18 Nov 2012 1 Comment
I’m still here! My blog was hacked and until now I just haven’t had the time to get it back up and running. A while back I had the opportunity to choose my favourite 5 local wines for The Coast’s wine feature, and thought I’d share it here.
via Read my ‘Five for fall’ piece HERE.
Cheers,
Kristin
01 Sep 2012 2 Comments
What an impeccable day to head to Petite Rivière Vineyards in LaHave, Nova Scotia. Located about five minutes from exit 15 off the 103, Petite Rivière is a hidden jewel on the beautiful South Shore.
From the moment we pulled in, it was as though we had been transported to the French countryside. Rolling hills, vines of grapes as far as the eye could see, and just to our right sat the main building overlooking the vineyard, that was built in the traditional French style and which houses the store, cellar, and tasting room.
The winery has been run for the past three years by Sean Sears, who hosted our tour, and his wife Barbara Thompson who is also the winemaker for the vineyard. We were a few minutes early for our noon tour, so we took the opportunity to sit out on the lovely terrace of the main building to soak up some sun and enjoy the view of the vines. We would later find out that the vineyard has recently adopted a philosophy of producing everything they need to sustain their farm onsite; they use companion planting as a tool to grow their vines and produce their own compost! It’s easy to see that this business is invested in their community when seated on the patio are bright and comfortable Adirondack chairs straight from Zwicker Woodworking Ltd., born and bred in LaHave.
Our tour started outside between rows of grapes where we learned about the area, optimal conditions for growing, the different types of grapes typical to our region and grown at Petite Rivière, and the process of grape growing itself. Sean was more than happy to answer any and all questions that anyone had.
We were outside for around forty minutes before moving into the cellar in the main building to learn about the process after harvest, and toured the stainless steel vats and wines ready to be sold. Shortly after one o’clock, we headed upstairs for our tasting, where our place settings were arranged. Sean informed us that wine tours never stick to the hour listed, and ours went until just after two which is a real value for the twenty-five dollar cost. For those of us less familiar with the overall experience of wine drinking and enjoyment, Sean gave an introductory level lesson to wine tasting and food and wine pairing. I could go into details about the tour and the tasting but you really just need to get down to LaHave and experience the hospitality, flavourful wines and beautiful scenery for yourself. 
Tours are Monday through Sunday at noon, with a 3pm tour on Saturdays. Make sure you call ahead to make a reservation as space is limited. For more information, visit Petite Rivière Vineyards
Cheers,
Kristin
My name is Kristin and I've lived my entire life in Nova Scotia. I love to eat, especially when the food is local, organic and fresh. I believe that here on the East coast of Canada we have a multitude of delicious ingredients at our fingertips, and world-class chefs making incredible dishes with them, drawing from both local and international inspiration. That said, I like unpretentious eating that makes you lick your fingers and loosen your belt because that's the kind of food that makes me feel good. If you've got delicious eats, paired with a great Canadian craft beer and some good company then I'm there.