I am really enjoying these two red wines from Frind Estate Winery in West Kelowna.. I poured their Midnight 2020, made from 100% Marechal Foch grapes, and their The Premier 2020, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Regent, Syrah and Marechal Foch. I have not heard of the Regent grape before. According to Wikipedia, “Regent was created in 1967 by Professor Gerhardt Alleweldt at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding by crossing Diana, a Silvaner x Müller-Thurgau cross and thus a Vitis vinifera variety, with the interspecific hybrid Chambourcin. Experimental plantings followed in 1985, and it received varietal protection in 1994 and was released for cultivation in the first German region in 1996. It is at present among the most important new fungal-resistant quality grape variety world-wide…“
Both are a New World style with upfront fruit aromas and flavours. You can taste these wines, and buy them, at the Vancouver International Wine Festival during one of the International Festival Room tastings between May 19-21, 2022.
Pinecone Label
Have you also noticed the pinecone logo on both wine labels? There is a reason for it. Here is the answer, directly from the winery.
“Each bottle of Frind Estate wines features an abstract golden pinecone representing 3 aspects meaningful to the founder and his family – science, symbolism and sentiment.
Markus Frind is passionate about science and math. Over a decade ago Markus cracked a mathematical sequence used as supporting research for another academic paper that helped to win its author the Fields Medal, also known as the Nobel Prize for math. If you look at the bottom of any pine cone, the beautiful spiral pattern is the result of Fibonacci sequences (also found in snail shells and roses). Coincidentally, the City of Kelowna logo also represents the geometry of a pinecone.
Bacchus, the Roman God of wine, is often depicted wielding a Thyrsus – a staff topped with a pinecone. This staff represents fertility and prosperity and could turn water into wine.
Lastly, Frind Estate Winery (previously the Bennett Family Estate) is sprinkled with beautiful old growth Ponderosa Pine trees, where Markus and his daughter Ava found the perfect pinecone to artistically render for the brand.”
My Wine Tasting Notes
Frind Estate Winery Midnight 2020 (BC $25.99)
Appearance: Opaque ruby from rim to core. Very evident teardrops on the sides of the glass with swirling.
Nose: Medium-plus intensity aromas of juicy, ripe dark berries, plus cocoa, coffee, and oak. The aromas are overall lighter with decanting, plus I now note some red apple aroma.
Palate: Off-dry, lighter body, silky smooth with low acidity and very fine, light tannins. Plums, ripe black fruit, blackberries, plus coffee, vanilla and a touch of floral. More mouth-filling with decanting, plus tastes sweeter and has a bit more tartness. Same fruit flavours, plus coffee.
Finish: Medium length finishing with plums and some tart black fruit plus coffee with air. Overall a smooth, light finish. Same fruit flavours with decanting, but overall a bit tarter finish.
An elegant, understated wine that does not need decanting. With decanting the aromas become lighter and the fruit tastes sweeter.
Rating: 
Frind Estate Winery The Premier 2020 (BC $39.99)
Appearance: Opaque ruby from rim to core. Very evident teardrops on the sides of the glass with swirling.
Nose: Lighter, sweet aromas of plums, ripe raspberries, cassis, candied red cherries, with touches of vanilla, cedar and floral. Same afters with decanting.
Palate: Dryish. Medium-plus body and flavour intensity. Plush, thick, round, and mouth-filling. Plums and red apples to start then add sweet spices, red cherries, and cedar on the mid-palate. Medium tannins that pick up on the mid-palate plus bright acidity that complements not overwhelm the fruit flavours. I am probably picking up the malic acid on the palate for this wine, thus the apple flavours. The red apples show up on the mid-palate once the wine is decanted, plus you can add candied cherry flavour. The wine also has more nervy acidity.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with medium intensity drying tannins, red apples and red plums flavours and some puckering tartness. A touch of oak. A tarter finish with decanting, plus you can add black fruit flavours.
I prefer the undecanted version. The aromas and flavours are about the same, but the wine becomes tarter on the palate with decanting.
Rating:
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these wines through the Frind Estate Winery website:
The Premier is also available at Everything Wine and at select BC Liquor stores.