By Rick VanSickle
Even with the world mired in chaos due to one man’s scatter-brained tariffs, the Ontario wine industry just might want to raise a huge (the hugest!) glass of local wine to the unhinged dude who made it all happen.
Since March 4, when Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that the LCBO was pulling 3,600 U.S.-made alcohol products from its shelves in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, interest in Canadian wines has surged.
According to numbers from the LCBO given to the St. Catharines Standard, sales of VQA Ontario wines at government stores have risen by 62% since Trump’s tariff war with Canada began. The increased demand for VQA wines — those made with 100 per cent Ontario grapes — is across the board for red, white and sparkling wines, according to the LCBO. Red wines have the largest jump is sales with 71% growth, white wines have seen a 67% increase and sparkling wines a 28% rise.
That kind of growth in sales (not to be confused with market share) is unprecedented. It means that consumers have moved on from their Cali red and white wines, which only two months ago dominated LCBO shelves at the expense of VQA wines and have started turning to Ontario wines and are liking what they are tasting. The success of the Ontario wine industry — like it or not — depends on sales at the government near-monopoly. It is the largest retailer of wines in the province and despite the rather small return after taxes and punishing levies, it still moves the needle on the bottom line.
By comparison, In March 2025, U.S. wine exports to Canada (the most important wine export market) dropped by US$25.5 million, i.e., 72.5% (compared to March 2024) to US$9.69 million –the lowest monthly value since March 2005.
In Ontario wine country, there is renewed optimism from wineries, despite some recent crazy talk from the Niagara-on-the-Lake town council to downplay “wine country” from its promotional material. There’s talk of expansion (Peninsula Ridge) and increasing tank capacity (Henry of Pelham) for more wine production. I talked to one winemaker last week who thinks there might even be a grape shortage from the 2025 harvest due to increased demand after two straight years of over-supply. Yes, the mood is buoyant out there.
We are now (finally) starting to see more robust attention paid to the Ontario wines being released at LCBO Vintages stores twice a month. These are premium, small-lot VQA wines that don’t otherwise find shelf space in the general list or Vintages Essentials sections. See our picks from the stellar selection being released Saturday in this report.
And we are starting to see more and more new VQA Ontario wines coming to the LCBO through product callouts and strong demand for more of these wines to fill the gaping holes left by vanquished U.S. wines.
A case in point is a nifty new red Niagara wine developed precisely as a tariff buster to appeal to lovers of those robust Cali red wines at the juicy price point of $16. It’s called Flint to Fire Cabernet 2024, a brand developed and owned by Niagara Custom Crush Studio’s head of business development Paul Henderson and made by The Crush’s Kevin Panagapka.
Henderson, below, had a long and successful career with Arterra and Vincor before moving to The Crush and saw the unhinged Trump tariffs and pulling of U.S. wines off the shelves as an opportunity to develop a red Niagara wine to replace the Cali reds now gone from LCBO shelves. Henderson knows the ropes when it comes to dealing with the LCBO through his work with Arterra, so he made his pitch.
“There was no better time to do this,” Henderson said as we tasted his wine at The Crush with Panagapka. “And we hit the right price.” The LCBO loved the Flint to Fire wine, and it was quickly bottled and shipped last Friday to LCBO stores, destined for general list shelves. The tariffs have allowed “a small guy like me to get on this,” Henderson said.
We have a review of that wine and a whole lot more in this Niagara Wine Report, including new wines from Lailey, Stonebridge, The Long Way Home, and Studio Gamay, plus the 2025 Canadian Wine Industry Award winners and our picks from a robust release of Niagara wines at Vintages stores on Saturday from Westcott, A Foreign Affair, Henry of Pelham, Stratus, Wending Home, Featherstone, and a tasty, well-aged Rioja from Urbina. But first …
Tariff busting Flint to Fire arrives at the LCBO
Flint to Fire Cabernet 2024 ($16, 89 points) — The first iteration of Flint to Fire Cabernet is made from 100% Twenty Mile Bench Cabernet Franc from a single vineyard. The wine is unoaked and represents “pure terroir from the fruit,” said Panagapka. It has a robust nose of bright red berries, purple plums, some earthy/savoury notes, a touch of herbs and anise in a clean and ripe style with nearly 15% abv. It’s mouth-filling with ripe black cherries, wild raspberries, anise, black currants, medium tannins adding structure, and vibrancy on the lifted, rounded finish. So, a big, ripe red in a fruit-forward style at $16 a bottle? Good value Cali replacement, if you ask me.
A trio of new wines from Lailey and Stonebridge
All three of these wines are just now being released, check here for availability.
Stonebridge Viognier 2023 ($60, 93 points) — This is the first ever Viognier produced from the Stonebridge Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Four Mile Creek sub-appellation. The grapes were hand-harvested, then pressed and wild fermented in 65% French oak puncheons (500L) and barrels, and 35% in stainless steel and aged for 11 months in French oak before bottling. What a beautifully rich and creamy nose, rife in apricot, summer peach, nectarine, beeswax, jasmine and toasty vanilla/nutmeg spices. It’s viscous, concentrated and textured on the palate and opens with a flinty note that leads to dense apricot tart, mango, quince, poached pear, toasted hazelnuts and spice with a luxurious texture through a fresh and long finish. An exotic treat done right. Can cellar through 2032.
Lailey Wild Fermented Pinot Noir 2022 ($42, 93 points) — This is (sadly) the last Pinot Noir to be made from the old vines at the Lailey Vineyard in the Niagara River sub-appellation. The old vines have now been replanted after a couple of bad winters. It was hand harvested and gently destemmed in small lots, then wild fermented. After extended fermentation in micro cuvées, the Pinot was barrelled in French oak to age for 23 months. It shows a lighter colour in the glass but profound aromatics of perfumed rose petals, strawberry pie, black cherries, raspberries, a touch of earth and mushrooms with subtle spices. It has a silky texture with a melange of red berries, savoury/umami notes, crunchy pomegranate, just a smidge of white pepper and baking spices on a vibrant and long finish. Drinking well right now, but would love to see some cellar aging, say until 2032.
Lailey Wild Fermented Malbec 2021 ($42, 91 points) — This single-vineyard estate Malbec was wild fermented and aged in French oak for 22 months. It’s quite bright and expressive on the nose with an array of fruits including plums, black currants, Morello cherries, cassis with a touch of black pepper and baking spices. It’s textured and nuanced on the palate with ripe dark berries, savoury notes, plums, black cherries a touch of earth on a finessed, long finish. Can cellar through 2032.
Serious Gamay from Enoteka Niagara
Studio Gamay Ella 2020 ($27, available here at Niagara Custom Crush Studio, 92 points) — Brand owner Vladimir Skok (Enoteka Niagara) sourced this Gamay from vines that are 33 years old at the Huebel Trillium Vineyard in the Four Mile Creek sub-appellation in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The perfect 2020 vintage “allowed inspiration to be drawn from the expressions of Beaujolais Cru-Villages,” which Skok embraced while living in France. The wine was aged in seasoned French oak barrels for two years with an additional 18 months of bottle élevage. A lot of love has gone into this lovely Gamay. The attractive nose shows lifted forest floor notes, dark plums, anise, pomegranate, meaty/savoury accents and integrated spices. It’s juicy on the palate with a smooth, rounded texture, harmonious dark berries and florals with a touch of earth and fine oak spice. The finish is lifted and finessed. This is serious Gamay that is drinking really nice right now, but you can cellar for further integration over the next few years.
The sophomore vintage of Long Way Home
The Long Way Home Chardonnay 2023 ($48, released May 10 at Niagara Custom Crush Studio here, 93 points) — When respected Niagara and South African winemaker/consultant Marlize Beyers, above, released her first Long Way Home Chardonnay a year ago you just knew it was going to be something special.
With most of the 2022 version sold, the 2023 vintage is set to be released on May 10. While this is only Beyers’s second vintage of this wine, she has spent many more years previously as the winemaker at Hidden Bench, Flat Rock Cellars, The Drift Estate Winery in South Africa (where she just completed her 30th vintage), and as a consultant with Resolute Wine Works. Yes, Beyers is a busy winemaker and she’s about to get even busier with the release this fall of her first barrel first fermented Riesling and Pinot Noir. You can now follow Beyers and her wine journey on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/the_long_way_home_wine/).
The 2023 Long Way Home Chardonnay is a 100% single-vineyard sourced wine from her beloved Beamsville Bench. The vintage wasn’t an easy one in Niagara with heat waves, rain, and disease pressure at harvest. “You needed to stay on top of things,” Beyers said while we tasted the new vintage at The Crush. The wine was wild fermented, aged for 10 months in French oak (in a combination of new and used oak) and bottled unfined and unfiltered. It’s quite concentrated and rich on the nose with lemon tart, ripe pear, quince, yellow apples but also some fresh saline and citrus zest. It has a lovely creamy texture and weight on the palate and is a little more rounded with a flinty opening followed by a melange of ripe orchard fruits, bergamot, juicy nectarine, lemon zest and integrated spice notes with a nicely finessed and long finish. Drinking really nice right now but it can be cellared through 2030.
Inniskillin, Bachelder among those
honoured with top Canadian wine awards
Wine Growers Canada (WGC), the national association representing the Canadian wine industry, announced the 2025 Canadian Wine Industry Awards winners at an industry conference recently in Niagara.
These awards recognize the success, leadership and outstanding commitment in Canada’s grape wine industry and the individuals, organizations and businesses that have gone above and beyond to support the growth of the wine industry in Canada, according to a news release from WGC.
This year’s award winners are:
• Canadian Wine Industry Award of Distinction – The Founders of Inniskillin
• Canadian Wine Industry Champion Award – Richard Linley
• The Karl Kaiser Canadian Winemaker Award – Thomas Bachelder
The joint winners of the Canadian Wine Industry Award of Distinction – regarded as the highest form of peer recognition in the Canadian wine industry – are the founders of Inniskillin: Donald Ziraldo, Karl Kaiser, Gerald Klose and Debi Pratt.
Founded nearly 50 years ago in in July 1975 Inniskillin made history as the first winery in Canada to be granted a winery license since Prohibition. Ziraldo and Kaiser together planned and planted the winery’s first vinifera vineyard in 1974, at a time when Canadian wine production was limited to labrusca grapes. Pratt and Klose then joined them, respectively playing pivotal roles in marketing & sales, and in viticulture.
“The complementary skills and knowledge of these four visionaries laid the groundwork for what would become an industry-defining winery, which went on to gain international recognition,” said Dan Paszkowski, CEO of Wine Growers Canada. “Winning the prestigious Grand Prix d’Honneur at VinExpo in Bordeaux, France marked a significant turning point for the industry, showcasing the world-class potential of Canadian winemaking.”
The Wine Industry Champion Award is presented to an individual who has provided exemplary support to the Canadian wine industry through media, research, policy, education or advocacy. The recipient of the 2025 Wine Industry Champion Award was Linley.
“Richard led industry association Ontario Craft Wineries for 10 years, contributing hugely to the success of Ontario wineries over that period,” added Paszkowski.
The Karl Kaiser Canadian Winemaker Award celebrates talented Canadian winemakers, in honour of the legacy of the late Kaiser, a Canadian wine industry pioneer and viticultural visionary. The recipient of this year’s award is Bachelder, an internationally recognized Canadian winemaker and the founding winemaker of Le Clos Jordanne and his own brand with Mary Delaney, Bachelder Wines.
“Thomas’s exceptional experience and genius in the production specifically of cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay has truly put him on the global winemaking map,” said Paszkowski. “Not only do his wines excel, but, further, he is genuinely invested in equipping and mentoring the next generation of winemakers, having been instrumental in the establishment of Ontario’s International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C) and always making time for fellow winemakers,” added Paszkowski.
Niagara wines coming to Vintages stores Saturday
Westcott Brilliant Traditional Method Sparkling 2020 ($48, 93 points) — This traditionally made sparkling wine is a blend of Pinot Noir (60%), Chardonnay (30%), and Pinot Meunier (10%) from the home vineyard in the Vinemount Ridge sub-appellation that is hand-riddled and disgorged. It’s aged on its lees for 48 months and finished with only 2 g/L of residual sugar, so a brut nature. What a lovely sparkling wine with an elegant bead that leads to a fresh, vibrant nose of green apples, pear skin, toasty brioche, lemon zest and hazelnuts. The bubbles are persistent on the palate with an intriguing core of stony/flinty/saline minerality giving lift to pear/quince fruit, lemon curd, creamy brioche notes and a long, finessed finish. Such elegance and poise in this lovely enticing wine.
The Foreign Affair Brut Rosé Sparkling ($25, 89 points) — A smartly priced charmat style blend of Riesling with a bit of Gamay and Malbec (mostly for colour). It’s bright and lively on the nose with persistent effervescence and plenty of citrus, apple, and red/dark berries. It’s flavourful and zesty on the palate with citrus, green apple, and berries.
Henry of Pelham The Shadow Rock Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($22, 90 points) — Henry of Pelham tends to let this atypical cool climate friendly variety hang a bit longer in the vineyard to achieve a riper profile and less of those grassy/thiol qualities found in New Zealand. This teems with grapefruit, pear, melon and some spice notes from light oak aging. It has a creamy texture and weight on the palate with ripe pear, kiwi, grapefruit, integrated spice notes and vanilla on a lifted, vibrant finish.
Stratus White 2022 ($49, 94 points) — The blend for this white assemblage consists of 63% Chardonnay, 17% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Sémillon, and a bit of Viognier. It’s aged for 348 days in a combination of barrels and amphora. The blending process, sourced from a dizzying array of white grape varieties grown at the estate, ensures a unique wine every vintage. The 2022 doesn’t disappoint with a vivid nose of concentrated pear, apricot, lemon verbena, lanolin, some tropical accents, nectarine, herbs and just a hint of spice. It has lovely texture on the palate with a mélange of juicy and rich nectarine, melon, guava, pear, lemon zest, apricot, herbaceous notes and all leading to a long, luxurious finish with mouthwatering acidity keeping it all fresh and finessed. Lovely drop.
Wending Home Pinot Gris 2020 ($28, 90 points) — The Pinot Gris was picked late with about 5-10% of the fruit botrytised. It shows a subtle bronze tinge in the glass with an interesting nose of melon, honeycomb, fuzzy peach, apricot and pear. It has an almost oily texture with some weight on the palate and rich in peach, pear, melon and apricot with a finessed finish.
Wending Home Syrah Merlot 2021 ($30, 91 points) — “This is a single vineyard, but dual variety blend,” says winery owner and winemaker Ron Giesbrecht. “It is an unconventional blend when considering the traditions of such pairings. But in the interests of developing a terroir statement that extends past the display of the characteristics of a single grape, we like to bend conventions to suit the wines that we make at Wending Home.” The two varieties are co-fermented and spend 30 months in used French barrels and puncheons. A tamer nose than the 100% Syrah below with, yes, some smoky/gamy notes but also the gentler influence of black cherries, plums, cassis and fine oak spices. It comes together seamlessly on the palate with ripe plums, anise, blackberries, cherry/raspberry, a touch of earthy/savoury notes, black pepper and oak spice, gentle tannins and a tangy, lifted finish. Can cellar through 2031.
Featherstone Red Tail Merlot 2021 ($20, 92 points) — A ridiculously affordable price for a Merlot this good. The wine is aged in 100% fine French oak barrels (25% new) from Tonnellerie Sirgue Nuits Saint Georges for 10 months. There is an intriguing, perfumed note on the nose with dark cherries, black raspberries, cassis, integrated spices, and subtle earthy accents. It’s rich with some tannic structure and weight on the palate followed by juicy red berries, anise, cassis, and elegant spice notes through a long, lifted finish. [You] can age this for 5+ years and you can feel pretty damn happy you paid only $20 a bottle.
Other Niagara wines released Saturday, but not reviewed by Wines in Niagara:
• Stratus Cabernet Franc 2021 ($45)
• Flat Rock Riddled Sparkling 2021 ($40)
• Organized Crime Wild Ferment Riesling 2021 ($22)
• Malivoire Vivant Rosé 2024 ($22)
And a great value Rioja at Vintages
Urbina Crianza 2015 ($25, 92 points) — This is an attractive buy that arrived Vintages stores in the last release. The grapes were macerated for 28 days, and then the wine rested for 12 months in American oak barrels. More years of aging gives the wine depth and maturity. Already aged for a decade, this classic Rioja starts with lovely notes of forest floor and forest berries before the purple plums, black cherries, black currants, pomegranate, dried tobacco and toasty oak spices chime in. It’s nicely mature on the palate with lots of life ahead and shows an array of dark berries, medium+ tannins, tobacco, savoury accents, and woodsy/spicy notes on a lifted finish. Can cellar anothe
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