Don’t judge a wine by its homemade label—yeah, the one that’s just “Merlot” scrawled on a jagged strip of masking tape. It’s a lesson for even the unsnobbiest drinkers, and sage advice that Noble Grape’s Shean Higgins is quick to share with hesitant first-time winemakers. Not all homemade wines are that watermelon shiraz your friends […]
Fall Wine Guide
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The Tidal’s high
While the Nova Scotia wine scene has traditionally been a straggler when it comes to fame and accolades, our first official wine appellation, Tidal Bay, has managed to turn that all around in a matter of only a few years. A blissfully aromatic white wine that hovers around 11 percent, it ranges from sharp, crisp […]
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Tidal Bays to try
Avondale Sky 2014 Tidal BayBlend: L’Acadie Blanc, Vidal, Geisenheim, Osceola Muscat, Petite Milo Heavy on the citrus notes and high in acidity, this crisp and sharp white is perfect when chilled to the bone and served with a light fish dish or a fresh, zesty pesto dish. Benjamin Bridge 2014 Tidal Bay Blend: L’Acadie Blanc, […]
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The big cheese
1. Quark, from Fox Hill Cheese House A tangy, eastern European spreadable cheese Beatrice Stutz is playful with the quark, mixing it with chocolate and serving it with Grand Pré’s Dolce Vita Red Dessert Wine, while L’Acadie’s Bruce Ewert suggests either his Vintage Cuvée Rose or Prestige Brut. Benjamin Bridge’s Jean-Benoit Deslauriers is also a proponent […]
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Everything’s coming up rosés
Summer is the domain of sparkling wines, crisp rieslings and cool, light whites. As the leaves turn red, so do glasses of wine, which turn toward the bolder, spicier, warmer flavours found in a toasty burgundy or a hearty malbec. But if you’re looking for a bit of middle ground, look no further than a […]
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Step into the Light
On the Evangeline Trail, on the edge of Wolfville, Michael Lightfoot and his wife Jocelyn are in the process of opening a new winery, suitably named Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards. “It’s all about creating a legacy—this is a family farm, and I’m the third generation on this particular land, and a seventh-generation farmer in my […]
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Cheers! It’s the Fall Wine issue!
Go ahead, pour yourself a glass of this full-bodied feature and raise it to another harvest season. A couple of swigs of this and you’ll get inside the heads of six of Nova Scotia’s winemakers, meet the up-and-coming Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards, realize you should probably start drinking rosé and plot your to-do list for […]
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Meet your winemaker
Bruce Ewert L’Acadie Vineyards Hometown: Vancouver, BC Years of experience: 28th harvest, 10th at L’Acadie Places he’s made wine: BC, Ontario, California, Australia What did you want to do as a profession when you were a kid? Engineer. ”I was always interested in how things worked.” What’s your favourite grape varietal? “L’Acadie Blanc has versatility […]
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Local wines to fall for
Alanna McIntyre sommelier and product specialist at Bishop’s Cellar Favourite local wine for fall If I have to pick, my favourite local drop at the moment is the 2013 Planter’s Ridge riesling. For those who are still skeptical about the local wine scene, a glass of this refreshing and zesty white wine may sway their opinion. Don’t be […]
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Tiny bubbles, big waves
When Jean-Benoit Deslauriers came to Benjamin Bridge winery in Wolfville from California in 2008, he had an interest in working with the owners, the McConnell-Gordon family, but he didn’t imagine he’d have a winemaker’s dream job. “It was hard to predict the extent to which I would be empowered to do whatever it takes to […]
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Let it flow
Thanks to some encouraging words from Nova Scotia’s finance minister and a major grassroots movement, Nova Scotia’s wines may soon be able to find a greater audience. by Craig Pinhey If you truly love Canadian wine, the recent comments by Nova Scotia’s finance minister Maureen MacDonald might have you chanting “free my grapes!” MacDonald indicated […]
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Wolfville’s wine magic
It’s a sunny, late-summer Sunday morning. The sky is as clear as a glass of L’Acadie Blanc, and I’m on my way to Wolfville to hop on a double-decker bus that will cart me through Nova Scotia wine country: the Wolfville Magic Winery Bus tour. Part of the Nova Scotia Fall Wines Festival, the Ambassatours […]