A Vineyard Update from River Stone Owner, Ted Kane
As valued members of our community, we wanted to share an important update about the current state of our vineyards and the future of River Stone Estate Winery.
Most of you will have read our vineyard update published earlier this year regarding the devastating effects of the sudden and severe freeze of January 2024. You will be aware of the practical and optimistic outlook that our River Stone team shares. We remain hopeful and confident in the resilience and creativity of the agricultural community affected by climate extremes in the last several years.
This year was spent in deep observation and scrutiny regarding the best path forward for our small winery. We realistically accepted bud-damage (which is a short-term setback compared to longer, more sustained damage that can arise with injury to older wood) as the best-case scenario but prepared for the worst.
After months of observation and analysis, we now see not only did the freeze impact our entire crop from 2024, but there is large potential for long-term damages across our two vineyard sites. The damage varies by varietal and location, ranging from 40% to 95%, with our Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer vines being the hardest hit. While our Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc fared somewhat better, the overall impact was severe enough to halt all production from our estate this year.
In response, we are taking action to ensure River Stone remains resilient, as we have so often stated before. Depending on the extent of the damage, we are interplanting new vines, replacing entire rows, and even replanting entire vineyard blocks. This careful and strategic process will take time, resources, and meticulous vineyard management in the coming seasons to ensure long-term success.
In the short term, we are sourcing high-quality fruit from reputable growers in Washington State for our white wine portfolio, and we will be relying on our cellared 2020-2022 vintage of red wines to carry us through the next few years. We want to assure you that despite the challenges, we have no intentions to reduce availability and will continue offering competitively priced premium wines. Our goal remains the same: to produce wines that reflect the exceptional quality and style that you have come to expect from River Stone.
As we move through the next several months of vineyard recovery, we remain optimistic that we can utilize a combination of government-funded replant programs, along with our crop insurance to support our efforts. These resources, along with our dedicated team, will help us navigate this difficult period. Most importantly, we are confident that River Stone will continue to thrive and grow, despite the setbacks we've faced over the last two years.
During this time, your support means everything to us. Whether it's purchasing wine, visiting the winery, or simply choosing BC wineries from restaurant wine lists or local liquor store shelves. We have worked hard to maintain the integrity of our wines by sourcing from trusted growers who share our commitment to quality. While our wines may be labelled differently, we promise that our passion for producing excellent wine has not wavered.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. We remain optimistic about the future and are excited to share the next chapter with you.
Ted Kane
Owner/Winemaker/Viticulturist
River Stone Estate Winery
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