Last week I received a few wines from The Foreign Affair winery based out in Ontario. In this last year, I’ve gone to a lot more wine festivals and enjoyed many tasting menus with sommeliers and tried to educate myself a bit more about different kinds of wines. I received these wines for free but was in no way obligated or paid to write a blog post.

The three wines that I received were the Apologetic Red 2016 Vintage, Dream 2015 vintage, and the Conspiracy 2016 vintage, all of which are available at Co-ops throughout Alberta.

The Apologetic red 2016 vintage was the wine I was looking forward to the most! it is a 100% Cabernet Franc, which I don’t see too often. At most of the liquors stores that I go to, these are found in a blend. The apologetic has notes of fresh ripe cherry, currants, dried fig, dark chocolate, spicy oak, vanilla, and a really long, dry finish. I really liked this wine and it was really nice to savour! As for pairing, it goes well with steak, game meat, and firm cheeses.

Next, the Conspiracy 2016 is a blend of 62% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 13% Merlot. It has notes of black cherry, blackberries, blueberry and black currants with subtle smoke, oak, and spice cake. Also a really nice wine! I have a decanter and always let my red wine wine breathe for a good amount a time before savouring. This was also a favourite of mine because it pairs really well with charcuterie and aged cheeses. I went out to buy a few more of these! They cellar well for several years and only get better!

Lastly, was the Dream 2015. This is also a blend, but of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. It has tasting notes of fresh black currant, ripe black cherry, whiff of eucalyptus, leather, oak and spice. This was also really good with charcuterie meat and aged cheese. A staple in my house is charcuterie! We have it at least once a week and always drink a bottle to go along with our board. Another wine that cellars really well!

Overall, I really enjoyed these wines. These are great Canadian wines. Usually when I buy wine from the liquor store, the Canadian section doesn’t really call out to me but I really need to re-evaluate because these wine were great. Definitely give them a try if you’re able to!