Frind Estate Winery opened its doors August long weekend of 2019. The cogs were in motion for this family project years before. In 2017, Markus and Annie Frind purchased the Bennett Family Property. Formerly owned by W.A.C. Bennet the Premier of British Columbia (1952 – 1972) and his son Bill Bennet, the Premier of British Columbia (1975 – 1986). The beachfront property would make the perfect backdrop to Frind Estate Winery.
Markus Frind grew up on a 1,200-acre farm in Hudson’s Hope, B.C. From there he got into Computer Science. After selling his company Plenty of Fish, he looked to join his two passions of agriculture and technology and create something tangible. Choosing future vineyard sites entailed having weather stations running to years before planting. The Frinds purchased the Turtle Mountain site in Vernon in 2019, after learning the growing degree days matches that of Oliver, BC.
Eric Von Krosigk, Senior Winemaker, joined Frind Estate Winery in 2018. Working with Jo Breti, Vineyard Manager, they have a combined 60 years of experience growing grapes and making wine in the Okanagan Valley.
This will be the first year Frind Estate Winery pours at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Meet us at the International Festival Tasting Room.
The Wines We Will Feature at the International Festival Tasting Room
We will be pouring the following wines:
NV Brut – Our Winemaker, Eric von Krosigk, started making methode champenoise sparkling in 1983. Through two continents and many years of experience, he has culminated his passion into the blending and creation of Frind Brut. The genesis for the blend are the flavours of the Okanagan; bright, crisp, fresh, with a hint of stone fruit. Blending of Riesling and Chardonnay bring together a beautiful style that pairs well a variety of foods or by the glass! Once poured, the fine bubbles swirl slowly to the top of the glass. A pale yellow colour, fresh, bright citrus and stone fruit aromas greet you at the rim. The first sip leads to a second… Varietals: Riesling and Chardonnay.
2021 Baronesse – The 2020 Baronesse is a sophisticated blend consisting of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and a touch of Viognier. Named after Annie Frind’s grandmother, die Baronesse Bianca Von Hahn (Germany), this wine was created to honour the family’s heritage dating back to the 1500’s. Curated as an expression of our premium vineyards and showcasing our small lot, advanced winemaking technologies. This wine reflects the absolute best the Okanagan has to offer.
2020 Midnight – Take your senses on an adventure into the night with our 2020 Midnight. Crafted as a staff favourite, Midnight is not your typical Canadian red wine. To give you a hint on what varietal is in this wine;
- We hand-picked the grapes from our Home Block Vineyard; only 10ft separate the vineyard from the crush pad.
- This cold-hardy and disease-resistant grape is well known to Canada and USA
If you haven’t yet decoded what grape we’re referring to it is our Marechal Foch! Why name it Midnight? Our team found this particular grape produced deep, purple/nearly black colouring and found that it resembled the midnight sky during harvest. Midnight is bursting with flavours of coffee, plum and a touch of cocoa.
2020 Big Red – This medium-bodied, Merlot dominant blend with aromas of wild violet pair seamlessly with dark cherry, cassis, red licorice, and vanilla on the palate. Similar to the 2018 vintage, we’ve used both French and American oak to age the wine with 80% of this oak being neutral and the other 20% new. Varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.
2020 The Premier – is the pinnacle blend with bold flavours, strong structure, with an elegant lingering finish. From our vineyards to our crush pad, and within our cellar and lab; our new technology, with data analysis, ensured only the finest quality fruit was used to ferment this wine in small batches. Allowing each small lot to ferment and barrel age on its own, gives us various components to build the blend regarding flavour, structure, and finish. On the palate, the wine is layered with flavours of bright ripe cherries, cassis, raspberry, and blackberry. Soft ripe tannins with a very full midpalate and long flavourful finish of spice and hints of cocoa, make this a beautifully bold and elegant blend. Varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Regent, Syrah, and Marechal Foch.
