John Marynissen Dies at 84

Winemaker was first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in Ontario
 
Ontario, Canada -- John Marynissen, a pioneer in the Ontario wine industry who made the first successful commercial planting of Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Canada, died in Ontario on Jan. 2, 2009, at the age of 84. His first Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in 1978 and after many years as a home winemaker, he opened his own winery, Marynissen Estates, in Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1991.

Marynissen and his wife Adriana emigrated from Holland to Ontario in 1952 because, as he put it, they had nothing and therefore had nothing to lose. When he arrived, he picked fruit for a short time before finding work as a welder in a shipyard. A year later, in 1953, the couple bought a small farm and began growing grapes. For many years Marynissen sold his grapes to Niagara wineries, including Maréchal Foch to Inniskillin, which were used for its first crush in 1974.

In the 1970s, he realized the importance of vinifera varieties for making quality wines. His vineyards were recognized for their excellence in 1978, when he was awarded the title of Grape King in the Niagara region. His decision to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in that same year was made partly because he loved the great wines of Bordeaux and in part because he refused to believe what others told him, that Cabernet Sauvignon could not be grown in the harsh Ontario climate.

While Marynissen continued to sell most of his grapes to smaller wineries, he kept some for his own use as a home winemaker. By the end of the 1980s, he was winning top awards for his wines at the American Wine Society's amateur wine competition, and in 1989 he was voted the Grand Champion that year's Amateur Winemaking Competition in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Friends and family convinced him to start his own winery. One person who encouraged him to take that step was Tony Doyle, a Toronto lawyer, who not only supplied him with the equipment from Willowbank Winery, which was going out of business, but also became a silent partner in the Marynissen Estates winery. By 2008, the winery had 70 acres of grapes and was producing 12,000 cases of wine. Most of the wines were sold at the winery.

Donald Ziraldo, one of the founders of Inniskillin Wines, remembers Marynissen as having a cult following: "John always knew that if you have a quality product, people will find you." In 2003, Marynissen turned the winery over to his daughter Sandra and her husband, Glen Muir, but stayed in close contact with the winery until just before his death.

John Marynissen was a rugged individual who could be stubborn in pursuing his goals, but who was always willing to help those who came to him for advice. It has been said that he had more friends than vines. Lloyd Schmidt of International Viticulture Services told Wines & Vines, "John was highly regarded by the entire industry. He was definitely a pioneer, and a modest man who never gloated over his accomplishments."