As some of you may know, my wife and I just returned from a two week vacation in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. While there, we visited seven wineries in Nova Scotia, most of which produce wine from hybrid grapes.
Overall, I disliked the majority of the wines we tried. The reds were, almost without exception, tart, drying, sour, with little or no perceptible fruit. Many of the whites were very tart, with high acidity levels. I mentioned this to someone at one of the wineries and she commented that high acidity was a trademark of the NS wine industry and they were quite proud of that.
Despite this, I managed to find enough wines that caught my interest to bring home a mixed case of red, white, sparkler and dessert wines.
Many of these wineries are quite new, with some opening only within the last few years. Will be interesting to see how they progress over the years.
Some of my WTN are a little on the short side.
Annapolis Highland Vineyards (est 2009)
L'Acadie Blanc 2010
Ruby grapefruit, juicy, spicy nose.
Grapefruit, lemon, very clean, nice.
Riesling 2010
Hint of petrol on the nose.
Drying, lemon,a hint of orange, good acidity, very nice.
Highland Triskele 2010
A blend of Frontenac (60 per cent), Mischurnitz (30) and Frontenac Gris.
Very fruity, off dry, spicy nose.
Jammy, lightly sweet, strawberry, raspberry, good acidity.
Highland Fusion 2010 and Highland Mosaic 2010
Both are blends but I neglected to note the grapes involved. No matter, both were quite tart, high acidity, with some raspberry and smoke.
DeChaunac 2010
Old, stinky cheese on the nose.
Sharp in the mouth, good acidity, raspberry, smoky.
White Wedding NV
A blend of Reliant, Pinot Gris and New York Muscat.
Very rich, honey, thick in the mouth, good acidity, very peachy (which made me think this was Vidal and i was surprised to see that it wasn't)
Luckett Vineyards (est 2010)
L'Acadie 2010
Spicy, peach, grapefruit, smoky on the nose.
Medium weight, clean, crisp, smoky, apple, lemon.
Mouthwatering finish.
Ortega 2010
Spicy, rich, clean, Riesling-like nose.
Medium weight, drying, spicy, slightly off-dry, peach and apricot.
Leon Millot 2010
Lovely nose, chocolate, Christmas cake spices.
Astringent, balsamic vinegar.
The person at the counter opened a second bottle and the end result was pretty much the same, although the nose was more muted.
Phone Box Red 2010
A blend of Lucy Khulmann (40 per cent), Triumphe (20), Foch (20), and Leon Millot (20).
Tobacco on the nose.
Astringent, vinegar, drying.
Vidal Ice Wine 2010
Brown sugar, honey, peach on the very rich nose.
Peach, honey, spicy, good acidity, quite hefty in the mouth.
A very long finish.
Impressive.
Muir Murray Estate Winery (est 2009)
Willowbank House Chardonnay 2009
Stoney, smoky nose.
Medium weight, very smoky, creamy, apple, lemon.
Riches of Life Riesling 2009
A hint of petrol on the nose.
Medium weight, drying, good, tangy acidity, a hint of lemon and apple.
Falconer's Ridge Red 2009
I neglected to note the grape blends, but no matter.
Smoky, earthy on the nose.
Tart, drying, sour cherry, old cheese.
L'Acadie Vineyards
L'Acadie 2008
Very dry, medium bodied, grapefruit, lemon.
Seyval Blanc 2009
Very dry, light bodied, grapefruit, lemon, tangy, very clean.
Traditional Method Sparkling Rose 2008
A blend of Foch and Leon Millot.
Good mousse.
Cranberry in the glass.
Smoky, cherry on the nose.
Tart, clean, cherry, cranberry, tangy.
Bear River Vineyards
I wasn't impressed with the owner or any of his wines. He, on the other hand, appeared to be quite impressed with himself and all his wines.
Meguma Geisenheim Riesling 2008
Smoky nose.
Incredibly dry, lemon, grapefruit, high acidity, very clean.
Pinot Gris 2010
Stinky cheese on the nose.
Very tart, drying, high acidity.
Greater Yellowlegs Chardonay 2008
Very tart, yeasty, sulphur, very drying, toast, no fruit.
Black Fly Pinot Noir 2008
Light cherry and smoke on the nose.
Tangy, tart, mouthwatering, very faint light cherry.
1611 Signature Blend 2009
A blend of Baco Noir, Foch and Lucie Kuhlman.
Very tart, slightly corked, with a wild note.