Stone Oak Estate

07/08/2018

The first of the vines planted last spring have made it up to the fruiting wire. Sagrantino is coming along nicely (those that survived the delays in planting).

01/01/2018

Happy New Year’s to all my friends, and to those of you who graciously offered your help during 2017!!!

Hoping for a great and prosperous 2018 to us all.

Sincerest regards,
— Brodie & Stone Oak

11/23/2017

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 🍂

I'm incredibly thankful to all of those who have helped out on the vineyard this past year. There's no way I could have gotten as far as I did without it, and you have no idea how much it's meant to me. So I'd like to take a moment to specifically thank those of you who volunteered your hard work, sweat and, at times, blood and sacrificial chigger bites over the past year.

Scott Mahoney, Donnie Becker, Bren Worth and his wife Tonya, Ryan Saathoff, Steve Rhodes, Rick Cymbalist, Stewart Finnessey, Debra Becker, Craig McDougald, Stanley "Cowboy" Garrison, and Mike Long. Hopefully I didn't miss anyone...there have just been so many work days out there this year...it all blurs together.

I'm indeed thankful and incredibly grateful for all the help. Thank you all, both friends and family!

11/08/2017

Very old Fiano vines of about 200 years old in Avellino, Campania, Italy.

Wine writer Jancis Robinson notes that some historians speculate that Fiano may have been the grape behind the Roman wine Apianum that was produced in the hills above Avellino. The wine was produced by a grape known to the Romans as vitis apiana, with the root of apiana being the Latin for bees. Even today bees are strongly attracted to sugary pulp of Fiano grapes and are a prevalent sight in the vineyards around Avellino. [source: Wikipedia]

10/18/2017

Had a nice visit with Paul Vincent Bonarrigo (founder of Messina Hof) a couple weeks ago at a private wine tasting event at a new wine bar opening in downtown Austin (Texas Reds & Whites). Discussed my vines and plans and got smiles and encouragement. Really nice guy with a flair for interesting style in his attire haha. Fun night.

10/11/2017

So much loss. These pictures are heartbreaking. Dreams to ash, stellar wines wasted, peoples' livelihoods battered and devastated. My heart goes out to my wine-making brethren out west.

People still recovering financially from the 2014 quake there, numerous wildfires over the past decade as well. Even those not directly touched by fire will likely suffer wine quality losses in the form of "smoke taint", if they were downwind, on any grapes that didn't make it into the winery prior to the fires.

Our thoughts are with you...keep strong!

Fires across California have killed 17 people and forced 20,000 people to evacuate their homes. Nearly 150 people are unaccounted for and some 2,000 buildings have been destroyed.

09/29/2017

Finally, some potentially good news in the fight against Pierce's Disease. Good job A&M! Next question, when do these cocktails become available to the public? My neighbor's vines were hit hard by Pierce's this year, so I'm certain to have issues establishing my vines.

It's happy hour in the battle against Pierce's disease in wine grapes. Scientists have created a phage cocktail that stops the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa.

09/25/2017

Thanks to Scott and Bren for helping out over the weekend. Got some Vermentino in the ground for late season planting. Still have a little over 600 to go in, but it was nice finally getting some traction on these poor vines. This first year has been chocked full of lessons learned.

08/28/2017

Pretty poor, overgrazed, shallow soils on the property. Small wonder the only thing that grows prolifically there is cactus. Ordered 50lbs of buckwheat and 25lbs of balansa clover to broadcast on some of the areas I've cleared of cactus to try and revitalize the soils and slowly add some depth above the rocks near the surface. But most days I can totally relate to the guy in this picture...

08/11/2017

Article courtesy of Wine Business Monthly - August 2017 issue

On the good side, table wines are trending upward year-on-year...on the bad side (in my opinion at least), blush/rose saw the greatest growth. I'll just tally that one up to summer fever and try not to contemplate how many good red grapes gave up their potential by becoming a blush/rose instead. 😉

07/03/2017

Bunch of holes just waiting to be filled with vines. Man!...it was hot out there today. ☀️

05/19/2017

Some pics of the work over the past two weeks out here. It's been busy and I'm definitely tired. Thanks to those that chipped in sweat and hard work.