Here are two fresh wines for the summertime from the Okanagan’s Blasted Church Vineyards: a Chardonnay and a Rosé wine. The rosé is made with a red grape you may not know, Blaufränkisch, but it is in the Valley and is originally from Austria and is also in Germany, where it is known as Lemberger (an unfortunate name in my opinion) and Kékfrankos in Hungary. Get out your patio chairs, a cheese plate, and enjoy these wines. Here are my wine tasting notes.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Blasted Church Vineyards Renaissance Series Unorthodox Chardonnay 2025 (BC $28)
Winemaker’s notes, “Our estate grown Chardonnay Musqué was harvested in two separate picks: the first on September 5th from our older block of 37-year-old vines, and the second on September 8th from our block of younger vines. Both lots were destemmed and given a few hours of skin contact before pressing to extract more aromatic compounds from the skins to really express the varietal characteristics of the Chardonnay Musqué. After 48 hours of cold settling the clean juice was racked off heavy lees to stainless steel tanks for fermentation and aging to preserve the freshness of the wine.”
Appearance: Clear, bright, lighter lemon colour in the glass.
Nose: Medium-plus to pronounced aromas of fresh tropical fruits and a touch of stone fruits. Medium-plus body after decanting, with the same fruit aromas.
Palate: Dry, but with a fruity sweetness, lighter-bodied with a soft, light mouthfeel. Bright acidity. Fresh tropical fruit, pears, and some grape stem bitterness toward the finish. I also picked up a hint of orange and lychee flavours with swirling. Medium body after decanting with a rounder mouthfeel. Same flavours.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing with tropical fruits and pears, along with light pepperiness and some grape stem bitterness. No change to the finish after decanting.
Rating: 
The Blasted Church Vineyards Renaissance Series Unorthodox Chardonnay 2025 shows a bright, lighter lemon colour with medium-plus to pronounced aromas of fresh tropical fruit and a touch of stone fruit. The palate is dry with a fruity sweetness, lighter-bodied with a soft, light mouthfeel and bright acidity, offering tropical fruit, pear, orange, and lychee flavours with some grape stem bitterness toward the finish, while the body becomes fuller and rounder after decanting. It finishes medium-plus in length with tropical fruit and pear flavours, along with light pepperiness and grape stem bitterness.
Blasted Church Vineyards Renaissance Series Blaufränkisch Rosé 2025 (BC $28)
Winemaker’s notes, “Our estate-grown Blaufränkisch was hand-harvested on September 19th, 2025. In the cellar, 50% of the fruit was whole cluster pressed to preserve the vibrancy and clean fruit expression and the remaining 50% was given 3 hours of skin contact to build the mouthfeel and aromatic profile of the wine before being pressed to tank. After settling for 48 hours, the juice was racked to a mix of neutral French oak barrels for fermentation and aging for 6 months. After 6 months, the wine was racked to stainless steel tank, where it rested for a month to restore the tension to the wine before bottling.”
Appearance: A completely translucent, bright, medium-intensity mix of watermelon and rhubarb colours.
Nose: Lighter aromas of rhubarb, strawberries, and red cherries. The strawberry aroma fades after decanting.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body, very smooth and soft, with a round, thicker mouthfeel. Lower acidity. Red cherries and rhubarb flavours with touches of candied cherries, strawberries and cream, and grape stem bitterness. Medium body after decanting. The same flavours and texture, other than the strawberry and cream component lessens.
Finish: Medium-plus length, finishing with a touch of tannins and bitterness. Flavours of red cherries, candied red cherries, and strawberries with cream. Less trawberries with cream after decanting.
A deeper coloured and flavoured rose wine with a nice, smooth mouthfeel. No need to decant as only the strawberry aromas and flavours lessen.
Finish: 
– The Blasted Church Vineyards Renaissance Series Blaufränkisch Rosé 2025 shows a bright watermelon and rhubarb colour with lighter aromas of rhubarb, strawberry, and red cherry, with the strawberry aroma fading after decanting. The palate is dry and medium-plus in body with a very smooth, soft, round mouthfeel, offering red cherry, rhubarb, candied cherry, strawberry and cream flavours with grape stem bitterness, while the body becomes lighter after air. It finishes medium-plus in length with red cherry, candied cherry, and strawberry and cream flavours, along with a touch of tannin and bitterness.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase both wines online at the Blasted Church Vineyards website:
- Blasted Church Vineyards Renaissance Series Unorthodox Chardonnay 2025
- Blasted Church Vineyards Renaissance Series Blaufränkisch Rosé 2025
The Chardonnay is available at select Everything Wine and Save on Foods stores.
