Wine and dine

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

Kings County Register

The second annual Wines of Nova Scotia Tour will keep wineries in the Annapolis Valley busy for the next two months.

Events are planned from Digby to Antigonish until Oct. 27, pairing Nova Scotia wines with fine dining opportunities.

Gaspereau Vineyards launches its third annual Autumn Food and Wine Festival next week. Spokeswoman Kim Strickland says Nova Scotia has certainly got a lot of things to be thankful for and celebrate.

“There will be food, wine, artisans, music and seminars – a lot to experience,” she said of the festival in the Gaspereau Valley.

It runs from Sept. 22 to 23, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with seminars on diverse topics such as vineyard management and glassware. Two chefs will present seminars at 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. These events are free, but participants must register.

Domain de Grand Pre will be pairing its wines Sept. 22 at Sugar Moon Farm in Colchester County for a maple dining experience.

Then, on the weekend of Oct. 6 and 7, the Grand Pre winery will hold its annual wine festivities. Barrel rolling races and other events are planned.

October. 20, Hanspeter Stutz says the winery restaurant, Le Caveau, will hold a five-course dinner to match food with wines from all of the provinces’ wineries.

The Winery Association of Nova Scotia adopted new quality standards last year, and introduced a new symbol to identify wines made from 100 per cent Nova Scotian-grown grapes and fruit.

"Nine wineries in the province make a variety of wines from 100 per cent Nova Scotia grown grapes and fruit, and we have several new wineries opening in the next few years," said agriculture minister Ron Chisholm.

Dating back to the 1600s, Nova Scotia has had a long and rich tradition of growing grapes for wine because of its cooler climate.

"Nova Scotia grape growers and wineries have built a world class reputation through the quality of the products they sell," said Stutz, also treasurer of the Wine Association of Nova Scotia.

"Our long fall allows our grapes to ripen slowly increasing their flavour intensity. Our wineries are winning international awards for their efforts and beautiful wines."

Growing grapes

• In 2003, more than one million pounds of grapes were grown on more than 120 hectres (300 acres) in nine counties in Nova Scotia. The crop was valued at $640,000

• Several distinct regions in Nova Scotia have proven suitable for grape growing: the Annapolis Valley, Malagash Peninsula and the LaHave River Valley