In the working world, online meetings can be both convenience and curse, but the technology has also given us new ways to keep up connections with friends and family far away – and to enhance a local wine tasting experience without physically being in the winelands.
So it was that a couple of weeks ago the PE Wine Lovers group tasted the wines of Stony Brook Vineyards in Franschhoek, here in the Bay but in the virtual company of friends and, formerly local, wine lovers Bev and Neill Erickson from their new home at said winery.
A brief-ish backstory: The McNaught family, who established Stony Brook on an old fruit farm in 1995, sold the boutique winery to a German investor last year and, by way of a local shareholder connection, Bev and Neill were enticed to convert their retirement plans into a new journey of being part of “lifting” the property, making improvements while maintaining its authentic charm rather than radically overhauling.
One thing definitely not due for overhaul is the winemaking style – a focus on traditional techniques making premium, classic, ageable wines with a strong sense of place of Stony Brook’s specific Bo Hoek corner of Franschhoek.
Craig McNaught, who joined his parents as winemaker in 2011, has stayed on to continue Stony Brook’s strong track record of highly-rated wines with a loyal and global customer following (75% of the wines are exported).
Meanwhile, the Ericksons have joined the small team and caught us up on their steep learning curve in new jack-of-all-trades wine farm jobs that range from overseeing building work, mending all manner of equipment and getting farm management systems in place, to presenting tastings, running farm accommodation and unravelling the mysteries of back-end wine admin – so many aspects of the wine business that wine lovers seldom get to see.
Wine, of course, was the point of this virtual meeting and with sample bottles sent up a few days earlier, Bev took us through seven of the Stony Brook wines.
The ‘J’ is an ever-changing white blend, always involving Viognier, in this 2022 vintage with barrel fermented Chardonnay and Semillon – as Platter’s aptly describes it “a white blend to light up the room when the power fails”, and a hit with our tasters.
The wine is complex and textured, with Viognier the star, lending clear floral notes woven in with stone fruit, lime, a touch of vanilla’d waxiness – just delicious, a great partner to spicy foods, and ageable up to 10 years (yes, white wines do age!).
Ghost Gum White 2021 is 100% Chardonnay, barrel matured for 12 months, for a refined, elegant, subtle Burgundy-style wine, oak and butterscotch framing zingy citrus with some creaminess.
Stony Brook has a strong focus on red wines, and they are excellent, to be saved for a further instalment!
HeraldLIVE