Renowned Niagara winemaker dead, Hamilton man charged after cottage incident

Winemaker Paul Pender, known for his deep involvement in Niagara's wine community and as the maker of organic wines for Vineland's Tawse winery, has died and a Hamilton man has been charged with second-degree murder.

Police said Pender died Thursday night following an incident in Selkirk, Ont., near Lake Erie, where he has a cottage. 

A resident of Grimsby, Ont., Pender was the well-known head winemaker for Tawse Wine and Spirits. He also roasted coffee for Hamilton's Vintage Coffee Roasters.

Ontario Provincial Police said they responded to a 911 call at 8:09 p.m. ET Thursday. Pender, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Bradley House, 31, of Hamilton is set to appear in court on Tuesday, OPP Det.-Insp. Shawn Glassford told CBC Hamilton on Monday.

Police have released few details of the events surrounding Pender's death, but Glassford said investigators are probing more than one crime scene, and the suspect and victim didn't know each other. 

News of Pender's death came as a shock to his family and friends.

"It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you of the death of our colleague and friend," reads a statement from Tawse Winery. "Paul died unexpectedly under tragic circumstances ... We will all miss him more than words can express. He was not just our manager, but our good friend as well."

Many described Pender as fun, positive and giving with his time, and someone who could often be found without a shirt on. 

"There are no shirt buttons in heaven," wrote commenter Amanda Leduc on a Facebook page created in his memory.

"Take off your clothes. And run around naked! It's what Paul would want you to do!" said restaurateur and friend Ryan Crawford in an article posted Friday on WinesInNiagara.com. 

Pender's fun side was in tandem with a dedication to his craft, say his colleagues at Tawse and throughout the industry.

A post on the winery's website said he joined the business in 2005 and became head winemaker a year later, helping the business obtain organic and biodynamic certifications, and the Canadian Winery of the Year award four times between 2010 and 2016. The Ontario Wine Awards named him winemaker of the year in 2011.

"[A] former carpenter, Paul was in the second graduating class of Niagara College's Winery and Viticulture program," Smyth wrote in the post. "He adopted a 'non-interventionist as far as possible' philosophy and was a firm believer that the start of every great wine begins in the vineyard."