Karl Kaiser, Inniskillin Wines

Karl J. Kaiser, B.Sc., LLD, co-founder and winemaker of Inniskillin Wines Inc., came to Canada from his native Austria in 1969 with his Canadian wife, Silvia, and their first-born daughter Magdalena, leaving behind a career in teaching.

It was Karl's upbringing in a private monastery school — where viticulture and winemaking were a time-honoured tradition — and later time spent with Silvia's grandfather, a small-scale wine producer in Austria, that gave Karl much of his practical knowledge. Once in Canada, Karl returned to school and earned an honours B.Sc. in chemistry from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, in 1974.

In the following years Karl travelled extensively throughout the wine regions of both the "new" and "old" worlds, visiting wineries, institutes, lectures and symposiums — experiences that enlarged his understanding of different technologies and their applications.

When Karl first met Donald Ziraldo, his partner and co-founder of Inniskillin, it was to purchase grape vines from Ziraldo Nurseries in St. Catharines. The two men subsequently entered into partnership, and in 1975 were granted the first new winery licence in Ontario since 1929. Inniskillin began production in a small fruit-picking barn on the Niagara Parkway, just minutes from the winery's present location.

In June of 1991, Inniskillin took part in the prestigious Vinexpo in Bordeaux, France — the largest international wine trade show — where Inniskillin's 1989 Icewine was awarded Vinexpo's highest accolade, the Grand Prix d'Honneur, bringing world recognition to Canadian wines. In 1993, Inniskillin's Pinot Noir Reserve was among a select few wines to win a Gold Medal at Vinitaly.

In December 1991, Karl and Donald were named "Men of the Year" by Foodservice and Hospitality magazine. In 1993 they were appointed to the Order of Ontario, and in June 1994 Karl received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Brock University.

Karl is a professional member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and the Canadian Society for Enology and Viticulture, a committee member of the Canadian General Standards Board for wine standards, and — since 1990 — a member of the Dean's Niagara Council for Mathematics & Science at Brock University. In September 1995, during the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival, his fellow winemakers elected him "Winemaker of the Year", an award presented by the Royal Bank of Canada.