If you were to bring two wines to a dinner party over the holiday season, I might suggest these two wines from the Time Family of Wines. Their Chronos Pinot Gris 2021 and Chronos Cabernet Franc 2020 are very accessible and I think food friendly. Let me tell you about them.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Chronos Pinot Gris 2021 (BC $24.99)
Winemaker’s notes, “Hand harvested and hand sorted, this Pinot Gris comes from a small family vineyard in Summerland with ideal conditions and breathtaking views. The grapes were whole bunch pressed and fermented at cool temperatures to retain the fresh fruit aromas. The wine remained on lees after fermentation for two months to add texture and character.” Only 320 cases were produced.
Appearance: A lighter bright straw colour.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas of fresh, ripe stone fruit, along with touches of blossom, lemon, and grape stem. Add the aroma of lime with decanting.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body, and flavour intensity. Thicker, round and soft mouthfeel. You get a light acidic prickle on your tongue. Stone fruits, stony minerality, blossom and some grape stem on the palate. No change to the flavours, other than adding in lime after decanting.
Finish: A medium-plus length, with lingering flavours of stone fruits, pears in particular, stony minerality and light acidity. The wine gets peppery at the very end and has a touch of honey sweetness. A touch of honey and lime added with decanting.
This is quality Pinot Gris. Tastes great just opened or with air.
Rating: 
A lighter straw colour. Medium intensity aromas of ripe stone fruits, with touches of lemon, blossom and some grape stem. Dry, medium-plus body with a thicker round mouthfeel. Light acidity. Stone fruits, blossom and some grape stem on the palate. Medium-plus length.
Chronos Cabernet Franc 2020 (BC $39.99)
Winemaker’s notes, “Hand picked, hand sorted and whole cluster fermented. Daily pump-overs and left on skins post-fermentation for 10 days. Matured in French oak for 16 months, 20% new.” Only 778 cases were produced. This wine has a nice solid cork, BTW.
Appearance: A deep, dull garnet colour, about 85% opaque almost to the rim.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas of sweet spices, sweet spices, juicy red cherries, and a touch of cedar. Fresh aromas. No changes to the aromas with decanting.
Palate: Dryish, lightly round, light mouthfeel, with medium acidity and lighter tannins to start. The tannins firm up and get dryer on the mid-palate to the finish. Tart red fruit, red cherries, raspberry and plum flavours, plus sweet spices. A hint of capsicum with air. The wine has a bigger, rounder mouthfeel with decanting. No changes to the flavours.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing with medium-intensity drying tannins, red fruit, sweet spices, and cedar flavours. Same flavours, but bigger mouthfeel with decanting.
A well-structured red wine. I think that the decanted version is a bit better as the wine becomes bigger and rounder on the palate.
Rating: A deeper, dull garnet colour. Lighter aromas of sweet spices, sweet red fruits, juicy red cherries and a touch of cedar. Dryish, medium-minus acidity, and a lightly round mouthfeel. Red fruits, plums, and raspberries along with a touch of sweet spices. Tannins firm up toward the end. A medium-plus length.
Steak Pairing
This was the first time I tried to cook a steak using an air fryer. The steak tended more toward well-done, rather than my preferred medium-well. The air fryer also did not provide any of the grill flavour that you get from the hot metal grates. The pairing with the Chronos Cabernet Franc was OK only. I think if there were a bit more “grill” components to the steak then the pairing would have been nicer. The wine, as it is lightly round, did not help make a fuller, rounder mouthfeel with the steak.
After re-tasting this wine with decanting, the wine is fuller bodied. I think that the grilled steak would have been a much better pairing at this time. So decant this wine if you are going to serve it with steak or other grilled meats.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these wines through the TIME Family of Wines website:
The Cabernet Franc is also available in Penticton through the Wine Information Centre.
