05/20/2026
Thank you for the great article, Dylan Renouf!
Most people donât move across the world to build a winery in a small village most Canadians couldnât point to on a map. But thatâs exactly what happened in Memramcook.
The small, rustic community embraced two strangers, and in return, they built something that now feels like it was always meant to be there: Crow and Vine.
This week, I had the privilege of sitting down with Eugene, one half of the life and business partners behind the stylish gastro winery.
What struck me right away is that this wasnât some carefully mapped out master plan.
Back in Cape Town, Eugene and Christo were flipping apartments, building a life, and raising a family. Like many immigrants, they were driven, resilient, and searching for something a little more stable. That search brought them to Canada, starting out in BC, which as usual, Iâll forgive, lol.
But something wasnât clicking.
They found themselves stuck in that familiar cycle, working hard but not quite getting ahead. So instead of settling, they did something most people donât: they looked outward again.
That leap eventually led them to New Brunswick, to Memramcook, and to an opportunity they werenât exactly trained for.
Because hereâs the thing. They werenât winemakers. They werenât restaurateurs.
They were just people willing to take a risk.
With a lot of hard work and a community that welcomed them in, they built Crow and Vine into what it is today: a place that blends style, warmth, and intention into something that feels both elevated and deeply local.
And when I say built, I mean that in every sense.
Brick by brick, this became a family effort. From in-laws helping in the kitchen, to their daughter jumping in to bus tables.
Even the food reflects that care, from what I can only describe as pardon my French, bomb pizza, to thoughtfully crafted charcuterie boards.
This is not just a business. Itâs a life being built in real time.
And honestly, theyâve only been here a handful of years, but this already feels like a pillar in the making.
But what stood out to me the most wasnât just the story, it was Eugeneâs tone when he spoke about the community.
There was a genuine respect there.
You could tell this wasnât just about building something for themselves. It was about contributing to something bigger.
Showing up every day not just for their family, but for the people around them.
Because if thereâs one thing we donât always do enough on the East Coast, itâs recognize what we actually have.
The culture. The people. The ingredients. The pace of life.
Call it humility, but sometimes we undersell it.
And sometimes it takes someone from the outside to remind us.
Crow and Vine is more than a winery. Itâs proof of what can happen when people take a chance on a place and that place takes a chance on them.
And honestly, if that isnât what being a New Brunswicker is all about, I donât know what is.
