Our History

John Marynissen, vintner, came to Canada from Holland in 1952 and began growing grapes with his wife Nanny. Realizing the importance of Vinifera grapes for the production of quality wines, John switched to planting vinifera vines in the 1970's.

John was the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in Canada in 1978, and has some of the oldest vinefera vines in Ontario. These vines, combined with Niagara's unique micro-climate provide the infrastructure for Marynissen Estates wines.

About The Winemaker
Prior to the establishment of Marynissen Estates, John Marynissen received several awards for his winemaking. For his vineyards, John was awarded the title of Grape King in 1978. His 1987 Riesling won the Best Estate Bottled Wine Award at the American Wine Society competition in 1989 in Pittsburgh.

John was voted as the Grand Champion in St. Catharines, Ontario. In the fall of 1990, John won the Best of Show Award for his 1989 Chardonnay and the Konstantin Frank Award for Best Vinefera Wine at the American Wine Society competition in Philadelphia. This proves to us all that great wine can be made from Canadian grown grapes!

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