The following wine consultants are based in the Greater Toronto area. Most will provide a full range of wine related services to both individuals and the corporate world. This includes the organization of private tastings; event planning; support for wine themed charity functions; delivery of seminars and lectures; wine list design for restaurateurs; and wine appraisal. Some consultants also lead wine tours to various overseas destinations:
Tony Aspler
is a member of the Order of Canada. He is an accomplished wine educator and lecturer and averages forty to fifty personal appearances a year at seminars and lectures. He has been writing about wine since 1975 and is the author and co-author of a number of wine related books including wine primers, cookbooks and wine murder mysteries. Tony is the founder of the annual Ontario Wine Awards competition, an honorary governor of Cuvée, and a director of both the IWEG Drinks Academy and The Canadian Wine Library. In 2001, he co-founded a charitable foundation, Grapes for Humanity, to raise money through the wine community for the victims of landmines. Tony often leads an annual wine tour via Pauwels Travel & Tours
Sara d’Amato
is a sommelier, wine consultant, contributor to Vines magazine, and judges at wine competitions across Canada. She was formerly the sommelier of the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. Sara is president of the Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers. She currently teaches Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses for Fine Wine Vintage Ltd in conjunction with David Lawrason. She is also is a member of the Wine Align team, which reviews and rates the wines in the LCBO’s bi- monthly Vintages releases and authors the National Post wine column on Saturdays.
Jennifer Huether 
is one of the leading female sommeliers in Canada. She obtained WSET’s Diploma accreditation in 2003 and passed the Court of Master Sommeliers Master Exams in 2011, becoming the first female Master Sommelier in Canada. She currently teaches with other Master Sommeliers and adjudicates exams from the Certified Level to the Masters Level around North America. She also teaches WSET courses with Fine Vintage. She has worked for Oliver and Bonacini and Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Toronto, was the head sommelier for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and worked for Jackson Family Wines as a global ambassador and educator.
David Lawrason
has been an independent, full time wine writer, educator and wine competition judge since 1986. In 2001, he founded the Canadian Wine Awards. Formerly with the Globe and Mail, and Wine Access magazine, David is a member of the Wine Align team, which reviews and rates the wines in the LCBO’s bi- monthly Vintages releases and authors the National Post wine column on Saturdays. David is also the wine columnist for Toronto Life and currently teaches WSET courses for Fine Wine Vintage Ltd in conjunction with Sara d’Amato.
Margaret Swaine
is a nationally published wine, spirits, food and travel writer. She was the founder and first president of the Wine Writers Circle of Canada and is a long-time member of the Society of Wine Educators. She has also served as an expert witness in several wine disputes, and participated as a wine judge in several global competitions. She is also a member of the Wine Align team and writes their monthly blog on spirits.
John Szabo 
was Canada’s first Master Sommelier, earning the title in 2004. He holds the international WSET Diploma with honours, as well as the Canadian Sommelier Guild diploma. John is principal critic for Wine Align which reviews and rates the wines in the LCBO’s bi- monthly Vintages releases and authors the National Post wine column on Saturdays. He writes a monthly wine advisory for Canaccord Genuity, as well as a column for Grapevine Magazine, and contributes to many international trade and consumer publications. John’s books include Pairing Food and Wine for Dummies; Sommelier Management; and Volcanic Wines, Salt, Grit and Power.
On the consulting side, John is currently sourcing wines for Accor/Fairmont/Sofitel Hotels in Québec. He is a regular guest speaker at events worldwide and has delivered masterclasses for virtually every major wine trade association.
Steve Thurlow
was Education Director for 16 years up to 2014 of the IWEG Drinks Academy, which delivers the International WSET Education program in Ontario. Steve is a member of the Wine Align team. His role there is to review and rate wines on the LCBO’s General Listing and publish a monthly report, featuring the top fifty wines by value. He is an internationally recognized wine judge and is a member of the judging team at both the Annual Canadian Wine Awards and at the annual Decanter World Wine Awards. Steve established his own wine agency in 1993, which was incorporated into Corby Distilleries in 1999. In 2001, he established Wine for Life, which focuses on the training and education of hotel and restaurant wine staff and wine agency personnel. Steve also leads annual wine tours to various overseas destinations.
Michael Vaughan
has more than two decades of journalism, teaching and wine tasting experience. He is an internationally accredited wine judge and was a founding director of the Society of Wine Educators. His columns have appeared in many publications including Toronto Life Magazine and he was the wine columnist for the National Post from 1999 to 2008. He tastes approximately 10,000 wines and spirits annually and provides ratings on Vintage releases in his monthly Vintage Assessments newsletter.