Julie and Lanny Martiniuk were pursuing careers in Vancouver (pharmacy and nuclear medicine respectively) when they decided to leave the hustle and bustle of the lower mainland and move to the Okanagan Valley, where Julie was born and raised. Because no vineyard land was for sale, they settled for a 15-acre orchard on the Black Sage Bench and bought it on a handshake in 1979. Lanny became a successful grapevine propagator, growing millions of vines for vineyards all over BC and is widely seen as the expert in the field. Now the three adult Martiniuk sons are also involved with shaping and researching BC’s wine industry through their parents’ Stoneboat Vineyards. Their 2011 Pinot Noir was just named “Top Red Wine” at last week’s Whistler’s Cornucopia festival, the ripe, bigger style reflecting Oliver’s desert heat. Multiple small-lot fermentations of five clones from two vineyards result in additional complexities. Black cherry, stewed raspberry, earthy minerality and subtle oak smoke teem through this silky Pinot Noir. I like to pair this wine with grilled pork tenderloin and autumn root vegetables.
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