Reviews of Big Head Wines (Winery)

Shawn Nicol

The best kept secret in Niagara! Honestly. Fantastic wine, expert service, and stellar prices. A great value for sure especially for appassimento wines. The wife and I had a 10 wine blind tasting and were blown away. Christie did a fantastic job.

Maciek Ki

Delicious wine.

Stacey Cicone

Great family winery. Great wines, great Cabernet Franc…. Great job…

Jana Garay

Very friendly family-run winery, great tasting wines, modern design, loved it!

Laurie Starra

You should go. Yummy wines!

Tatjana Lazar

Awesome wines. Had a great time at their tasting bar. Will definitely return.

Kenneth Moore

This has been our favourite winery in NOTL since we were first introduced, nearly six years ago. Highly recommended!

Patrik Jones

Outstanding, beyond expectations. We visited 6 wineries close to Niagara-on-the-lake on one day. The wines at this place were one clear step above the other 5. Very well-balanced, super smooth and intense fruit, especially the “raw” series. All staff were very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Star quality. I wish we could source them (ie. all their wines) in Europe.

Randi Klassen

I wish they had tastings on weekdays but I couldn't pass up a five star review due to the service and their unique wine production.

Aleksandr Sobianin (SOBSWAY)

(Translated) The wine is VERY pleasant and tasty! The staff is always glad to see you and treats your requests with understanding. (Original) Вино ОЧЕНЬ приятное и вкусное! Персонал всегда рад тебя видеть и с понимание относится к твоим запросам.

Cosmic is Mostly Comic

Wine that fits the name. Small intimate events make it more personal. Love it here.

Megan Voelker

We had a wonderful experience here! The staff is very friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating! Definitely worth stopping here for a quiet, excellent wine tasting experience.

Cheryl Morris

Every wine our group tasted was excellent! Highly recommended are the Syrah, Raw Gamay, and Petit Verdot.

Emma Laitila

Such incredible wine! Not only is the wine one of a kind but the experience is top notch. If you're in the area make it a point to visit them!!

Louis de Bourbon

Honestly this is The Best Place in Niagara if you are into Big Red wines and beyond and also learning about wines, in a totally unwinesnobby environment! I love it because of the consistent quality of the wines and the staff, many of whom are super charged vintner educated (shout out to Becky, graduate of Brock). I’m a bit of a brewing geek (beer and wine) and always learn something new from the super charged enthusiast staff! The tasting room is actually surrounded by Winery equipment. There’s a lot of great wineries , esp in the bench area but if I had to pick one , Big Heads is it!!

Michael Pinkus

Lots of different wines to chose from - there really is something for everyone here.

Diego von Söhsten

Went to their wine tasting today. Oxana was an amazing guide, the wines were delicious, and the staff in general was incredible. Will be back for sure.

Xavier Aburto

Terrific wines

Sarah N

One of our favorite wineries in the Niagara region. Every time we have visited, we have enjoyed their bold, strong reds, and have been pleasantly surprised by their whites. The staff in the tasting room educated us on the different wines, as well as the proper glasses in which they should be served. Overall, a great experience between the wine and the friendly staff, we will definitely continue our tradition of returning every year.

Kristin Cooper

Stopped by Big Head Winery today for a tasting. Loved the 'Raw' wines! Our wine guy today was Brent, who was amazing! He was able to give us explanations and notes on the different wines we were tasting. He was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful!

Kelly Bee

The staff were not the friendliest folks and the wine is overpriced. I would not go back. It was not a pleasant experience.

Alyson King

This was the last stop on our self-led bicycle tour and I have to say the star of the tour. Tim, our sommelier was by far the most educated, engaging and thoughtful person we had met this weekend. We learned so much about Big Head’s wine (he even picked a red wine for me that I liked, and I’ve never liked red wine before!) I would 100% recommend everyone to attend a tasting here and request Tim!!

Joanna Kader

This winery has mastered the red wines in Ontario for sure .. cab franc , bigger red were just fantastic ..really nice staff and owners ...

Cavan Boland

Delivered wine to me in Toronto the next day, calling to confirm, in a cool suitcase with a handwritten note. Very well done. Happy to support small Ontario wineries who produce great products, particularly in these times.

Darren Sharp

Arguably the best Niagara has to offer. The wines are really special, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and the VIP tasting is worth every penny. You have to put this on your list of wineries to make a stop at.

Shawn Legault

Petite Vetdot is fantastic! Shout out to the Italian lad (sorry that I forgot his name!) that hosted our tasting, thanks for recommending this incredible red! Will definitely be back! Cheers!

Mandy Micallef

Wow!

Georgia Metcalfe Tripp

This is by far one of our favourite wineries in the area! Super fun and enjoyable experience EVERY time we go! Be prepared to leave with a few bottles of the Old Vines Chardonnay — it’s amazing!! ❤️❤️❤️

Zac Fahlman

Best wine in Niagara. Excellent service and you can bring your ????

Sam Hirons

We had a fantastic time at Big Head. Brent took the time to learn about our preferences and was able to tailor our tasting accordingly. He spoke knowledgeably about the specific wines we were trying as well as wine in generally and made sure it was an entertaining, educational experience. We will absolutely visit again!

Gerald

Best red wines on the Niagara peninsula!

Lydia Madonia

Big Head Wines is one of those well kept secrets in the Niagara Region. The winemaker has developed through discipline, knowledge and passion some of the best wines produced in the Niagara on the Lake area. If you like good wines and you particularly like undiscovered and exceptional places, try Big Head Wines. You will not be disappointed. As a matter of fact you will feel compelled to share their name with others. Big Head Wines does not have the pomp and over the top architectural details adopted by other wineries. It's a simple place, run by exceptional people who produce honest, complex and superb Ontario wines.

Bruce Grimble

Tim was amazing. His vast knowledge of wines was super. We really enjoyed our time with him

Simon

Great wines and a well executed tasting. Kat led our tasting and she was knowledgeable, friendly, and provided other advice around NOTL. A must visit in the area.

Matt Clarke

Great staff and amazing wine!

Patrick O'Donovan

Best Small winery in Niagara by far. Amazing reds!

NorthofYou1

The owners son is an encyclopedia of knowledge and also a great person to be serving us at the same time. We were given a blind taste test of their wines along with an explanation after each wine. The ambiance and the homely feel of the room made for two and a half hours that were well spent.

Samuel Ross

This place was amazing. We did their blind wine tasting. The son of the owner, Jacob, was extremely knowledgeable and nice. This was the highlight of the entire time in the Niagara region. Highly recommend trying this place out. Even if you don't enjoy wine it is a lot of fun and you learn a lot

Ian Kerr

Great wines, different from many other wineries in the area. Terracotta, cement, and wooden barrels for aging. Knowledgeable staff, only knock is that it's not a"polished" atmosphere which for some would be a problem.

Betty Knight

Andre and family run a welcoming winery. The Big Head is delicious. Can be crowded because it's a 'go to' place.

Delexan Navaratnam

one of our favorite wineries in Niagara on the lake. The owner is passionate which goes a long way.

Meaghan Kavanagh

Went for a birthday event with my partner. We had their Melbec at restaurant in Toronto and loved it. They make some really cool and delicious wine. Unfortunately the sommelier was not really into it though. They were hard to talk to and we had to push them to talk to us about the wine. It was probably one of the worst wine tasting I've been to regarding the service... seeing the other reviews here makes I think we got unlucky during our tasting unfortunately.

Dayna Bradley

We had a marvelous time at our private wine tasting. Michaela was a knowledgeable, inspiring and fun host. We tried some unique and delicious wines and left with a trunk full of tasty things for our cellar at home. It was definitely the highlight of our trip to Niagara!

Aaron Robb

Great wine with a 'start-up' feel in the winery. They took over an existing winery processing plant, and literally set up a bar in one of the rooms and a cashier in another room. But the service and knowledge of the servers was great. Tasted a number of wines, got great information on what makes them different, and found some new flavors. The small-winery feeling is great, and you can tell they're proud of their product.

Sara Vinten

Big Head Wines and the humans who make it happen are fabulous. We've visited a couple times over the years for tastings and order online from them often. The wines are as delicious as they are diverse, with a focus on small batch and experimentation. Put them on your list! ????????

S Skublics

Nice wines for tastings. Large variety. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Could watch them sorting through the grapes just harvested which was very interesting.

Cassidy Trahair

We had a great experience at our tasting here. Mainly because of our service from Kat. She went above and beyond to make us comfortable and she took the time to really figure out what wines we would like :) They were also very good with taking precautions for Covid which made us feel even more comfortable! Felt very authentic, highly recommend! Ask for Kat!!!

Tanya Zarina

Recommend the blind tasting - very fun and great wines & cheese

Rob Dunn

My new favourite wine, we met the owner and you can't ask for a nicer more down to earth guy. You have to try the "biggest"

Trish M

Winery was lovely but our hostess wasn't very accommodating and a bit rude.

Gaetano Buda

Great place. Do the blind wine tasting. Worth the$25!

John Mckeever

Great tasting room great staff and delicious wine Can't wait to bring friends and family there

Wesley-James Robinson

Fantastic place with wonderful staff, a super cool tasting, and unbelievable wines

Miranda Drexler

Had an amazing experience! The staff there were very nice and knowledgeable and made it a fun experience. Loved being able to see all the holding tanks too. And honestly, now one of my new favorite wines! Would recommend checking them out!

Jana Betik

Had a great experience here with family. Will be coming back to do the 90 minute tasting with cheese!

Dale G. Paradowski

service was amazing and the wines were even better.

Marie Leclerc

Why did we wait too many years to visit this winery?! This was our best tasting in year in NOL and PEC. First of all, they use the proper glass when you taste. This makes a huge difference when you want to fully appreciate a wine. In our opinion, they produce some of the best wines in the NOL region and definitely produce the highest quality of red wines. Very interesting and complex ones that you can keep in your cellar for 5-15 years. And not overly priced like many winery out here. Now we’re talking! The Chenin was also very good; I was impressed as they’re not usually meeting my criteria in NOL. Maybe the name and labels could make some think it’s another basic/mainstream winery but it’s quite the opposite: family winery with high standards. Cant find their wine in LCBO or SAQ so you must come to buy. We had to limit the quantity of bottles we bought, but we will be back. For sure.

Susy Tobin

Friendly staff great wine

Jason Barrett

Awsome wine. Did the blind taste test which was really cool. Then bought 2 wines.

Whitney Arnott

Mary was phenomenal! She spent a lot of time with us, explaining the wines and even joking with the non-wine lovers. She had everyone laughing. We would go back just to hang out with her and learn more about their wines.

Elizabeth Warner

Love the table wine tasting! The service is always fantastic and the wines are very good.

Jordan Shapiro

A great little winery that doesn't sell in the LCBO, so the only way to taste or buy is to go there! Their $25 blind tasting (of almost everything they make) is most definitely the thing to do and ends up free if you then buy some wine!

Don Krupski

I enjoyed the wine tasting with the family. Nice place friendly staff.

Celine Jaisaree

Best winery experience we had compared to 5 others we visited in the area! It was a nice private tasting with 10 delicious wines and an amazing hunk of cheese! The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable - Arlow taught us so much, answered all our questions, and provided a great experience! Highly recommend making a stop here!

Dave Waddling

Possibly the worst wine I've ever had. Keep driving, nothing to see here

Marzena K

Love this winery! They have fantastic reds and this is big accomplishment for that region. Congrats! Well done. Very friendly atmosphere!

Stephanie Nowakowski Brown

My husband and I dropped by for a quick shop in their retail store while on vacation. Fantastic find, we will definitely be dropping by and/or ordering online from Big Head Wines in future.

David Deardorff

Friendly, knowledgeable, and personable wine tasting experience. We has outstanding wine and a great experience at Big Heads. We will be back whenever we visit the area. Prices are exceptionally reasonable for the quality of the wine.

M Power

Don't turn up without a reservation or you'll be chortled at and treated dismissively... not clear from website that wine tastings need be booked 2 weeks in advance... never mind that they don't appear to be busy or that you intend to buy several cases... you'll be summarily dismissed. "Big Head" .. never was a name more apt for the arrogant and pretentious staff on hand.. not to mention the clear lack of wine knowledge of the young fellow at the desk. So the wine... despite no tasting allowed and against my better judgement I bought several bottles... it's decent but unspectacular, the Big and Biggest are solid blends.. but seriously overrated... the Vivino scores in the 4-5 range are exceedingly generous... no doubt these wines will improve with age but for now they're average by global standards... even the best one here does not compare with standard Italian and Napa red blends. I'll be back someday if Big Head ever learns that customer service excellence, manners, dignity and storytelling are part of the fabric of a great wine drinking experience.

Kiran Patel

We had a great time! When you arrive they explain you have two options for tasting: 1) a flight at the bar for $10 which can be put toward your purchase or 2) a blind tasting of 10 wines with a block of cheese and gluten free crackers for $25 per person which cannot be put toward your wine purchase. We did the blind tasting. It was great and a good way to get to know their wines and how they make them better. Either tasting route you choose, this is a great stop when visiting the wineries in NOTL.

Kimberley Cooper

WOW...not available in LCBO folks

Dave Neige

Do a tasting here, you will be amazed with this winerys creativity and their staffs knowledge. Perfect visit for wine geeks. Try their RAW wines, aged in concrete and terracotta, and those done in appassimento style

H Flemming

Very nice wine, and excellent, professional customer care.

Helen Dakin

When we lived closer, we used to drop in many times when we were in the Niagara Region and pick up some of the best wine in the area. Now that we live too far for a day trip, we order online for the best prices and very quick and efficient shipping (2 days in some cases). To try out their wines, start by selecting a package of a variety of wines (check out their promotions) where there are interesting options. You can't go wrong.

John Davison

Big rich red wines produced in the amarone style. An authentic old-world experience.

Lakendra Grabill

Love this place! They give you knowledge about wine, Which helped me being a first time wine drinker. They helped me find a type of wine I love! Staff is super nice and place is well kept!

Martin Trepanier

Terrific experience. Very knowledgeable staff and fantastic wine.

Jordan Choo

One of my favourite wineries! I recommend booking ahead and doing their sit down blind tasting.

George B

Oxana did great. $500 in sales later.....

Jo-Anne Casselton

Our favourite! Members of the big head wine club and try to visit twice a year! Andrej does amazing things with grapes! Such a magician. The Jesus of wine if you will! ????

Ali Hutchinson

Went here for an industry tasting and Brent was our server! Extremely knowledgeable and a ton of fun, would recommend for anyone and everyone!

Deanna Ainslie

Modern design, good & reasonably priced wine - fun, creative and friendly staff

Vance Morrison

Ordered their wine online. Very tasty and they had great customer service. I look forward to buying their wine again in the future. Their Bigger Red and their Raw Savagnin were my favourites so far.

Dustin Middlebrook

Great wines, awesome staff. Fantastic place to do a tasting.

Stacey Cicone

Great family winery. Great wines, great Cabernet Franc…. Great job…

Jeffrey Wilson

I don't often take the time to write a review, but I feel the big head team deserves it. Aside from the winemaking team providing exceptional wine, I have been going to big head once every few months for the better part of 2 years, and the last couple visits I have had Manuel (may have spelt this wrong) , educated and willing to chat with anyone despite their level of wine knowledge, he has always been eager to share his knowledge and provide the best experience. Will 10/10 continue to come back and hopefully more frequently .

Nanook Sikic

One of the best red wines in Niagara!! Always a great experience.

Kelly Deml

Absolutely amazing service! I ordered a case of wine last night and it was on my doorstep by 2pm today. I have also visited the winery and the owners and staff are welcoming and informative. All of the wines I have tried are fantastic, but my favourites are the Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Etienne Bordeleau

Fantastic selection of great quality wines. 10 wine tasting with crackers and cheese is a fun way to explore what this new winery has to offer.

Jacquie Kelly

Amazing wines and super friendly

Bruce Erskine

Great wines, knowledgeable and friendly staff ... what’s not to like ? Well worth searching out.

Daniel O'Keefe

Very enjoyable visit. Location is interesting and modern, unique compared to most wineries. Staff were entertaining, informative, and friendly. Wines are very good and prices are fair to very good. Will definitely be heading back for another visit soon.

Thomas Patrier

Just go there

Reese M

Best Red out of Niagara. Period. Worth stopping everytime. Not in LCBO. Order online.

Taso Konstantonis

Simply the best!

von Fischler

My favourite VQA wines and winery. Friendly family run place. Provided popsicles to my kids while i tasted. Merlot and old vine chardonnay are my preference. Will keep coming back here.

Tom Gillie

Great place very nice people make sure u visit here when doing wine country

Tyler MacDougall

Fantastic wines. Our favourite in Niagara. Some of the best reds in Ontario. Served with delicious pecorino cheese. We go back year after year. A definite must stop in any Niagara wine tour and great addition to any wine collection.

Kelly Heaps

We would highly recommend visiting and doing the blind test tasting! We spent 2 hours with Manuel tasting wines and learning so much information about wine making and wines. we were provided with a huge block of cheese and tasty crackers with water. We absolutely had a blast and would do it again we bought 4 bottles from this small winery as u can't buy their wine at the LCBO. I'm so glad my client recommended this winery to me you will not be disappointed!

S

WARNING to day trip planners. Surprisingly this relatively new winery is CLOSED on Tuesdays as I discovered until May 2017 and since the place is off the regular wine route you don't want to waste valuable shopping and sampling time.

Sarah Yee

Big Head was my favourite stop on our self-guided tour of NOTL wineries. Our group of six opted to try a flight of four samples for $10. Our Italian sommelier (sorry we forgot to ask for his name) was wonderful! He was attentive, knowledgeable, and offered us recommendations based on our tastes. Would definitely recommend Big Head to others!

Rachel Lam

Terrible experience. Wine tasting profile profile is very typical but very interesting fermentation process. The worst thing is the service. A young gentleman served us. When we asked what he would recommend or liked, he stated what we liked is clearly different from what he liked. Then just poured us the wine, didn't explained anything. Then started talking to his friend. Learned more eavesdropping from another group's sommelier. Hope this is not because we are Asians. Told the cashier what happened and she waived the fee. Will probably not come back.

Olive Hanna

Visited Big Head Wines in 2018 with extended family and we were very pleased with our visit. I came to know of the winery on page 77 of Travel Guide 2018/19 , Wine Country Ontario - VQA. Our experience was enhanced by the impressive sommelier led wine tasting opportunity we had. The wine I purchased was enjoyed at family events throughout the year and served as a reminder of a day well spent.

Lisa Eves

We arrived having walked from a nearby winery where we had purchased $50 bottles of wine. Told an available table was reserved. But no tasting table available. Had to ask the owner for the privilege to sit at an empty table. As soon as we sat, we weren't able to do a tasting and quickly asked to go to the standing table that came available. (Reservations should be mentioned in the guide book). When asked to give the wine description, was told it is unique to each person. Each person tastes differently. A red wine was appreciated but not purchased, given the experience.

Pat Dowd

Small family owned but big on hospitality, knowledge and wines!! Cheers..

Ihor Palahnyuk

Amazing customer service and awesome wines! Well done Big Head Team!

Katie Reed

Best winery we've been to! (and we lived in California for 3 years) Awesome, bold flavored wines that are poured into the perfect glass for each grape to maximize its flavor and aroma. Very educational tasting. Highly recommend!

L M

This was our second time at Big Head for their blind tasting. It's about 2 hours long and you get to try at least 10 different types of wine, paired with a big hunk of Grana Padano cheese and crackers; all of which are delicious! The best part is that it is the son of the family that puts on the tasting for you and he is so knowledgeable about wine, we really learned a lot the two times we've been. Highly recommend!

Nick Oliveiro

You will never go wrong visiting this winery. As a sommelier, I value winemakers who appproach winemaking based on quality and not market-value. They are friendly and hospitable and make it easy to taste and understand wine. Not to be missed.

Helen Tsantsoulas

Love their wines! Great hospitality too

Stephanie Tiegs

The owner was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We had an amazing wine tasting experience with him & were not rushed. There was not a glass I tried that I did not enjoy in some way! You have to try the “biggest”. They do not sell in the LCBO, so we stalked up! Will be back.

Tanay Singhal

Excellent wine recommendations and explanations of each wine. It felt like one of the more interactive human experience. They were generous with the wine selections and servings.

Andrew Clappison

Awesome stuff, grate experience!

Lynn B

This is a unique boutique winery. It is trying to differentiate itself from the big boys by adopting European niche winemaking methods. Instead of using stainless steel vats for fermenting the grapes, they are using ceramic vessels to impart a unique flavor to their wines. On tasting, everyone has a different opinion, so the future will tell. The outside is not noteworthy, but it is a newbie in some very well financed competition. A unique place to visit.

Nicole Turner

The winery itself presented well, however the experience was less than expected from previous reviews. The wines where a little more on the expensive side from previous wineries. It’s a little annoying that they charge $10 for a flight of wine and are not willing to wave it if you buy 2 bottles of wine. (They only wave it at $50, which was $4 under our purchase price). The previous 3 wineries waved our tasting fees after a purchase. I would have dealt with this easier but I found the woman at the till unpleasant. When I asked if she could provide me with bubble wrap to pack the wine I had just purchased to take on the plane home, she said they don’t provide it, and if she purchases wine while travelling she goes out of her way to buy bubble wrap. Every other winery provides wine specific bubble wrap and even provided extras to cover what they did not provide. Over all we left disappointed, we would not go back, and maybe even warn people from going.

Paul Downs

Absolutely phenomenal wines and staff. Went with a large group with a range of wine knowledge varying from "I know it's made from grapes" to seasoned wine industry professionals and everyone had a great experience and learned a lot. The family is so welcoming, you feel like you're sitting in their home while they share their labor of love. Definitely a must visit!

Patrick Craig

Good wine and very informative.

Tim Adair

Great place. Great atmosphere

Ryan Carruthers

best winery in Niagara area

TJ Cieciura

Wonderful wines with a wide selection and good quality.

Don Krupski

I enjoyed the wine tasting with the family. Nice place friendly staff.

Kathleen P

Jacob and his family are very hospitable!

Alana Bochnak

Decided to try this winery upon recommendations from others. It did not disappoint! It does not look like much when you first drive up, a little industrial, and when you walk in its still a little industrial as they have vats right in the store area. The server who did the tasting with us was very informative and it was nice to have a more one on one experience compared to some of the larger wineries we had previously visited. A nice family run winery and would highly recommend.

Marnie Edwards

They have the BEST! wines in NOL. They are the best kept secret! Both their Reds and Whites are amazing! Wonderfully family run winery! Just LOVE all of their wines!

Karen H

Fabulous wines to taste!

Terry Atkins

I may or may not go back .... I see a previous comment says “staff are not the friendliest” I must agree based on my limited experience... their web information indicates they are open until 600pm (today sat) I arrived at exactly 552 after driving an hour to get there on the recommendation of my daughter. When I arrived, coincidentally at the same time as a group of four female cyclist ... we were all told that tastings stops promptly at 645... and we could come back tomorrow at 1100am... we were free to look around and make purchases but no more tastings.....seriously! That is horrible hospitality.... something I usually find in abundance at other wineries!

Patrick Kennedy

Great NOTL vinters - wines are much more akin to Oregon and Washington than to your standard Niagara vintage - more fruit forward and bold; quite the difference if you are used to sampling the usual Cab Franc from the area - everyone there was knowledgeable and friendly, location is beautiful, recommended for a visit to the region

J Walsh

My wife and I visited for the big tasting and really enjoyed ourselves. The wine was first rate and varied, and we recieved a lot of insight into the winemaking process and history. The amount of detail provided with each group of tastings was amazing.

Mike Johnson

The wines are awesome here! They have a great selection and really interesting style for producing different wines. They have something for everyone here and would recommend it! The only drawback was the guy behind the bar, was a little impersonal and tried to emphasize that he knew more about wine than anyone and was always right. Otherwise, great winery with fantastic wines

Jill Duyn

Thank you Lindsay for the "Biggest" Blind tasting. It was lovely and we learned so much from you. This is our favourite winery and always the one we go to first every year. I have opened my Chenin Blanc and it was spectacular! Waiting on my Biggest Red for a while....but next the Pinot.