Exceeding Grape Expectations
Over my life, I have considered myself to be many things: a bit of a geek, a mediocre endurance athlete, a budding karaoke world champion…the list goes on.
One thing I have never thought of myself to be is a wine connoisseur. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a great tasting glass of wine to compliment a meal and I can’t help but take notice of the growing variety of locally produced product here in Nova Scotia – which is why today’s trip to Blomidon Estate Winery is so exciting. It’s just that I didn’t learn much about wine etiquette and the formalities of tasting while studying to earn my chartered accountant designation (although I did learn about the tax implications of wine-related research and development…admittedly not as tasty).
I get somewhat intimidated when ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant as well as the practice of sampling it when the server pours the first taste. As I venture into the world of food blogging and foodie-ism by exploring the array of culinary adventures that Nova Scotia has to offer, I will be making an effort to calm my wine-xiety by putting formality aside and getting back to basics.
Arriving at the Blomidon Estate Winery near Canning in the Annapolis Valley, my honest lack of formal wine knowledge and etiquette was greeted with friendly helpfulness by Janet Woodworth, the retail manager. Having arrived at the Estate on a quiet and rainy spring Sunday, my girlfriend Kelly and I had the opportunity to privately tour Blomidon’s facilities with Janet. Taking us through the winemaking process from grape growing to marketing, we were provided with a memorable hands-on experience of one of Nova Scotia’s emerging wine success stories. We were intrigued by the fact that everything is done on site at Blomidon, from grape stompin’ to labeling, and that the winery is an important part of the Canning and Valley communities.
Post tour, Janet offered us a tasting of several of Blomidon’s featured wines. The tasting included their Estate Baco Noir, a rich and complex wine that displays hints of blueberry and black cherry aromas. An avid red wine drinker, the Baco was Kelly’s favourite and we purchased a couple of bottles for home consumption. One bottle was used that same evening to pair with Sunday dinner (mom’s pot roast recipe– nothing quite like it). The second bottle was carefully hidden out of plain sight as the Baco is expected to age well over the next couple of years.
For white, we sampled Blomidon’s L’Acadie Blanc, an award-winning dry white wine with aromas of green apples and a crisp acidity, characteristics that represent the Annapolis Valley well. This wine will be accompanying us as we travel throughout the summer, ensuring anyone we visit has the opportunity to experience a true taste of Nova Scotia.
Blomidon’s winemaker, Simon Rafuse, attributes the winery’s location as the key to producing clean, crisp, aromatic Nova Scotian wines. “Our location on the edge of the Minas Basin, with the world’s highest tides, creates a very special microclimate for grapes,” says Rafuse. “The potential here is incredible.”
Blomidon’s wines are primarily sold through their on-site retail store in Canning. But if you don’t get down to the Annapolis Valley very often, you can also give Blomidon Estate products a try by picking up a bottle or two at their booth at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market any Saturday morning of the year.
If you have tried their products before, you might want to note that Blomidon has new wine labels. Look for the creative silhouetted images designed locally by Janet’s daughter – including the new cleverly named “Blow-Me-Down”.
As Nova Scotia gains international acclaim as a wine producing region, and local estates open their doors to young and curious wine drinkers like myself, I am warming up to this whole idea of becoming a wine guru.