Stoke Wines Cabernet Franc

Stoke Wines was born of a six month conversation that spanned Australia, Bali, Scotland, France and India. Wishing to escape their jobs in commercial winemaking, Nick and Rebecca Dugmore set off for a sea-change vintage in Bordeaux. Arriving in France, they realised that their half-baked attempt to learn French on the road was seriously insufficient. Whilst left out of the conversation at their own house party, the idea of Stoke Wines was born. Nick’s love affair with Kangaroo Island had begun on a surf trip around Australia in a banana-yellow Ford Falcon in 2008. KI was the first stop, and the rest of the itinerary is still awaiting completion. Kangaroo Island is a coolclimate region with a Mediterranean influence. Proximity to the ocean means less diurnal variation than other regions, and lower maximum temperatures. The long, slow ripening period is perfect for the development of flavour and tannin in the skin of the berries. As a wine region the island is still in its infancy, and as with all young regions, growers and winemakers are still figuring out what grows best where. With this in mind Nick has chosen to work with alternative varieties he has previous experience with and make a lighter, fresh style of wine he enjoys drinking with food and friends. Making wine from Kangaroo Island is all about a connection to a place that Nick and Rebecca love to be, and this is reflected in their winemaking. Kangaroo Island is where Nick’s heart is and the beautiful people and wild landscapes he has encountered there inspired the desire to form a long lasting connection with the place – that is The Stoke.