I know that for most people Nova Scotia is not top of mind for wine producing regions in Canada. But for those of us in the know, there is a surprisingly high quality wine region tucked into the Annapolis Valley, about an hour outside of Halifax. Take a look at a map and dig a little deeper and you’ll notice that this area of Nova Scotia is in a similar latitude range, has a similar climate, and in many areas, similar soil conditions to areas in Champagne, France. Luckily for us who were/are fortunate to live relatively close nearby, there is a true gem of a winery that started with an audacious goal. The purpose of Benjamin Bridge winery was to show that world-class sparkling wines could be made in Nova Scotia. Starting with their early vintages, in blind testings their wines scored similar to Champagnes. They have expanded their range of wines over the years, and due to the occassional free shipping special offered, we’ve accumulated a small inventory of their wines at our home in Saskatoon.

Much like we did back in the days we lived in Halifax, when we were visiting this past summer, we made a day trip to the Annapolis Valley. Our first stop was Benjamin Bridge to try a couple of tasting flights of their wines.

The wines were spectacular. The weather was picture perfect. And the view…. well, it lived up to the wine and the weather. Sitting here, we felt like we could have been on vacation in Napa, Burgundy, or the Okanagan. We’re biased, but seriously, give Nova Scotia wine country a try.

After a lovely time at the winery, we drove into Wolfville and parked our rental car just off Main Street. Our plans were for lunch at Church Brewing – a brewery in an old church… sounds perfect! We waited for a spot on their patio and I got to sampling some of their delicious beers. Their Mayflower, a white IPA, was the best of a solid bunch in my tasting flight.

Continuing our theme on this trip of making up for lost time eating seafood, we both ordered fish and chips. For my wife, the gluten free version was outstanding and the prospect of it helped me convince her to head to a craft brewery – everybody wins!

With full bellies, we headed to one last winery – Lightfoot & Wolfville just outside Wolfville. We had an outstanding tasting of some of their special release and unique (for Nova Scotia) wines. Their pinot noir, something that shouldn’t make sense growing in Nova Scotia, was actually very good. This is a winery that through much of 2021 had a free shipping deal anywhere in Canada and we now have a nice selection of their wines, including a canned version of their sparkling rose that pairs perfectly with summer evenings on our Saskatoon back deck.

Whoever said you could never go home was wrong – we did, and on this day, it felt like many of our fun day trip days in far off locales rather than a day trip we did at least on a yearly basis when we lived in Halifax.

Cheers from the Annapolis Valley – a very underrated wine region.