Dome dining in high demand at local winery
They are the most sought-after setting for stylish eating and drinking this season.
They are the trendy, heated and lit outdoor domes at Frind Winery in West Kelowna and Oak+Cru restaurant at the Delta Grand hotel in downtown Kelowna.
It’s difficult to get a reservation for a dome, evidence that they have caught on as a chic and oh-so Instagrammable way to see and be seen during these COVID times.
“They are super-cool,” said Frind general manager Ruth Hanbury.
“They are not only beautiful and fun, but they are a great way to have dinner or high tea in your own space with your bubble of six people.”
Frind has 10 domes elegantly set with tables for six, tropical plants, lighting fixtures and heaters.
High tea is $45 per person and includes tea, of course, and nibblies.
You can add wine for an additional cost.
Dinners are posh five-course, wine-paired affairs, costing $110 per person.
Reservations for a minimum of four people per dome are required at FrindWinery.com.
If you can’t snag a reservation for a dome, or don’t want to spend that much, Frind does $10 tastings of five wines at its bar and sparkling wine tasting in the Premier’s Library.
It’s so called because the Frind building is the former lakefront mansion of late B.C. premier Bill Bennett.
The library now contains a large, round table for tasting Frind Brut sparkling and the walls are covered with photos of and articles about Bennett and winery owner Markus Frind.
Some of the photos include Bennett with Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II, the Pope and former U.S. President George H.W. Bush.
The article about Frind chronicles his journey from farming family to starting the online dating platform Plenty of Fish, which he sold in 2015 for US$575 to Match.com, and then starting the only winery on a beach in North America.