Have you heard of Frind Estate Winery before? They are one of the newer wineries, located in West Kelowna. Eric Von Krosigk, their winemaker, comes with lots of great knowledge. He is originally from Vernon. In 1983, Eric moved to Germany to apprentice and work at wineries in the Mosel and fell in love with sparkling wines. In 1991, Eric returned to Canada and upon seeing the tremendous potential of the Okanagan Valley, joined Stephen Cipes in founding Summerhill Pyramid Winery. He has worked with at least 7 other BC wineries before joining Frind Estate Winery. Eric’s wines have won more than 300 medals in various competitions, with I’m sure many more to come.
Here are two blends from Frind Estate Winery that you are going to be able to taste at the Vancouver International Festival Tasting Room.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Frind Estate Winery The Baronesse 2021 (BC $24.99)
The Baronesse 2021 is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Viognier, and a touch of Chardonnay fermented in both French oak and stainless steel tanks.
Appearance: A deeper pear skin colour.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity fresh fruit aromas. In equal proportion, pineapple, lime, grapefruit, pine needles, and peaches. Peach and honey aromas become the most prominent with decanting, with lighter touches of pine needles, grapefruit, and lime.
Palate: Dry, very soft, smooth, and round with lighter acidity. Not quite mouth-filling. Ripe pears, baked apple, and touches of peach, blossom, and pine needles, along with citrus in the background. The wine is more mouth-filling with decanting and has a buttery mouthfeel. You get the same fruit flavours, but now with a toast of oak toast.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with round softness, a touch of pepperiness and toast, and light stone fruit and citrus flavours. About the same flavours with decanting with the addition of a touch of honey.
I like the decanted version a bit better, with its more buttery and mouth-filling feeling on the palate.
Rating: 
Frind Estate Winery Big Red 2020 (BC $22.99)
The Big Red 2020 is a blend of 49% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Marechal Foch, 5% Pinot Noir, 3% Syrah, 2% Teroldego, and 1% Malbec aged in French and American oak barrels.
Appearance: Deep, almost opaque ruby in colour.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of plums, blueberries and other juicy berries, and touches of chocolate and sweet spices. I did not note any change in aromas with decanting.
Palate: Slightly off-dry, (5.3g/L RS), fuller body, round and soft with a fine tannic backbone for structure. Medium acidity. Fruit forward, with flavours of blueberries, blackberries, black plums, and touches of floral, vanilla, and oak. The flavours were the same after decanting. The only thing I noted was the tannins were a little stronger.
Finish: A medium length finishing with fine, not grippy, tannins, plums, blueberries, vanilla and oak flavours. Tannins are a bit firmer on the finish and blueberry flavour is a bit more prominent.
Rating:
Pine Cone Logo
Have you noticed the pine cone logo on these wines? Why did the winery go with that symbol? Are they surrounded by pine trees? Is there some mathematical or geometric symbolism to consider? I will let you know in my next article when I taste a few more wines by Frind Estate Winery.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
These wines are available to purchase through the Frind Estate Winery website. They will be available for purchase through the BC Liquor Store on-site at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Big Red 2020 is available at Everything Wine.