Intrigue Wines: more winning wines from 2025

Photo: Roger Wong of Intrigue Wines

Intrigue Wines is a low-key Lake Country winery run by Roger Wong and partners that deserves a higher profile for the solid, good-value wines it produces. Roger recently sent some samples which inspired my comments.

“We are particularly excited about the 2025 vintage as we have been able to craft the wines as we would in the perfect season,” Roger writes. “Great growing conditions and no smoke.” It was a welcome change from 2024 and that year’s notorious January freeze. “In 2024, our vineyards and many of our contract growers were severely affected by the cold snap,” Roger continues. “We looked at all our available options including bringing fruit in from outside of Canada. The way that the program was rolled out [by the government] left too many uncertainties for us to make a commitment.”

Contracting imported grapes, which some Okanagan wineries began doing as early as February 2024, was quite risky under the existing regulations. The resulting wines would have been uneconomic. It was not until July that the government relaxed the markup rules, enabling wineries to use imported grapes in 2024 and 2025. Roger Wong chose not to gamble in 2024. “Ultimately, we were very fortunate to find some fruit from the Cowichan Valley (from the family who now owns David Godfrey’s vineyard),” he writes. “We also purchased some Muscat from the lower mainland.”

He continues: “Our vineyards did not suffer significant vine loss, just crop loss for the 2024 vintage. In the 2025 vintage we had spectacular growing conditions and since our vines had fully recovered they produced excellent fruit. We were even able to produce some wines that had been absent from our portfolio for a while. We were able to do overnight skin contact for our Pinot Gris and most of our Riesling crushes. The ‘coral hue’ of the Pinot Gris is quite evident but more importantly, the rich character of the fruit is present in the glass. Our Rotberger (grown at Brent Drought’s vineyard) brings the depth of a true Rosé.”

Roger’s son, Garrett graduates from high school this year. “Aa part of his graduation, he had to choose a topic for his Capstone project,” Roger recounts. “He came to me in September and asked if he could make a wine for his Capstone. He explained that he had grown up on the vineyard but didn’t know the processes involved in getting the wine to the bottle.” Garrett was allowed to help make Frosted Vines, a white dessert wine last made in 2019. “Garrett helped on weekends all through harvest and a few days over the winter,” Roger writes. “Overall, it was an amazing way for us to connect – which is what wine is all about.”

This Lake Country winery got its name after someone remarked to Roger Wong and Jillian, his wife, that wine is intriguing. Roger, who was born in Vancouver in 1965 and has a geography degree, worked in a federal government job until he was 30. A home winemaker since he was 17, Roger then followed his passion. He volunteered at Tinhorn Creek for the 1995 crush. They hired him and encouraged him to take winemaking courses. He became winemaker for Pinot Reach Cellars in 1998 and, following an ownership change there, moved to Gray Monk in 2005 as a winemaker. He left that winery in 2019 to focus entirely on Intrigue. Roger and Jillian partnered with Ross and Geri Davis to launch Intrigue. On their two adjoining properties near Wood Lake (near Oyama), the couples in 2008 planted 6.9 hectares (17 acres) of vines, the majority being Riesling. They maintain a large and lively wine shop and tasting room, with weekend musical events in July and August. Here are notes on the wines.

Intrigue Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2025 ($28 for 448 cases). This wine was made from grapes grown near Oliver. Fermentation was in stainless steel. The wine has a restrained aroma leading to flavours of citrus and apple around a mineral backbone. 89.

Intrigue Pinot Gris 2025 ($24). The wine has a light coral hue, indicating the juice spent some time on the skins before fermentation. The wine begins with aromas of white peach leading to intense nectarine flavours. The finish is crisp and fresh. 91.

<Intrigue Rotberger Rosé 2025 ($28). Both the front and back labels acknowledge Brent Drought, the grower of Rotberger, a rare German varietal introduced to the Okanagan about 50 years ago by Gray Monk Winery. Intrigue has taken over as the champion of Rotberger, a true rosé varietal. The wine presents with a lovely pink blush. The floral aromas lead to flavours of cherry and red plum. 90.

Intrigue Frosted Vines 2025 ($26). This is a late harvest wine with 25 grams of residual sugar. The grapes – Kerner, Riesling and Ehrenfelser - are from an Oyama vineyard and were left on the vine through the first frost. This concentrates the flavors of the grapes. This wine begins with aromas of apricots leading to intense flavours of peach and marmalade. The palate is juicy and the long finish is not as sweet as the specifications would lead one to expect. A great Capstone project! 91.

Intrigue I Do NV ($27). This is carbonated sparkling wine made with 54% Riesling, 25% Gewürztraminer, 10% Pinot Gris, 9% Pinot Noir, and 2% Merlot. The wine has an appealing pink hue and active bubbles. There is a hint of rose petal and strawberry in the aroma, leading to flavours of strawberry and citrus. The finish is juicy and refreshing, with the bubbles giving the wine crispness. 90.

Intrigue Damitz Good (NV). ($30). This is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot, primarily from the 2023 vintage. It is non-vintage because the blend includes some wines made originally by the late Robert Damitz, described as “a dear friend and trusted confidant of the Intrigue family”. Rob, who died in 2011, made the original Bordeaux blend on which this wine is patterned. Some 28 months in barrel have polished the tannins of this blend. The wine has aromas and flavours of chocolate, tobacco and dark fruits. 90.