act quickly. Big Head only made 100 cases of the Syrah. While fans are already pleading with the winery to keep prices accessible, bottles are expected to fly off the shelves, with local wine lovers already planning trips down to the winery to try to secure one before it sells out completely.
