STONEBOAT Piano Brut

One of the things that I love about exploring wine, is learning about the people behind it. 

Recently I had the opportunity to taste Stoneboat’s Piano Brut while learning about Stoneboat’s proprietors, Julie and Lanny Martiniuk.

Their story begins in Vancouver, where Julie worked as a pharmacist while her husband, Lanny, was working in nuclear medicine. They decided to leave the hustle and bustle of Vancouver in 1979, purchasing a 15-acre orchard in the Okanagan with a handshake. The property was on the Black Sage Bench, literally just down the road from where Julie’s parents lived and where she grew-up.

In 1983 Julie and Lanny re-planted their orchard with vinifera grapes, including Pinot Blanc and Schönberger; this vineyard would become known as the Home Vineyard.

In 1984, Julie and Lanny also planted vines on the property where Julie’s parents lived.  This vineyard was named Maggie May Vineyard, after Julie’s Mother, Margaret May.

In 1991, a property adjacent to the Home Vineyard was purchased, adding another 17.4 acres to their land holdings.

1998 brought the purchase of yet another plot of land. This vineyard would be called Orchard Grove and it was planted with Pinot Noir, Pinotage and Pinot Gris.

In 2003 the Martiniuks began working towards the opening of their own winery, a Pinot house, focusing on Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The winery was named Stoneboat, which is a sled, usually powered by animal or tractor, used for moving heavy objects, such as hay or stones. The northern tip of the Black Sage Bench, where Stoneboat’s vineyards are located, has extremely rocky subsoils. A stone boat would have originally been used to clear these areas of rock in preparation for farming. Vines thrive in these rocky soils though. The rocks soak-up the sun through the day and then radiate the heat back to the vines throughout the night. 

The first vintage from Stoneboat was released in 2005 and one of the things that sets this winery apart from other vineyards in the Okanagan is that most of their vines are self-rooted plants. They are grown from cuttings from older vines, which sprout roots and leaves when propagated. The cuttings were chosen from hardy, healthy vines that had already adapted to the Okanagan climate.

Over the years, Stoneboat has developed into a family affair. Julie and Lanny have three grown sons, all of whom are involved in the winery. Lanny is first and foremost a grape grower, but he also oversees the winemaking operations. With her pharmacy background, Julie conducts the winery’s lab work and she can often be found pouring wine for guests in the tasting room.

Their son Jay, worked as cellarmaster at Osoyoos Larose before working on Stoneboat’s inaugural vintage in 2005. He was Stoneboat’s winemaker until 2013 when he moved back to Vancouver to work at the Wine Research Centre, where he is working to identify the native yeasts on Stoneboat’s Pinot Noir blocks. 

The current winemaker at Stoneboat is William Adams. Jay met William while they were both working at Osoyoos Larose. William completed a three-year wine making program at Niagara College and worked at Palatine Hills Estate Winery before moving to the Okanagan.

Jay’s twin brother, Tim, has a degree in Political studies and Media from Queen’s University and he oversees the winery’s marketing, design and manages the wine shop.

Julie and Lanny’s third son, Chris, holds the title of Senior Foreman of Technical Operations (also known as tractor operator) when he is not working at his day job as a pilot.

Stoneboat Piano Brut $25.00

This sparkling Pinot Blanc is made from 30-year-old vines from the Home Vineyard. The grapes are gently pressed and cool fermented before blending and second fermentation in stainless steel Autoclaves.

This Prosecco-style sparkling wine is dry, crisp and refreshing. There are aromas of biscuit, green apple, pear, lime and white peach. The palate offers a pleasant, foamy mousse with notes of green apple, pear, lemon, lime and biscuit, followed by white peach on the medium finish.

Stoneboat Pinot House is open daily for tastings with a reservation.

www.stoneboatvineyards.com