2002 Inniskillin Cabernet Franc

Inniskillin is in Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1975 by Karl J. Kaiser, a chemist, and Donald J.P. Ziraldo, an agricultural expert who grew up in a Canadian family of Italian descent where wine was part of every meal. In 1994 the partners also established a winery in the southern tip of the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Inniskillin has vineyards in the Niagara region of Ontario and in Okanagan in British Columbia. The estate makes a portfolio of red and white wines, including Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling. But it is best known for its ice wines, which are sweet dessert wines made by leaving the grapes on the vine until they are frozen by cold weather, a practice that concentrates the grape flavors. Inniskillin ice wines routinely wine top ratings from reviewers.

This is a parent grape to Cabernet Sauvignon. It most likely originates from Basque country. It is an excellent blending grape, known for making the exquisite Cheval-Blanc. Franc is a little hardier on a vine than Sauvignon, but drinks smoothly at the table.