Wine is a passion — and a business

Published on April 21, 2026 by Ingrid Sapona

One of the nicest things about living in a wine region is the opportunity to visit wineries and get to know winemakers and owners. I find that meeting winemakers and hearing them talk about their wines, their processes, and their philosophies enhances my enjoyment of their wine and of wine in general.

So often when you are enjoying a glass of wine, it’s easy to forget that winemaking is also a business — a hard, agriculture (i.e., weather dependent), expensive business. Yes, we’ve all heard the joke about how you make a million — start with many millions and go into winemaking.

Anyway — this all came to mind today when I opened an email labelled “A Personal Note from the Lipinski Family”. They own Big Head Wines in Niagara-on-the-Lake. My heart sank when I saw that, thinking it sounded as though someone — perhaps Andrzej, the winemaker/owner/father had passed away. Thankfully, it wasn’t about that…

Instead, the email was about the family’s decision to sell the winery. From the email it is clear that Big Head isn’t going out of business. It’s just that to grow the business — and to “honour the potential” that they feel the winery has — they’re looking for a buyer or partner that can “carry it forward with care”.

Fortunately for those of us who have come to love their wine, Big Head is continuing “business as usual” — but they clearly wanted to address any rumours.

Next time you’re in Niagara-on-the-Lake, stop in and taste their wines — you’ll understand why Andrzej won the Karl Kaiser Canadian Winemaker Award earlier this month.

Here’s a link to a 2014 post I did about Andrzej.

The Gossip on Stone Church – It’s Small Talk

Published on August 29, 2013April 20, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

On a recent visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake I set out to find Small Talk Vineyards . As I headed along Lakeshore Road I saw the sign for Irvine Road and I thought, “Oh, Small Talk must be near Stone Church, which should be right around here”. When I saw the sign for the Stone Church Warehouse Outlet, I figured I was right.

But I became quite confused when I saw the Small Talk Vineyard sign on what I thought was Stone Church’s property. I pulled in and headed into the winery’s boutique. As soon as I saw the bright green painted wine barrel I realized something was different. I had seen a bunch of brightly coloured wine barrels along the edge of the vineyard property – they’re quite whimsical and hard to miss – and here was one in the boutique.

The confusion was put to rest when I spoke with staff who explained that Stone Church has re-branded and it is now Small Talk Vineyard. The Hunse family still owns the winery, but they’re shifting their focus to producing VQA and so they decided to re-brand.

The transition is on-going but they’re welcoming guests, so be sure you stop in and see the redesign – and try some of their VQA wines.

GreenLane Estate Winery’s New Location

Published on July 30, 2013April 20, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

I was driving along King Street in Vineland (near Cherry Avenue) in June and I noticed a sign announcing that GreenLane Estate Winery would be opening soon — it was on what used to be Wayne Gretzy Estate Winery, for those of you who remember that. Anyway — I was in the area last week and noticed that the sign said GreenLane is now open, so I stopped in to see it.

GreenLane has remodelled the place — brightened it up — and have settled in. Though they still own the property down on Green Lane (near the QEW), their new location: 3751 King Street, Vineland, is where their tasting room is now located.

August 17, 2013 they’re hosting a music night featuring a bluegrass band, so if you’re looking for an excuse to visit, that would be a terrific time to see their new digs.

Touring Tawse Winery

Published on July 26, 2013April 20, 2014 by Ingrid Sapona

Tawse Winery in Vineland has been named Canadian Winery of the Year by Wine Access Magazine for three years in a row. So, when I had plans to head toward Niagara this week, I contacted Laurie McKenzie, Hospitality Coordinator at the winery, to arrange a tour.

Because it was late in the day and mid-week, I was treated to a one-on-one tour. Bianca started me off with some of their 2012 Grower’s Blend Rosé, which I was invited to take with me on the tour. (I don’t tend to order rosé, but after tasting this one, I’ll re-think that. It was a luscious blend that was like biting into the tastiest strawberry you’ve ever had.)

I knew that Tawse is certified organic and biodynamic, so I didn’t need to see any of the sheep as proof. (Indeed, I didn’t see any sheep – they were off somewhere else in the sprawling vineyard. Only the chickens were around.) My main interest that afternoon was learning about the six-story gravity fed process they use. To get the full effect, Bianca walked me up and around the back of the sloping property to the crush pad.

On the way we stopped to admire the view. It was a lovely clear day, so the view of the lake and Toronto in the distance was spectacular.

Though it seems high on the hill, the crush pad is basically “at ground level”. The winery production facilities are stepped down from there, which means they don’t have to use any pumping to move the wine through the production process. Eliminating the pumps means there’s less manipulation of the product, and generally less aeration.

The tour takes you through the different floors (levels) of the facility and through the barrel rooms. One of the interesting things Bianca pointed out in the barrel room was that each barrel is marked with the vineyard the wine is from (Tawse has a number of different properties and they also get some grapes from other growers). As well, for the wines that are from certified organic vineyards, the barrels are clearly labelled as such.