Canada’s Coolest Wine Region
A great wine harnesses the soil, the climate, and the surrounding landscape to craft an incredible taste that reminds you of the place it was grown. Here in Nova Scotia, our vineyards are never more than 20km from the ocean, and the vines grow in the remains of an ancient seabed. Having the World’s highest tides, a mixture of sandstone and slate soil and being surrounded by large bodies of water all contribute to a unique yet ideal viticultural climate.
Each style of wine we produce has a mouth-watering freshness with a hint of salinity reminiscent of an ocean breeze. Over 200 international and national awards have been given for our Nova Scotia Wines. Even the famously hard-to-please Gordon Ramsay has a Nova Scotian sparkler on his wine list.
Tidal Bay is a one-of-a-kind appellation in North America and is an ode to Europe’s wine regions. These fresh whites must meet a strict set of rules and pass a tasting panel’s evaluation before they can proudly stamp Tidal Bay on their label. The result is true terroir. Each winery may put their twist on it, but at its heart, each Tidal Bay tastes truly Nova Scotian and pairs expertly with our local seafood.
The sparkling wines crafted in Nova Scotia are garnering worldwide attention and comparisons to Champagne in terms of quality. It helps that some of our winemakers have grown up or studied in Champagne but what makes Nova Scotian bubbles truly sparkle is the mouth-watering acidity that is created naturally in our cool climate.
The other white wines you find in Nova Scotia may include Chardonnay and Petite Milo, and there’s even one that blends the two! You can find varietals like L’Acadie, New York Muscat, Riesling and Seyval Blanc. White wines that are bone dry, off-dry, and sweet.
Then you can’t miss trying the rosés and reds. A drying sensation occurs but you can’t deny an impression of freshness known in the wine world as lively. Pinot Noir is looking very promising, but because our winemakers get together regularly to share what is working and what isn’t, we’ve also borrowed the Italian technique that produces Amarone to give grapes like Marquette a fuller, more robust structure.
When visiting a winery in Nova Scotia, a warm reception of the family-run establishments awaits you. It’s not rare at all to find the person welcoming you is, in fact, the person who makes the wine.