29/01/11 - Stoneboat - UBC Research Collaboration

The grape is not the only determinant of wine quality. Other factors like fermentation temperature and yeast selection can influence a wine’s aroma and flavour.

We are excited to collaborate with the UBC Wine Research Centre and the UBC Food, Nutrition and Health department to evaluate the effects of different yeast strains and fermentation temperatures on aromatic white wine quality - particularly Schonburger, a key component in our white blend, Chorus. Stoneboat Vineyards is sponsoring the project with the WRC’s Dr. Vivien Measday as part of an undergraduate research course in Food Science.

Working under Dr. Measday and MSc. student Mike Anderson, a team of Food Science students has conducted a series of small-scale fermentations using different yeasts at different temperatures, evaluating each yeast strain’s performance and analyzing each finished wine’s different chemical characteristics. Based on the results of these experiments, several strains have been selected for larger fermentations. A sensory panel will evaluate the aromatics of each wine to determine which combination of yeast and temperature maximize the fruity and floral characters of our Schonburger.

We are also looking forward to the results of another study that Jay is working on in the Measday Lab. Using samples collected over the course of several Pinot Noir native ferments (fermentations started on their own without commercial yeast) at the winery, Jay is researching the yeast naturally present in our vineyards, with the hope of identifying their strains. This will help us to better understand our vineyard ecology and assist us in maximizing complexity in our Pinot Noir with native fermentations.

Stoneboat's 2nd Lieutenant Governor's Award- 2007 Pinotage

We are honoured to receive this award for a second year in a row for our 2007 Pinotage. The award will be presented by the Honourable Stephen Point, Lt. Governor of British Columbia, on Thursday July 30. We will be closed that day from 12:30-3:30pm for the ceremony.

We enter very few competitions on an annual basis- there are far too many- however this one is exceptional because it is among the most rigourous. A panel of expert judges evaluates each wine (this year there were 250) against all others- in other words, Pinots don't just compete against Pinots or reds, they compete with everything else entered. The top 10 or 11 of the lot are selected to receive the award.

Our New Website

Welcome to our updated website. We will frequently be posting updates in the news section of the site. Stoneboat is also now on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

The wine shop opened in early May and has been busy ever since. Our 2007 reds have been released and are now available. This year's Faux Pas Rosé is the best we have ever made, and was recently one of 6 rosés (out of 66) rated as "outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest Magazine. It is also available to order.

An abysmal winter and early spring have given way to some of the finest bloom weather we have seen in a long time. Though things are still a bit behind in the vineyard, the vines are impressing us with their ability to catch up. If the weather continues to behave, we'll probably regain the time lost during our cold spring.

Our secure online ordering system is still under construction, but it will be online soon. Thanks to everyone for your patience in ordering the "old fashioned" way.