As Canada’s wine world comes to grips with the loss of Niagara winemaker┬аPaul Pender, he’s being remembered as┬аsomeone who┬аworked to elevate the domestic industry, without being pretentious┬аand with a willingness to┬аhelp┬аup-and-comers.┬а
“He was a mentor to many of the young winemakers in Niagara today, especially those who wanted to learn about organic farming,” said wine writer Rick Vansickle, publisher of WinesinNiagara.com.
“He was the kind of guy that spent a lot of time at his own winery, but almost an equal amount of time helping other people around the regionтАж The greater Niagara community is in profound mourning.”
Pender, 54, is remembered through his work at Tawse and Redstone wineries. He leaves behind several children and grandchildren, and his wife Allison Findlay, the winemaker at┬аlocal winery Flat Rock Cellars.
Pender died Feb. 3 after an encounter at his cottage in Selkirk, Ont., near Lake Erie.
Police have released few details of what happened, but have charged Hamilton resident┬аBradley House, 31, with second-degree murder.
Det.-Insp. Shawn Glassford┬аof Ontario Provincial Police said Monday there were┬аtwo crime scenes, and┬аPender and the accused┬аdid not know each other. On Tuesday, Glassford confirmed to CBC that police are not looking for any further suspects.┬а
House made a court appearance by┬аtelephone on Tuesday, speaking little beyond acknowledging his presence. His lawyer, Beth Bromberg, told the court she had not yet received disclosure and asked the case to be put off for two weeks.┬а
‘He had so much more to give’
Vansickle said┬аhe met the winemaker about 17 years ago when Pender┬аstarted at Tawse, in Vineland, Ont.┬аHe┬аsaid Pender’s interest in organic and biodynamic farming made him a pioneer in the region.
“Nobody was doing that kind of farming back then, and he made it a thing,” said Vansickle. “He became the beacon that everybody looked to for organic farming in Niagara, at least for grapes.”
The winery quickly rose to prominence, winning multiple awards under Pender’s watch.┬а┬а
You’d think that someone who might be a competitor in the industry wouldn’t share his trade secrets, but he was just incredibly generous.– Sherry Karlo on winemaker Paul Pender
“He loved Pinot, and he loved Chardonnay and he loved Riesling,” said Vansickle. “He was a student of Burgundy winesтАж and he tried to get that kind of soulfulness out of the wines they made at Tawse, and really achieved it. They are incredible wines and well noted by critics around the world. He was known.”
Vansickle said┬аPender’s talent, combined with his unassuming manner, made him a well-loved fixture in the region.
“He would show up at a grand tasting in a plaid shirt and his worn-out Blundstones┬а[footwear],” said Vansickle. “He had so much more to give.”
‘A legacy for the winery that won’t go away’
When Sherry Karlo met Pender years ago, she had gone from Prince Edward County to Tawse to buy a piece of equipment for Karlo Estates, the winery she was starting with her husband Richard.┬а
“Paul was already well known in the industry as a very talented winemaker. We were kind of nobodies,” she said, noting her surprise when he offered to walk them through the vineyard, while sharing lots of information about cultivation techniques.
“You’d think that someone who might be a competitor in the industry wouldn’t share his trade secrets, but he was just incredibly generous.”
Karlo considers Pender one of the top 10 winemakers in Canada at the time of his death, and said┬аshe feels for his family and his colleagues. Her husband was the winemaker at Karlo Estates until he died in 2014; she said┬аit was hard to balance grieving and moving on with the business.
“Even in the winter time, we’re making wine,” she said Tuesday. “The wine waits for no man, so you have to keep going. I think that’s one of the most challenging things, trying to process the grief at the same time as keeping the winery going.”
Fortunately, she said, Pender had winemaking assistants at Tawse who would have learned his craft. With his innovations in cultivation, he set in place processes that will live on after him.
“They have wonderful terroir┬аand they have a wonderful winery, and all the methods Paul put in place are there,” Karlo said. “That creates a legacy for the winery that won’t go away.”
