Nova 7 by Benjamin Bridge Goes to the Canadian Culinary Championships
For Immediate Release
November 10, 2015
Press Release
(Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia) – Benjamin Bridge is thrilled to announce that Chef Stuart Cameron of Toronto’s Byblos took home the Gold Medal with his masterful creation, which he paired with the 2013 Nova 7 at the prestigious Gold Medal Plates competition in Toronto on Thursday, November 6. 2015.
Considered a one-of-a-kind-must-try, Byblos is Toronto’s highly acclaimed Eastern Mediterranean restaurant owned by Toronto’s nightlife guru, Charles Khabouth and Harif Harji, large players in the Toronto dining scene. Chef Cameron will compete with Nova 7 at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna B.C. February 5-6, 2016.
Adept at getting foreign flavours right, Executive Chef Stuart Cameron’s winning dish was pressed quail, foie gras, mousse borek, rose jam and Iranian pistachio.
As James Chatto, one of Canada’s most renowned food writers and head judge, wrote on the food and wine pairing, “It was a fascinating dish, full of subtle perfumes and unexpected textures, brilliantly matched with a similarly scented wine, the 2013 Nova 7.”
The 2013 Nova 7 was the only Nova Scotia wine and one of only two wines from outside of Ontario in the all-Canadian wine line up in Toronto.
“To have Chef Cameron choose to create a fabulous pairing with Nova 7 is a true honour,” says Benjamin Bridge owner Gerry McConnell. “With his access to wines from Canada’s best wineries, especially those next door to him in Niagara and Prince Edward County, his selection of a Nova Scotia wine is a wonderful endorsement for our wine region.”
Nova 7 was first released in Ontario in 2012, and has been available in limited quantities, each year since. A small number of bottles of Nova 7 are still available in select LCBO stores and from Benjamin Bridge’s agent, Lifford Wines & Spirits.
Gold Medal Plates is Canada’s most prestigious culinary competition and the ultimate celebration of Canadian Excellence in cuisine, wine, the arts and athletic achievement. Proceeds go to the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Competitions are held in 11 cities across Canada. Dishes are judged out of 100 points and include points for wine compatibility. The gold medal chef from each city goes on to compete at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna, British Columbia on February 5th and 6th, 2016.
About Benjamin Bridge
• Since 1999 the McConnell Gordon family has been working with a team of international winemakers to produce world-class sparkling wines and premium table wines in the picturesque Gaspereau Valley of Nova Scotia, Canada.
• In 2000, lead wine consultant, Peter J. Gamble, recommended Benjamin Bridge experiment with the potential to produce traditional method sparkling wine. Upon the recommendation of Peter and the world’s leading Champagne authority, Tom Stevenson, Benjamin Bridge invited Raphaël Brisbois, former chef de cave of Piper-Heidsieck, to visit Benjamin Bridge to make an assessment. After tasting tremendous potential, Raphaël agreed to consult.
• In 2002, Benjamin Bridge produced several cuvées, becoming Nova Scotia’s first producer of traditional method sparkling, and commenced a vigorous programme of planting the classic Champagne grape varieties of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay on its organic estate vineyard.
• In 2008, winemaker Jean-Benoit Deslauriers joined Benjamin Bridge’s winemaking team and, together with Peter and Raphaël, has crafted the sparklings, and also its signature white wine Nova 7 – widely referenced as Nova Scotia’s “iconic wine.”
• Nova 7 is a lightly sparkling, off-dry white produced by Benjamin Bridge, acknowledged by critics from coast to coast, as the maker of Canada’s finest sparkling wines. Made from 100% Nova Scotia grapes, Nova 7 is a proprietary blend of signature aromatic white grapes, highlighting select Muscat varieties, to create an unparalleled freshness, brightness and minerality.
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For more information, please contact:
Martha Reynolds Gerald (Gerry) McConnell
Marketing Counsel, Benjamin Bridge Founder, Benjamin Bridge
o: 902-431-5533 c: 902-209-1556 o: 902-542-1560
martha@marthareynolds.com wines@benjaminbridge.com
Gaspereau Valley | Nova Scotia, Canada
www.benjaminbridge.com