I am continually amazed by the wines and the wineries that I have come across as part of my study of Cabernet Franc wines produced in the Niagara region of southern Ontario. One of the wineries is Drea’s Wine Co. which produces small batch, single vineyard, low intervention wines.
Checking their website, I read, “Drea’s Small Batch Wines are crafted in Niagara-on-the-Lake by Andrea Kaiser, daughter of world renowned winemaker Karl J. Kaiser who co-founded Inniskillin Wines. As a visionary pioneer, his contributions to modern Canadian winemaking cannot be understated. She closely follows the tenants of her father’s winemaking philosophies with a focus on natural fruit flavours and aromas, making bone dry wines that are well-balanced with a bright acidity. The wines in her collection are an expression of his legacy and are dedicated to her father, who affectionately called her ‘Drea’.”
These two Cabernet Franc wines from 2022 and 2023, show Andrea Kaiser’s care to quality and have a distinctive taste profile. Drea’s wines are certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Drea’s Wine Co. Cabernet Franc 2022 (ON $39.50)
Appearance: A clear, medium-plus intensity garnet colour. Translucent with consistent colour to the core.
Nose: Medium intensity, sweet rich aromas; Toast, red fruits and red cherries, plums, and cinnamon spice. You can add blackberries and cedar aromas after decanting.
Palate: Dry and lean with a light mouthfeel to start, but gets rounder with air. Red fruits, plums, and touches of blackberries, char and black fruit when first tasted but the blackberries, char and black fruit flavours fade with time in the glass. The wine also has touches of leather and pepperiness on the mid-palate to the finish. With time in the glass, you get more red fruit and also candied cherry flavour. The wine has crisp apple acidity feel in your mouth plus medium intensity oaky dryness. The wine is a bit fuller bodied after decanting and is a bit softer and smoother on the palate. Less tart fruit flavours. You can add back the light blackberries and hint of char with decanting.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing with tart red fruit and candied cherry flavour, along with light pepperiness and leather. Medium intensity grippy tannins on the finish. The tannins are a little lighter after decanting, while the flavours and length stay the same.
An interesting wine that shows more on the red fruit side and is leaner on the palate without decanting, but becomes rounder and smoother, and has the addition of blackberries on the nose and palate. To decant or not is OK.
Rating: 
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The Drea’s Wine Co. Cabernet Franc 2022 shows a clear, medium-plus garnet colour and opens with inviting aromas of toast, red fruits, plums, and cinnamon, with cedar and blackberry notes emerging after decanting. On the palate, it starts lean and light but gains roundness with air, delivering a mix of red fruits, candied cherry, leather, and a touch of char, supported by crisp acidity and medium oak dryness. The medium-plus finish offers tart red fruits, spice, and leather undecanted, while decanting softens the tannins and brings back a hint of blackberry and char.
Drea’s Wine Co. Cabernet Franc 2023 (ON $ TBD)
Appearance: A clear, lighter garnet colour in the glass, around 40% opaque.
Nose: Light aromas with violet or lilac floral scent, along with red berries, candied red cherries / berries, and a hint of sweet spice. After decanting, you can add a touch of herbaceousness to the nose.
Palate: This wine is dry, medium-plus body with smooth, soft and round mouth feel. Bright acidity bringing tart red fruit, red currant, red plum, and cherry flavours. The wine has a bit of pepperiness and light oak flavour. You can also add herbaceousness to the palate after decanting. The wine also becomes a bit rounder, and you get sweeter fruit flavours and a touch of leather.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with tart red berries, red berries flavours and a touch of pepperiness. The finish is driven more by acidity than by tannins. The wine finished with medium tannins and a touch of bitterness. After decanting, the wine is less tart on the finish, with sweeter red fruit, a touch of leather and no pepperiness. The acidity and tannins are also softer.
I was really captivated by this wine. It stands out as quite different from all the other Cabernet Franc wines that I’ve tasted so far from the Niagara region recently. This wine reminds me of a Loire Valley, Chinon wine, with its floral and red berry fruit aromas and flavours, and the hint of herbaceousness after decanting. The undecanted version has more exciting in my opinion., vibrant aromas and flavours, while the decanted version is a bit more mellow. Both are good.
Rating: The Drea’s Wine Co. Cabernet Franc 2023 presents a clear, lighter garnet hue and offers delicate aromas of lilac / violet, red berries, and candied cherries, with a touch of herbaceousness emerging after decanting. On the palate, it is dry with a medium-plus body and a smooth, round texture, showcasing bright acidity, tart red fruits, red currants, and subtle oak and spice notes. The medium-plus finish has firmer acidity with tart berry flavours and a hint of bitterness undecanted, softening to sweeter red fruits and a touch of leather after decanting, with reduced tartness and tannins.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can shop for Andrea’s small batch wines seven days a week online or in person at Reif Estate Winery, 15608 Niagara Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Currently, only the Drea’s Wine Co. Cabernet Franc 2022 is available for sale. The LCBO carries the 2022 Cabernet Franc.
I hope that with the interprovincial trade barriers coming down that we will see these wines in BC.
I feel privileged to try the Drea’s Wine Co. Cabernet Franc 2023 before release to the public. You may have noticed that the 2023 bottle was taller than the 2022, bottle, and not the usual shape for a Cabernet Franc wine. If you also look closely, you will notice that the label is from 2022, but has handwritten “3” over the last 2 on the label.
