Atlantic Canada province to boast 13 wineries by 2010
One of our neighbors to the north may just be the next destination for oenophiles. Nova Scotia, one of the four provinces of Atlantic Canada, is producing award-winning wines and inviting visitors to come taste new vintages, learn about winemaking, and even stomp the grapes.
By 2010, Nova Scotia will have 13 wineries in its five wine-growing regions the Annapolis Valley, Bear River Valley, LaHave River Valley, Malagash Peninsula and Marble Mountain in Cape Breton. Currently there are 11 wineries: L’Acadie Vineyards, Bear River Vineyards, Benjamin Bridge, Blomidon Estate Winery, Domaine de Grand Pré, Gaspereau Vineyards, Sainte-Famille Wines, Petite Riviere Vineyards, Jost Vineyards and Lunenburg County and Williamsdale Winery making fruit wines.
Last spring, L’Acadie Vineyards, named after Nova Scotia’s signature white grape, opened as the province’s first organic winery. Opening May 1, the Muir Murray Estate Winery will offer wine tastings, winemaking and grape-growing seminars. While the Benjamin Bridge Winery isn’t open for visitors yet, it is already producing wines. Its Nova 7 sold out in a month. When it officially opens next year, it will be the second winery to have an on-site restaurant. Nova Scotia has near perfect climatic conditions for sparkling wines, and the winery’s first vintage of its Méthode Classique wine will debut in 2011.
Arguably one of the first areas to cultivate grapes in North America, Nova Scotia has had a long tradition of growing grapes for wine dating back to the 1600s. Hybrids like Seyval blanc and New York Muscat and red hybrids like Marechal Foch and Baco Noir are attracting notice from experts and oenophiles, with local winemakers taking home 19 medals at the 2008 All Canadian Wine Championship. In 2005, the province’s wine sales were at $5.6 million, and by 2020, the Winery Association of Nova Scotia predicts that will rise to $18.8 million.
In the Annapolis Valley, only an hour from Halifax, visitors can tour four wineries and sample wines at L’Acadie, Gaspereau and Muir Murray Estate and then enjoy lunch at Domaine de Grand Pré.
From September 7 through October 30, the 2009, Nova Scotia Fall Wine Festival will offer more than 35 tastings, grape stomps, gourmet dinners, cooking classes and food pairing events. For more information, go to www.winesofnovascotia.ca
The province of Nova Scotia is part of the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership (ACTP), a nine member pan-Atlantic partnership comprised of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the four Atlantic Canada Tourism Industry Associations, and the four departments responsible for tourism for the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
For information, go to www.novascotia.com ( 1-800-565-0000 ).
Karen
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