The Foreign Affair Winery

1990 | Valpolicella, Veneto

Foreign Affair Winery founders Len and Marisa Crispino were living as expats in Italy when they discovered the wonders of Amarone, or 'Appassimento' wines.

The more they learned about this technique and grew to love these wines, the more excited they became at the prospect of bringing this incredible craftsmanship back with them to Ontario.

And so, they did.

2000 |  Niagara, Ontario

In 2000, taking a leap of faith, Len and Marisa bought 40 acres of prime farmland in the Vinemount Ridge sub-appellation of Niagara's Twenty Valley wine region, starting their journey to becoming trailblazers of Appassimento winemaking in Canada.

They sourced quality vinifera varietals from Europe, and after three years of carefully nurturing vines, 2004 became the inaugural vintage of Foreign Affair wines.

Today |  Niagara, Ontario

While the first vintages had many challenges with this approach, the big, bold red wines they produced as a result spoke for themselves, and so Len and Marisa persisted and over the next few decades, these wines become the benchmark for Appassimento wines in Niagara, inspiring many other producers in the process.

Today, The Foreign Affair Winery offers a unique and diverse selection of award-winning wines, all touched by the Appassimento process in some way, and many stories to share about the journey.