Tour a vineyard, sample the wine

Nova Scotian wineries have much to offer

By Ameeta Vohra

With warmer temperatures and brighter days upon us, visitors and locals alike will be flocking to Nova Scotia’s many amazing wineries to sample wines and roam through the vineyards.

You can find wineries throughout many areas of the province, including the Annapolis Valley, South Shore, Northumberland Shore and Cape Breton, all offering wines with unique flavours.

“It’s our seaside terroir that’s influenced by the ocean,” says Laurie Boisvert of Blomidon Estates in Annapolis Valley. “It’s a short, cool season, so vineyard managers and winemakers have to be thoughtful, precise and flexible in approaching the grapes each season. You never know how long or short your seasons are going to be.”

Jost Vineyards will be launching new products from all three of its wineries this summer.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Acorn Art & Photography

Jost Vineyards will be launching new products from all three of its wineries this summer.

Boisvert is expecting some excellent vintages to come out of 2021 because of a dry and hot fall. And she hopes wineries might be lucky and get some medium-bodied red wines as well.

As for the winery itself, Boisvert says tours will be available through Tidal Bay Express Tours. Blomidon Estates will have a patio where visitors can enjoy their exciting new wines, coupled with some old favourites. Guests can expect to experience glasses of wines, flights and/or award-winning reserve wines paired with charcuterie boards.

“We will be releasing some new sparkling vintages this year, which is always exciting because our winemaker, Simon Rafuse, does beautiful, traditional, method sparkling,” she says. “Because it was a long, dry, hot season, we expect the Baco Noir to be nice this year.

“And of course, we’re always excited to release our Tidal Bay. Our 2021 title will be coming out in June, which is always a favourite.”

Over at Annapolis Valley’s Avondale Sky, the winery is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a restaurant on-site that is open until 4 p.m., making it a popular lunch spot.

“We try and stick to things that are easy to share,” says Karl Coutinho, president and operations manager at Avondale Sky. “Shareables like charcuterie, oysters, cheeses will be typical things that fare well with wine quality, and we always have nice desserts. It’s usually a seasonal menu, and we try to keep it as local as possible.”

Avondale Sky also offers tours and tastings. One popular experience is the quick tour, where people will come in to enjoy some wine and view the inside of the winery. There is also the option to take a walk in the vineyard.

“We leave it up to the customer,” says Coutinho. “Often, my father Louis is out in the vineyard, and he’ll happily give people what we call ‘the owner’s tour.’ We have tour buses that come in from either Halifax or the Valley area to look around.”

Tidal Bay continues to be a top wine at Avondale Sky, and this summer, the winery is introducing it in a can as well as the bottle. If visitors are looking for a sweeter white wine, Bliss continues to be a favourite and for a red wine option, newly released Notorious RED (a play on rap star Notorious B.I.G). Lady Slipper continues to be a popular rosé option for patrons.

Avondale Sky is known for supporting local and thinking outside the box, and this summer will be no different. They have a number of planned events at the winery this summer.

“We are working on trying to get a weekend market started,” says Coutinho. “On our property, we would allow farmers, crafters, and bakers to sell their wares, no charge to them.”

He says they also hope to host a yoga meditation retreat, as they did last year.

After an extensive renovation in 2019, Benjamin Bridge now has a scenic open-air terrace where visitors can sip a glass of wine and enjoy the view of the vineyard and Gaspereau Valley. While there is no restaurant on-site, there will be different ways to have food with wine.

“We are offering small bar bites with our by-the-glass program and adding a small-bite program to our classic tasting. Out terroir tastings already incorporate local charcuterie and cheeses,” says Brittney Parker, head of hospitality at Benjamin Bridge. “We’re using products from our garden. We are also working with food trucks so that every Sunday

we have food trucks coming, and family and friends can enjoy that space and get something to eat with our wine.”

Benjamin Bridge hopes to try new events, including a cocktail night with an open mic to offer something for everyone.

Known for Nova 7, the winery’s non-vintage sparkling has become a hit. The most notable is the Pet Nat. Both Nova 7 and Pet Nat are available in cans, ideal for summer. Last year, Benjamin Bridge launched Piquette Zero, a non-alcoholic beverage.

“We’re excited about it because social responsibility is always very important to us,” she says. “We offer that to any designated driver coming through the door.”

It will be an exciting summer at Jost Vineyards, as it launches new products from all three of its wineries. It includes a fresh rosé from Gaspereau, a chardonnay from Mercator, and a rosé from Jost. Additionally, all three will carry Tidal Bay in 250-ml cans, and the Luvo Life Brand will unveil two new products. The Gaspereau winery will have a unique, fun summer sipper.

“At the wineries, we will be shaking it up this season with different tour options and tastings, so keep an eye on social media and our websites for updates,” says Gina Haverstock, head winemaker at Gaspereau Vineyards.

Despite an uncharacteristic couple of years, wineries are optimistic this summer will be good.

“We are hopeful we will see tourists returning to visit our lovely wine country and to experience our province’s restaurants and natural wonders,” says Haverstock. “We are very excited to have them back and are happy to offer customers a comfortable and safe environment to enjoy our wines and food.”

Avondale Sky is known for supporting local and thinking outside the box.

UNIQUELY NOVA SCOTIAN WINE EXPERIENCES

With so many options to choose from, a visit to a Nova Scotian winery is an excellent opportunity for visitors and locals alike to treat themselves and support local wineries simultaneously. “Every winery has something different and exciting to offer,” says Brittney Parker, head of hospitality at Benjamin Bridge. “Wineries are trying different styles of wine or varietals that haven’t grown here before … We’re all just working together to help put Nova Scotia on the map.”

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Aaron McKenzie Fraser

Avondale Sky is known for supporting local and thinking outside the box.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Scott Munn