I had a chance to drop into the Foreign Affair in early March. I have recently reviewed the 2009 Ex-Pat Riesling and the 2012 Conspiracy two wines that I very much enjoyed (and highly recommend you pick up for yourself). The Foreign Affair makes their wines using the Appassimento method of dealing with their grapes. This is a process where the grapes are left to dry so the juices become more concentrated. It’s also a very risky method of making wine because on top of having to wait for your fruit to ripen you are now waiting for your grapes to dry … which leaves your crop open to mold and other natural risks. There are several wineries who are using this method for making wine successfully. I have enjoyed appassimento wines from Reif (The Magician) and from Casa Dea (Adamo). The great thing about winemaking in Ontario is it is very much a marriage of Old World and New World technique and no one winery has set the industry standard for every winery. Ontario winemaking is very much like the makeup of Canada itself. If you have been fortunate enough to try the wines from the Foreign Affair you know that they are making appassimento wines with great success and even using a technique that concentrates the flavours in the wine you still end up with wines that very much express the terroir of Ontario. This year the Foreign Affair was recognized for their work in advancing the appassimento technique in Ontario with “the Minister’s Award for Innovation” from premier Kathleen Wynne.
2010 The Foreign Affair Gran Q – $150.00 – Winery Only – A local wine that is $150.00 a bottle are you crazy? The price is not a typo… I know that I typically preach value but even on a Radio salary this wine is worth the price of admission and then some. This is the sort of wine you purchase for a very special occasion and share with very close friends. Concentrated flavours of Blueberry, Plum, Raspberry and Black Currant with a finish that is dangerously smooth. If you are not familiar with Amarone and Appassimento this wine gives the illusion of being sweet but is in fact a dry wine. While this wine is an ode to winemaker Giuseppe Quinatarelli and very much embodies the spirit of Italy it is very much an Ontario wine made with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I could talk about food pairings with this wine … but let’s face it you’re not going to pair this with anything.
