In the early 2000’s, Len and Maria Cristino purchased 40 acres of property with the intention of making appassimento wines. In this episode, we chat with Winemaker Rene Van Ede about the process of making this type of wine, which involves drying the grapes for 4-6 week, which in turn concentrates the sugar and acid. The result is a wine with a deep colour and beautifully concentrated flavours.

It’s also interesting to note the similarities between ice wine and appassimento wine – but I’ll let you discover that on the podcast! Our conversation with Rene is packed with lots of laughs and loads of information, and I’m sure you’ll be planning a trip to Foreign Affair after listening.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded March 18, 2026

Show notes: www.foreignaffairwinery.com

Wines sampled: Traditional Sparkling, 2025 Sussreserve Reisling, 2025 Chardonnay, 2024 Cabernet, 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Whiskey Barrel, 2023 L’eredite, 2025 Reisling Appassimento