Vicki, Jessica, Devin, Jessica, Augusta, David, Daniel, Daniel, Pascal and everyone who worked alongside at the wineries. Everyone at Tawse, Redstone and Vintage Coffee Roasters now have to say goodbye to a friend, mentor and no doubt the greatest guy to work with and be around. His work and kinship with Moray Tawse is legendary in the world of wine and I grieve for Moray who has lost both a son and a brother. Paul touched so many people, most of all his immediate family, his amazing wife Allison, for whom my heart aches and breaks. If I were wandering about at any point during the i4c Cool Chardonnay Celebration I could always count on Paul for a convo or just a quiet sit on a step over a glass at brunch. He valued my opinion and wanted to teach, share and converse about all that was on his winemaking mind. He invited me back again and again, each and every time there were new wines to assess. We tasted through two dozen barrels as if I were the most important journalist in the world. Not only did Paul immediately and graciously accept the request, he gave an open-ended amount of his time. Even if some people knew me as a Toronto chef you could probably count on one hand how many knew me as a wine writer. In 2012 I reached out to Paul and asked for a visit. “The walrus is Paul.” Buddha, “aesthetically thin and unassuming…I am he as you are he as you are me.” He is as if John Lennon were singing a lyric about him. He’s Cuddy, Cripps and Chris Shreenan-Dyck rolled into one.” I once compared him to Bruce Springsteen. He is a big picture guy and Niagara renaissance man songwriter, vocalist, lead guitar, producer and engineer. I think it was six years ago that I wrote “Paul Pender’s acumen and winemaking professionalism has reached a whole new level of Rock ‘N Roll. Paul always struck me as a bit of a rock star but he was always humble. Remembering a great man, father, husband, uncle, friend, colleague and winemaker is all that matters. I have no interest in breaking news and unfolding circumstances. While it is true that I am a wine writer and a critic whose job includes assessing Tawse and Redstone wines, the work has always been kept separate from the friendship and respect Paul and I always shared. I simply can’t approach Paul’s death from a journalist’s view.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |