Wines in the Valley

Last week I had the pleasure of being able to visit a friend of mine who lives in Kentville, NS. She moved there for a job earlier this year and I've been trying to get down to see her for a few months. It's an extra bonus that she lives just minutes away from the Maritimes' most popular wine region. Of course I decided to take my friends on their very first winery tour, and make some connections of my own along the way.

We started with a practice wine tasting on Thursday night. Neither of my friends had been to a winery before, and they were a little nervous. I taught them how to swirl, sniff, and sip their wine, and the theory behind these protocols. Then we hit the town stopping first at the Kings Arms Pub for some appies and Paddy's Pub for a flight of house-brewed beer. 

Friday was our big winery tour day. We first went to Domaine de Grand Pre where we were treated to a sampling of 11 different wines. All three of us really enjoyed Grand Pre's Tidal Bay wine as well as their Moulin Rouge. Grand Pre has a beautiful wine shop offering not just wine, but all the wine accessories you need.

We had a delicious lunch at Joe's Emporium (they do great Lebanese food) before heading to Gaspereau Vineyards for a tasting. Again, we were all impressed by the Tidal Bay, as well as their Maple wine with has been flavoured with the addition of distilled L'Acadie Blanc wine and is closer to a liqueur. Our last winery of the day was Benjamin Bridge, only open for private appointments. BB is the producer of NOVA7, currently the highest selling wine in the entire NSLC network. A huge feat for a local NS wine, and a testament to the hard work that has gone in to creating this delicious tipple. We made a stop at the Foxhill Cheese Farm to complete a day of decadence.

Saturday was a great day of market shopping in Wolfville, a stop at L'Acadie Vineyards for a sparkling wine sampling, and snacks and a flight of beer at Sea Level Brewing in Port Williams. We made a stop at a wonderful antiques dealer before heading out for the night in Berwick to see Jenn Grant Perform.

What a fabulous trip! I'm already planning the next one. Stay tuned for details on the Ice Wine Festival held in Wolfville every February. Uncorked Tours will be planning a 3-day trip, to be announced as soon as dates are finalized!!