Winding Roads and Nova Scotia Wine

There is a new industry in the Annapolis Valley that is starting to gain recognition: wine. I was shocked to discover this… but shouldn’t have been. For as long as I can remember my grandparents had grapes on their property that they used to make wine… and the same goes for my cousins. So, wouldn’t it make sense that others would do the same too?

The growing conditions are perfect, the soil unique, and a few of the wineries have even dabbled into the world of ice wines.

So, while in Nova Scotia, I decided to try two Annapolis Valley wines.

Phone Box Red

I’ve not seen this wine anywhere else in the world. It is from Luckett Vineyards in Gaspereau Valley. The vineyard is owned by Pete Luckett, the creator/owner of Pete’s Frootique, a popular vegetable market in Nova Scotia.

Luckett Vineyards do all the typical vineyard things: tastings, tours, events, and food. Phone Box Red wine is matched by Phone Box White, and I believe the “phone box” in the brand makes reference to an old British telephone box that stands in the middle of the vineyard.

This is going to sound really strange, but this wine tasted like Nova Scotia to me; more specifically it tastes like the Annapolis Valley: fruity, heavy, and a tad bit salty. I could almost feel the sandy, grassy earth of the Valley between my toes as I drank it. There are very heavy blackberry overtones. This wine would go good with something sweet: dark chocolate perhaps.

Avon Rouge

Avon Rouge is a blend of Marechal Foch grapes grown locally on the Sainte-Famille Vineyard in Falmouth, West Hants. Their website describes this wine as a light-bodied red wine with black currant flavours which goes well with mild cheese, pasta and chicken.

I can’t really give a fair overview of this wine. Apparently, it is an award winner, but when we went to open the bottle, the top just slipped off. The only thing that was holding the top to the bottle was likely pressure. The wine inside: pure vinegar.