Inniskillin Winery co-founder Karl J. Kaiser, an industry pioneer and a key figure behind Brock’s oenology and viticulture programs, who passed away in November 2017.Brock University’s annual Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) Lecture Series will be returning in January with a tribute to the late wine industry mogul Karl Kaiser.
The CCOVI Lecture Series will begin on Monday, Jan. 15 with long-time winemaker David Sheppard giving a special presentation of Kaiser’s popular talk, “Pinot Noir: The Savage Yet Seductive Grape.”
Sheppard is a 35-year industry veteran and winemaker at Flat Rock Cellars in Jordan Station. He also worked under the tutelage of Kaiser at Inniskillin in Niagara-on-the-Lake for 21 years, largely with a focus on the production of Pinot Noir.
Kaiser’s lecture on the Canadian-winter-friendly red wine grape was first given at the 2008 CCOVI Lecture Series.
CCOVI director Debbie Inglis said Sheppard was a clear choice to give this lecture again, in Kaiser’s honour, because of his extensive industry experience and long-time working relationship with Kaiser.
“It will be a very fitting tribute and a way to allow the industry to learn from Karl once more through someone who learned about Pinot Noir winemaking from Karl directly,” she said.
Inglis also said having the ability to livestream and archive the lecture will make it accessible to a much wider audience than when it was first given.
“We didn’t have the capability to livestream or archive Karl’s presentation in 2008, so there are many people who may never have seen this lecture — which is still incredibly relevant to the industry today,” she said. “Having it archived online will also give future generations the ability to benefit from this knowledge for years to come.”
Sheppard will be presenting the lecture on Monday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. in Mackenzie Chown Room H313 at Brock The lecture is free and open to the public, and it will also be livestreamed and can be viewed at brocku.ca/ccovi.
The CCOVI Lecture Series will continue to run Monday afternoons until March 26 at the same time and location. More information about the series and the complete list of speakers will be announced in the early 2018 and can be found on the lecture series website.
