About this Post: Did you know that Nova Scotia has its very own signature wine? This summer I enjoyed a wine tour where I learned all about Nova Scotia’s appellation wine, Tidal Bay. Read on to learn more!
I don’t know a whole lot about wine but here’s what I do know:
- I like it.
- I enjoy red but it stains my teeth and lips if I drink too much so I drink white.
- I love a rosé in the summer as it’s super refreshing…and pink.
- I’m a graphic designer so sometimes I pick my wine based on the label design!
- Champagne is from a specific region in France and nowhere else can call sparkling wine Champagne except for the wine that comes directly from Champagne, France.
And, what I recently learned, is that Nova Scotia has it’s own signature wine as well!
Tidal Bay started in 2012 so we’re actually celebrating a decade of Nova Scotia’s very own fancy wine! (Not sure what rock I’ve been under but apparently I’ve been hiding under it completely unaware while sipping my Pinot Grigio!)
According to the Wines of Nova Scotia webpage, Tidal Bay is the “very essence of Nova Scotia in a glass, it is cool, crisp, lively and aromatic.” The name of Nova Scotia’s appellation wine, Tidal Bay, is “inspired by the influence of the sea and being home to the biggest Tidal changes in the world.”
Each year local winemakers create their version of Tidal Bay following a strict set of agreed upon guidelines – leaving a little room for the wine maker to show off their distinctness – and the wine is then judged by a tasting panel before it can be declared a “Tidal Bay”.
According to Colleen from Grape Escape’s Nova Scotia Wine Tours (a tour I took with the kids this summer), one of the main characteristics of Tidal Bay is that it needs to be able to be paired with seafood and therefore, it tends to have a bit of a citrus flavour – which makes sense, as you serve lemon with fish! And this year, there are 14 wineries producing a Tidal Bay!
I’m working my way through trying them all which started with a visit to Grand Pré, Benjamin Bridge and Luckett Vineyards with Grape Escapes this summer, followed by a visit to Jost Winery in Malagash with a friend.
Over the past decade I know I’ve enjoyed Tidal Bay wines…I just hadn’t realized it was Nova Scotia’s SIGNATURE wine despite there being many events and celebrations to promote it! Like I said, I guess I was hiding under a rock with my Pinot Grigio…but that rock has now whacked me in the head! I’m excited to see what all of the Nova Scotia wineries have been up to as they continue to grow and put Nova Scotia’s fabulous wines ON THE MAP!
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Have you visited any of our wineries or tasted any of our wines? What’s your favourite?