Replanting Malbec After a Cold Winter

The Okanagan Valley is known for its hot summers and mild winters, however, that was not the case this past winter. A cold snap throughout the Valley resulted in damaged crops for many local vineyards and wineries. Here at River Stone Estate Winery in Oliver, the baby Malbec plants at our Boulder City Vineyard were unfortunately hit the hardest.

As many loyal River Stone fans know, Malbec is one of our most popular red wines and it is also used in our Bordeaux style blends (Corner Stone and Stones Throw). We also celebrate the release of the new vintage of Malbec every year on International Malbec Day on April 17th. It’s kind of a big deal around here!

Unfortunately, out of the 2,000 baby Malbec plants that were recently planted, only about 400 survived the harsh winter.

Not to worry though! A quick-thinking Ted Kane, Owner and Winemaker, was able to source and secure 1,500 more Malbec plants to replace the damaged ones. These plants, our new ‘babies’, pictured above, were planted at Boulder City on May 23 and 24 on a one-acre parcel and are now being carefully nurtured by our vineyard team. 

Now that the new plants are in the ground, it will take about 3-4 years for them to produce quality fruit to be used in the production of River Stone wines. After years of growing, our philosophy in the vineyard has always been "mother nature runs the show" and the best approach for success is to work with her in all aspects. 

Patience truly is a virtue, but to us it’s worth the wait. We are excited and hopeful that our customers will get to enjoy our Malbec vintages in the future. 

Stay tuned for ‘Ted Talks’ on our social media, where Ted Kane provides video updates on the status of our vineyards and keeps our fans in the loop as we move forward in the growing season. Cheers!

Media Contact: Angie Huk

Phone: 250-498-0043

Email: info@riverstoneestatewinery.ca

Website: riverstoneestatewinery.ca