This year’s record-breaking warm, dry summer gave grape-growers and winemakers a sweet taste of what climate change has in store for Nova Scotia. That heat came just after a freeze in early June—late in the season for a frost so severe—offered another, bitter, glimpse at what climate change will look like in our vineyards. “There […]
Fall Wine Festival
Posted inFood + Drink
Drink up the Fall Wine Festival
Winemakers Dinner and Auction Wine is at the heart of this event but a performance from Symphony Nova Scotia and a four-course meal are the added bonuses. A silent and live auction are also part of the fun, with proceeds supporting SNS. Thu Sep 24, Cunard Centre, 961 Marginal Road, $180 Port of Wines Festival […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Port of Wine Festival toasts two decades
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Port of Wines Festival, and they’re celebrating in style. “For the past 20 years we’ve focused on a single country,” says Tim Pellerin, the NSLC’s vice-president, marketing and merchandising, “where about 20 to 25 percent of wine was from the country of origin.” This year, the four […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Wines of change
Jost Vineyards are piercing green this time of year. Hundreds of rows of vines run down the slopes of the grassy hills toward the Northumberland Straight. The fruit hangs low–light green, dusty pink, deep purple–waiting for the last inklings of warmth to bring them to ideal ripeness. The birds and bears are just as eager […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Match maker: pairing wines with snack food
Sommelier and co-owner of Obladee, A Wine Bar, Heather Rankin, guides us on how to elevate drink and dish through harmonious pairings using basic wine styles and popular snacks. Pairing principles 1. “Match strength with strength,” in flavor and weight. 2. “What grows together often goes together,” therefore the produce, cheese or traditional food from […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Best vines
Nova Scotia wines have gained momentum to the point that the rest of Canada takes notice, especially of our aromatic Tidal Bay white blends and bubblies made using the “traditional method” as per Champagne. But the main thing is that Nova Scotians are drinking more of our own wines—that’s what creates a sustainable industry. Blomidon […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Time to Unwined
Moira Peters doesn’t think there’s any room for snobbery in wine tasting. “Snobbery around wine really irks me. That’s probably my Nova Scotia character coming out,” she admits. “Sometimes drinking cheap red wine out of a tumbler is the best way to go about it.” Peters, a Cape Breton-born, New York-trained sommelier, grew up in […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Tour de force
Piling into a van to explore Nova Scotia’s wine country with Susan Downey feels closer to a road trip with pals than a stuffy, scripted tour. She knows her stuff, but also knows how to read a crowd in order to flex just the right amount of expertise. “I wanted to offer people a guided […]
Posted inFood + Drink
For richer or pourer
The wine list at Onyx is extensive, to say the least, with 320 bottles of red, white and sparkling wine ranging from $29 to thousands. Appropriately, they label their wines by occasion–”everyday,” “celebratory,” “special occasion” and “you only live once”–to organize, and perhaps to legitimize, the small fortune one might pay for a wine in […]
