Round table: Nova Scotia delivers

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 17 April, 2023

A round table focusing on this Atlantic-cooled region revealed a wealth of vinous diversity and serious strength in sparkling, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Aside from a very select number of pioneers in the UK trade, there’s an element of ‘who knew?’ when it comes to the wines of Nova Scotia. But that’s something that Wine Growers Nova Scotia (WGNS) is looking to change.

Its first solo foray to London in March revealed an offer that was surprisingly diverse, folding in some welcome highs in terms of the styles of wine from this cool-climate Canadian outpost. Harpers followed that tasting with a round table in partnership with WGNS at London’s Hide restaurant, bringing together producers, importers, indies and on-trade, to dive even deeper into the wines and their potential positioning in the UK.

“This is our first ever solo foray with the wines to the UK,” said Justine Lalonde, representing Wine Growers Nova Scotia, adding that the UK is seen as a key market for establishing a profile for the province’s wines.

It’s worth a word on precisely what Nova Scotia produces and the strengths of this still youthful
and evolving wine region.

Read more: Wine tastes better when dining out according to Berkmann research

Sparkling wine is certainly one of them, with high acidity, but matched by a longish growing season, allowing for both crispness and textured depth to the fizzes, which also retain a compelling freshness with age. And these are traditional-method wines, overwhelmingly made from Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir.

Then there is the Tidal Bay appellation. Created as recently as 2012, this has rules dictating a 51%+ hybrid varietal blend, which can then fold in certain international varieties, but which is also judged by tasting panel, ensuring that the wines have an aromatic typicity aligned with their Atlantic-influenced Nova Scotian origin. It’s hoped that this distinct style can become a calling card for the region as it spreads its wings.

Beyond that, Nova Scotia – unsurprisingly, given its climate – also excels with the likes of white varieties such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Chasselas, Pinot Gris and more, plus a roll-call of often attractive hybrid grapes that are less well known in the UK.

“These are exciting times, we are really honing in on the wines that suit our province,” said Simon Rafuse, head winemaker at Blomidon Estate Winery.

Currently, with just 25 licensed farm wineries, 19 of which are grape wineries, producing 1.9 million litres a year, Nova Scotia’s fledgeling industry has nonetheless experienced 25% growth in the past decade and has now firmly set its sights on export.

So far the wines of Benjamin Bridge and (more recently) Lightfoot & Wolfville have found UK listings (Flint Wines and Propeller, respectively), but the likes of Blomidon, Planters Ridge and Luckett Vineyards – who made up the quintet over in London – are now actively seeking representation.

“Every year, the winemaking and the skills are just levelling up in quality, getting so much better, it’s fantastic what’s happening,” said Sarah Drake, head of on-trade sales at Flint Wines.

Quality had clearly impressed those present, with positive comments on how the styles sat well with Hide’s fresh, modern, Michelin-starred menu. Another plus was alcohol levels on the lower side, meeting growing expectation in a more health-conscious age.

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Impressive fizz

The panel was split, though, as to whether Nova Scotia should major on its sparkling wines (90% of current exports) or the point of difference that Tidal Bay delivers.

“With export [focus], in terms of what we’ve tasted, I would stick with the traditional method sparkling wines as being the point of interest for me – and definitely I’ll be looking to list a couple,” said Wieteke Teppema, buyer at Drop Wines.

“The sparkling wines are remarkably high in quality and approachable. I think we should get people to enjoy the wines and then they’d be pleasantly surprised to hear where they are from.”

Wine writer Ines Salpico added: “The production is quite small, it’s a very young area, but the quality’s there, [and] also there’s this very distinctive textual structure that is particularly appealing with food across all of the sparkling wines.

“These wines may possibly be harder to position in the off-trade, but there’s definitely a lot of potential in the on-trade. And alongside the quality of the sparkling wines, [Nova Scotia’s offer] is also so diverse.”
For Cong Cong Bo of Amphora Cambridge, however, it was precisely the point of difference offered by the Tidal Bay hybrid blends that would be more likely to turn heads.

“Actually, I think the unusual grape varieties really are interesting and offer something completely different,” she said.

Teppema offered that “hybrid would be a unique selling point”, also pointing to the “general discussion around hybrid that is really ramping up because of climate change”, as winemakers look to mitigate the effects in the vineyard.

Greg Andrews, director of D Vine Cellars, agreed, adding: “They may not represent the core of revenue, but the hybrids are in some respects the ‘shiny thing’ that catches people’s interest.

“I’m more likely to remember Tidal Bay, that point of difference, it will stick with me as it’s quite distinct. It’s the signature style that you take away with you with these wines.”

Whatever the particular preferences of individual panellists, though, Ben Phillips of Propeller articulated a unifying theme when it came to Nova Scotia’s USPs and communicating this to the consumer.

“Customers like the idea of cool-climate wines, whether from altitude and mountains, or cool coastal regions, and that’s really something that you can play on – wines that may be familiar in style, but unusual in origin.”

Furthermore, Harry Crowther, buyer at Good Pair Days, thought the mix of familiarity and originality – in terms of styles and grape varieties – was actually a plus.

“I do think this is a super positive thing. Riesling and Chardonnay and traditional-method sparkling using Champagne grapes [is] super relatable, but then there are also grapes that no one’s heard of, and so there’s an education piece,” he said.

“If I was to import some wines, I’d go 50-50. So if you look at it like two sides of that coin, it’s quite a good thing because you can pull people in with those familiar styles, which would tick so many boxes for the UK palate, and then once you’ve got them in you can spread their wings a little bit and build that brand.”

Whichever way you approach Nova Scotia and its wines, the lively discussion suggested that there is much to excite, with the panel itself clearly enjoying the sense of being ‘in on a discovery’. And what is almost certain is that we’ll be seeing – in one form or another – more of these cool, fresh, modern, food-friendly styles in the UK.

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