Winemaker's Way is a series featuring the people who create wine across the state. Our first feature is Shaun Turnbull, Head Winemaker at Stone Hill Winery.
Shaun Turnbull wanted a profession where he could be happy and creative. He knew a desk job wasn’t in his future. When Turnbull was finishing high school (or secondary school in South Africa) he wasn’t sure what career he wanted to pursue. Growing up in the suburbs of Cape Town, his parents and family enjoyed wine on a regular basis and it was a large part of his culture. He admits he didn’t have a taste for it at the time, but his father suggested pursuing winemaking, knowing he could be outside and have the creativity to explore a new craft. Turnbull jokes that he found his calling by just “giving it a try.”
After some intense studying, he was accepted into the competitive 10-student winemaking program at Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute in South Africa. He completed his classroom studies and spent his final year studying at the school’s winery where he had an intense, hands-on learning experience with wine production from start to finish.
After graduation, he took a position at Jefferson Vineyards, a winery in Virginia. This is where Turnbull gained familiarity with native American varietals such as Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc and Norton. With familiarity, he also gained a soft spot for vitis labrusca.
He eventually returned to South Africa and worked for a couple wineries there for a short duration. Turnbull found himself longing to further his career in the United States. He made his way to Napa Valley in California and worked for Heitz Cellar for two months
During that time, Turnbull kept an eye on a wine job listing website and eventually came across an opening for assistant winemaker at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri. He was drawn to their colorful portfolio and variety of dry, sweet, sparkling and dessert wine varieties. He applied and was hired as assistant winemaker in 2005.
Dave Johnson served as winemaker at Stone Hill Winery for 41 years, retiring from head winemaker in 2019. Turnbull credits a lot of his education, passion and growth to working with Johnson. He said having two different generations, experiences, tastes and opinions strengthened Stone Hill Winery’s winemaking. Turnbull acknowledges the opportunity to work long-term with Johnson made him the winemaker he is today. He still credits him as one of his biggest role models. Turnbull stepped in as head winemaker after Johnson’s retirement.
There are many highs and lows of winemaking. Turnbull notes that there is no shortage of elbow grease. From the vineyard crew, to cleaning tanks and hoses, something is always in motion for the next set of vintages. He has your normal 40-hour weeks, with 80-hour weeks during harvest when time is critical and attention to detail is imperative in creating their quality wines.
Turnbull likes to say that in Missouri, wine is truly made. Wineries in other regions with consistent climates and weather conditions can therefore create consistent product with more ease. Missouri’s climate and weather patterns are far from consistent, making wine production that much more challenging. With varying weather, humidity and threats from fungal diseases and rot, the hard work and chemistry of making high-quality wine is a fine-tuned art.
Stone Hill Winery has 180 acres of grapes, with additional new vines being planted, that provide the grapes for their large variety of wines. One of Turnbull’s biggest challenges, which he also enjoys, is creating wine blends. Stone Hill Winery produces a large number of blends such as Steinberg Red, Steinberg White, Golden Rhine, Rose Montagne and Ozark Hellbender, which won best Semi-Dry Red at the 2021 Missouri Wine Competition.
Stone Hill Winery creates a Methode Champenoise sparkling wine, Blanc de Blancs, which is one of Turnbull’s favorite wines to create due to the intense labor and time commitment. This traditional French style is naturally fermented in the bottle and riddled (hyperlink) after aging on yeast from three to three and a half years. Dry reds are his favorite to explore and practice refining. He loves the challenge of balancing a wine just right where the palate isn’t overwhelmed by acidity or sugar.
Turnbull says he is constantly strengthening his education, even when he is not on the clock. He says the best way to practice and learn is to enjoy wine with others and “talk shop.” From enjoying wine at dinner with his wife, to attending barbecues with friends, he is always looking for great dialogue and conversations about wine. Turnbull loves to break each wine down (by the 5’s) as they are enjoyed.
When thinking of future goals, Turnbull wants to continue what Stone Hill Winery is currently doing and expand on that foundation. He aims to keep making quality, well-balanced wines. He hopes consumers will continue to associate quality with their wines. Turnbull plans to keep improving each year by being progressive and creating wine to meet the consumer where they stand. He would love to see a canned wine, or a new batch of blends, anything to keep Stone Hill Winery front-of-mind for the consumer. Missouri wines are unique, but the unique people who create them, like Turnbull, make the Missouri wine experience unforgettable.
Learn more about wineries, wines and winemakers throughout the state by following us on social media. Next time you pop open a wine from Stone Hill Winery, tag us with #mowine and @missouriwine.
