Born,
1941, outside Vienna in Lower Austria, Karl J. Kaiser spent his youth in
the shadow of Stalin’s Russia, thanks in large part to the carving up of
Austria by the Allies following World War II. Still being in public school,
Karl enrolled in a private school run by Cistercian monks. Intending to
become a monk, Karl, however, thrived in chemistry, even finding himself
helping his teachers in the preparation of laboratory work. After graduation
from high school, he worked for several years for the government. Soon
he became a teacher in a vocational trade school in one of Austria’s wine
regions. Becoming more and more interested in the winemaking process, especially
after befriending a local gentleman vintner, then marrying his visiting
granddaughter whose family had earlier moved to Canada, Karl and his wife,
Sylvia,were destined to immigrate to Canada. After the birth of their first
daughter, Magdalena, 1969, the Kaiser family thence migrated to St. Catharines,
Ontario, moving in with Sylvia’s parents. Karl, anxious to upgrade his
educational qualifications, graduated with an honours B.Sc. in chemistry
and bio-chemistry, the necessary background qualifications leading to partnering
with Donald Ziraldo to co-found Inniskillin Wines Inc. When this partnership,
1974, was granted a licence to make wines, it was the first time that an
Ontario Government had granted such a licence since 1929! Thanks in large
part to Karl Kaiser, left, master winemaker, Inniskillin Wines is a recognized
international winery, specializing, today, not only in award-winning icewines
but in premium quality red and white wines. In this view, Karl Kaiser,
left, stands in the Inniskillin wine cellar with Bernard Repolt, a wine
consultant from Beaune, France, who works closely with Karl Kaiser and
Inniskillin Wines in producing a joint venture wine named Alliance. [Photo,
courtesy Dawn Grundy, Inniskillin Wines]