Planters Ridge, still a new kid on the wine block in Nova Scotia, has been releasing an array of clean, innovative, high-quality wines since opening in 2014. It seems the winery nails it every season with at least one wine, and in very competitive categories— last year Planters Ridge made my favourite Tidal Bay by […]
Moira Peters
Posted inNews + Opinion
DRINK THIS: Avondale Sky’s Benediction
Avondale Sky Winery just released a new vintage of its Benediction, a traditional (Champagne) method sparkling wine made from Geisenheim 318—a grape hybrid bred at (and named for) the Geisenheim Research Centre, from parents Riesling and Chancellor. The grape may have originated in Germany, but the wine is all Nova Scotia. Apple cider and rising […]
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Obladee’s thirst for knowledge
Introduction to Wine Tuesdays July 31- August 28 Obladee, A Wine Bar, 1600 Barrington Street eventbrite.ca or reserve@obladee.ca. $285 For its population, Halifax graduates an impressive number of sommeliers. Nova Scotia is also a very young wine region and most local drinkers of wine are new to the beverage. Starting at the end of this […]
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Grape Witches work their magic at The Ostrich Club
“A cool house party where there happens to be really good wine.” We would expect nothing less from Grape Witches swooping into Halifax to pour some magical wines for those attending a party at the Hydrostone Market’s brand new restaurant, The Ostrich Club. To say the least, this Smuggler’s Cove party will be a wine […]
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Nova Scotia Pét-Nat’s natural beauty
It sounds like the most natural thing in the world. “You’re harvesting grapes, pressing them in whole clusters, letting the juice sit, and the ferment starts,” explains Bruce Ewert. “When the sugar gets to a level that I know would produce bubbles, it’s bottled.” And that’s it? “And that’s it.” Ewert, winemaker at l’Acadie Vineyards, […]
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Avondale Sky Winery gets intimate and interactive
Discover Our Vineyard Secrets Avondale Sky Winery, 80 Avondale Cross Road, Newport Landing Sat March 31, 2-7pm Winemaker for a Day Sat April 14, 2-7:30pm Late one Monday morning in the middle of March, as a few snowflakes made their way hesitantly to the earth, I left home, driving west along Highway 215, following the […]
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What’s cooler than being cool? Icewine.
In the middle of winter, it’s tempting to do everything possible to escape the cold. What would it look like, though, to embrace winter’s icy grip? To find warmth and community in the deep freeze? It might look something like the Nova Scotia Icewine Festival, an annual event in the Annapolis Valley that showcases for […]
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Nova Scotia’s grape growth mindset
Wineries all over Atlantic Canada are celebrating last season’s harvest. Grapes hung on the vine longer than usual during our warm fall, boosting sugar and mellowing acidity. With little rain, their flavours and aromas concentrated, with less spoilage from moulds and mildews. After such a season, we should expect people to be excited about growing […]
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Nova Scotia wine’s time to shine
Twenty seventeen was a momentous year for Nova Scotia wine. At home, we organized a successful Atlantic Canada Wine Symposium, hosted the WineAlign National Wine Awards and launched our 2016 Tidal Bay, the sixth vintage of our appellation wine. Our wineries released innovative new styles like Pétillant Naturel and excelled with new-to-us grape varieties like […]
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Thinking outside the vines
T he Annapolis, Gaspereau and Avon River valleys and their concentrated cluster of wineries contribute undeniable richness to Nova Scotia’s wine landscape. But flanking this heartland, smaller sub-regions spice up the wine scene, presenting new flavours and textures for our kitchen tables. This diversity in wine is owed not only to Nova Scotia’s varied geography, […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Five new-to-Nova-Scotia grape varieties
As an emerging wine region, Nova Scotia faces constant questions about what grapes to plant and nurture for wine. Growers who have been at it for more than a couple decades are beginning to get a sense for what works and what doesn’t—emphasis on beginning. Many factors are at play for any vine in a […]