Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) Ontario crowns this year’s winners after province-wide blind tasting competition
The Ontario chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS)—Canada’s only national non-profit sommelier association—is proud to announce the winners of its 2025 CAPS Cup tasting challenge.
This year’s event was staged across three Ontario hubs—Toronto’s Vintage Conservatory on King Street, Ottawa’s Gitanes, and Rosewood Estates in Niagara—bringing together some of the province’s brightest sommeliers and hospitality professionals. Competitors faced off in a blind tasting of six wines, testing their knowledge, palate precision, and speed for a chance at bragging rights and prizes generously donated by Ontario winemaker Gianluca Di Loro of Di Loro Fine Wines.
The 2025 CAPS Cup Winners:
Overall Winner: Jeffrey Roel, sommelier at Liberty Group’s Michelin-starred DaNico (Toronto)
Toronto Regional Winner: Luis Torres, sommelier at Daphne
Ottawa Regional Winner: Malcolm Gillies, sommelier at North & Navy
Niagara Regional Winner: Jose Luis Fernandez, sommelier at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa
Jeffrey Roel, CAPS Cup Blind Tasting Wine Challenge winner.
The blind tasting lineup included a mix of Ontario and international selections:
2022 Wismer-Wingfield Chardonnay (Bachelder Wines)
2020 Domaine Bourdy Côtes du Jura
2023 Off-dry Riesling (Nahe, Donnhoff)
2022 Fleurie “La Madone” Gamay (Guillaume Chanudet)
2019 Reserva Rioja Tempranillo (Valenciso)
Prizing was graciously provided by Di Loro Fine Wines, with competition wines supplied by Lifford Cellars, WineOnline.ca, Insider Wine, and CGU Fine Wines.
Di Loro Fine Wines.
“We’re thrilled with the turnout for this year’s friendly, peer-to-peer CAPS Cup challenge and congratulate our top scorers across the province,” said Christian Perreault Hamel, Technical Director, CAPS Ontario, Best Ontario Sommelier 2024, and sommelier at Harbour Sixty in Toronto. “Jeff, Luis, Malcolm and Jose Luis delivered exceptional performances, and we’re equally proud of every competitor who joined in.”
“Our annual competition continues to be an important platform for Ontario sommeliers to showcase and sharpen their skills,” added Jennifer Wood, CAPS Ontario President and founder of Corkscrew Imports. “We’re grateful to our partner agencies for supplying wines, and to Vintage Conservatory, Rosewood, and Gitanes for hosting us in such outstanding venues.”
The CAPS Cup draws a diverse mix of participants from Ontario’s wine community, including working sommeliers and students pursuing certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers, CAPS, and WSET programs. Facilitated by dedicated CAPS Ontario board volunteers and sponsors, the competition underscores CAPS’ mission to foster education, connection, and community within the province’s hospitality industry.
As Perreault Hamel noted: “Ontario is home to remarkable talent, and our events are a chance to refine blind tasting skills in a supportive, collegial environment. We encourage the hospitality community to take part in future competitions—we look forward to welcoming even more competitors next year.”
