'He really was a pioneer'

Death of John Marynissen seen as 'big blow' to Niagara wine industry 
 

John Marynissen was a true pioneer.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake winery owner was a proud farmer first, a man of the soil.

He was always ready to push the boundaries of grape growing -- especially when others told him it couldn't be done.

"He was the first to successfully plant Cabernet Sauvignon in Niagara -- in Canada," said daughter Sandra Marynissen.

"He was brilliant ... and he was stubborn. He really didn't like being told what to do. If you told him he couldn't, then he just would."

Marynissen was determined to the end, battling a succession of health problems last year before he died Friday in hospital at the age of 84.

"He fought the good fight," said Sandra, who took over the well-known family winery with her husband, Glenn Muir, in 2003. "He was the strongest man I knew, and so passionate about his craft.

"Right up until recently, I'd consult with him daily about what was going on (at the winery). Without his work, he was at a loss as to what to do."

Marynissen's death is a loss for Niagara's wine industry, wine writer Tony Aspler said.

"It's a big blow," said Aspler, who first met Marynissen in 1980 when the grape grower was winning awards for homemade wine.

"He really was a pioneer, one of the unsung heroes of the industry. He was one of the first to show that Ontario could produce a really first-class red wine."

Marynissen moved to Ontario from Holland in 1952 with his wife, Adriana, and got his first job picking fruit at a Niagara Falls farm.

After buying a grape farm, Marynissen became one of the first growers in Ontario to plant vinifera varieties. His Cabernet Sauvignon vines, planted in 1978, are thought to be Canada's oldest.

"What I remember best about him is his obsession with growing Cabernet Sauvignon," said Donald Ziraldo, co-founder of Inniskillin Wines and a longtime neighbour of Marynissen.

"At that time, everyone was telling us it would never grow here, it's too cold ... but he babysat those grapevines and he was able to grow them."

Ziraldo's Inniskillin partner, Karl Kaiser, recalled sitting on Marynissen's veranda in the late 1970s and trying the fruits of the amateur winemaker's experiments.

"He was making some very good reds," said Kaiser. "That was long before he actually started a winery."

Marynissen grew grapes for other wineries for decades and was crowned Grape King in 1978. But he only went commercial with his winemaking in 1990.

"For a long time, I was very popular when my dad went fishing," Sandra said with a laugh. "I had access to all this great wine that you couldn't get anywhere else."

Fans and family convinced Marynissen to start his own winery, but he always kept the operation small, concentrating on quality.

The results included Cuvee awards for best red wine in 1996 and 1997. He was also awarded the lifetime achievement award from the Ontario Wine Society.

Despite this recognition, most of Marynissen Estates Winery's sales still come through its onsite retail outlet, and most publicity still comes through word of mouth.

"He has a cult following. John always knew that if you have a quality product, people will find you," Ziraldo said.

"And people loved him. He was a character in his own right. If John had something to say, he wasn't afraid to say it."

Sandra agreed.

"He was a straight shooter. He spoke bluntly at times, sometimes painfully so," she said. "But he always came from a place of honesty; he had such integrity."

Marynissen is survived by his wife of 57 years, Adriana, brother Adrian, sisters Anny and Jo, daughters Anne and Sandra, sons John Jr. and Thomas and eight grandchildren. He is predeceased by son Tony.

A public church service will be held at 10:30 a. m. Tuesday at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 73 Picton St., Niagara-on-the- Lake.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation to the new St. Catharines hospital fund in John Marynissen's name.