Bring on the bottles

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

Kings County Register

The Amateur Winemakers of Canada (AWC) is holding its national competition in Wolfville this weekend.

The national coordinating body for amateur winemakers in Canada will be judging wine, beer and sparking cider nominated by seven provincial associations.

John Starr of Wolfville, national vice president for the competition, says over 200 entries have been received in 13 wine classes, five beer categories and one cider.

Fifteen judges, working in teams of three, will spend two days taste testing at the School of Nutrition and Dietetics at Acadia University.

Starr, a retired chemist, has been making his own prize-winning wine since the late ‘60s; Ivan Herbert, a retired marine surveyor, began making wine with kits in 1972. Now, the Woodside resident uses the grapes he’s been growing himself for the last seven or eight years.

Many wine aficionados view amateur wine as plonk; these two artisans made very drinkable vino. “I like the challenge of making something from scratch - like a baker,” Herbert says. “I make my own bread,” adds Starr, with a smile. “The challenge (with wine) is different every year.”

Herbert has 360 vines to support his favourite hobby. “They’re not all producing yet. I don’t sell grapes, but I do exchanges to make blends.”

Starr rents a row with a friend from Herbert’s neighbour, Kit Giles. Together they prune and pick the grapes, before making them into wine. He says he continues to buy wine, but he contends his amateur wines “are generally as good as you can buy.”

Herbert believes his advantage as an amateur is time. He judges when his fruit is ripe - “it’s about quality, not quantity” - but he also cautions a kit can produce a winning wine as well.

He makes about 200 bottles a year, while Starr produces closer to 100 bottles.

The grape growing and winery community in Kings County keeps developing. “We’re forever hearing about plantings of new grapes,” says Herbert.

Amateur wine makers in Nova Scotia have done well in the national competition before. Starr and Herbert are both previous gold award winners.

Asked whether this province is developing a reputation for its wines, Starr suggests it is beginning to take off. “We still don’t have 25 wine clubs like British Columbia, though, and the buzz currently is about Quebec.

Herbert says the winemaking community locally builds knowledge and has fun holding blending parties. He sees the club as beneficial to the overall quality of wine produced.

The national competition has been held since 1971. This is the first time one of the two clubs in Nova Scotia has hosted it.

WEBLINKS

www.littlefatwino.com/awc.html