Our Family
Stoneboat is entirely family owned and operated. Our hands guide the entire winegrowing cycle: we grow our own vines from cuttings, see the vines through harvest and make our wines from their fruit.
Lanny & Julie Martiniuk
Julie and
Lanny Martiniuk were pursuing careers in Vancouver 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. Hoping to buy a vineyard
with their savings, Julie and lanny left Vancouver with a truck, a dog
and some furniture. Because no vineyard land was for sale, they settled
for a 15-acre orchard on the Black Sage and bought it on a handshake
in 1979. Lanny left his career in nuclear medicine to farm it, while
Julie continued practicing pharmacy.
During the
formative years of the BC wine industry, Lanny served as director of
the BC Grape Growers Association for a decade, chair of the Grape Marketing
Board, and, as a founding director of the BC Wine Institute, was a pioneer
in revitalizing the industry after free trade and the grape pullout
of 1988. Lanny is also a successful grapevine propagator and has grown
millions of vines for vineyards all over BC.
30 years and three children later, the Martiniuks have expanded their original 15 acres to nearly 50, and are busier than ever with the winery. Julie's background in pharmacy has prepared her well for much of the winery's lab work, and when she's not analyzing samples, she can be found in the wine shop pouring for guests. Lanny, a grape grower first and foremost, is generally preoccupied with managing the vineyards and overseeing winemaking operations, though he pops into the wine shop now and then.
Jay
After a
year as a French major at Queen's University, a car accident prevented
one of the Martiniuks' sons, Jay, from returning to school the following
autumn. While recuperating, Jay busied himself with the day-to-day activities
in the vineyard and began to consider pursuing winemaking and viticulture.
During harvest of 2005, Jay played an integral role in crafting the
Stoneboat inaugural vintage in working He has since spent one and a
half years working as cellarmaster at Osoyoos Larose under the guidance
of Pascal Madevon. Jay is currently studying food sciences at the University
of British Columbia to prepare for an oenology degree, which he hopes
to pursue in Bordeaux or California. Dividing his time between Osoyoos
Larose and Stoneboat during summers, Jay designs and orchestrates Stoneboat's
winemaking programs with Lanny. When away at school, he racks up huge
long distance bills advising over the phone or returns home on weekends
to help out at the winery.
Tim
Jay's twin
brother, Tim, has an honours degree in Political Studies and Film &
Media Studies from Queen's University. After graduating, Tim returned
from Ontario to the vineyards, where he has spent nearly every summer
since the age of 7. Proud to be helping build the family business, Tim,
depending on the day, can be found inside wine tanks, on the crush pad,
behind the tasting bar, or at his computer designing labels and websites.
He currently oversees Stoneboat's marketing and wine shop operations,
though he is generally considered by everyone here to be the resident
jack of all trades.
Chris
From an early
age, Chris spent his summers working on the vineyards doing everything
from rock picking to leaf plucking- at which heÕs especially talented.
After finishing his first year as a history major at Simon Fraser University,
Chris returned home to become Stoneboat's Senior Foreman of Technical
Operations (a.ka. tractor operator) and was responsible for the mowing
and hedging of grape rows. He and Lanny also made Stoneboat's 2007 vintage
together. Realizing that his dreams are in the clouds, Chris has since
obtained his private pilot's license and is studying commercial aviation.
He keeps the vineyards close to his heart, however, working at the winery
on weekends. He will be reclaiming his seat behind the tractor wheel
during summers and can also be found in the wine shop.
