Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Bras d'Or Lakes Inn Wine Dinner June 27, 2009

Rhoda and Jean Pierre, owners of Bras d'Or Lakes Inn, will be hosting a Wine Dinner on June 27, 2009 featuring Gaspereau Vineyards and Jost Vineyards wines with guest speaker Gina Haverstock, winemaker at Gaspereau Vineyards. For reservations call Rhoda at (902) 535-2200 and for more information visit www.brasdorlakesinn.com.

Menu -Cold puree of avocado withlime juice/zest, spinach, fresh herbs, and a chili salsa paired with Gaspereau Vineyards L'Acadie Blanc. Seafood appetizer of hickory-smoked shrimp on a curry blini with charred corn salsa, dressed frisee and radicchio greens, with a pita crisp paired with Jost Vineyards Habitant Blanc. Palate cleanser of Mango Sherbet. The Grand Entree is marinated whole quail filled with a savoury forcemeat of venison, pork and pine nuts, wrapped in smoked bacon, with a veal demi-glaze, served on a bed of wild rice pilaf; garnished with sauteed oysters and shitake mushrooms, with grilled white and green asparagus and paired with Gaspereau Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir. Salad of arugula with fennel, granished with strawberry, toasted almonds and orange segments, dressed in a maple vinagrette paired with Jost Vineyards L'Acadie Pinot Grigio. Cheese Trio and then dessert chocolate parfait with cashew praline, carmelized Bosc pear flambeed with Grand Marnier and raspberry coulis, topped with whipped cream and paired with Jost Vineyards Framboise.

Reserve your seats early for this event, you are not going to want to miss it!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Just in.....new products! We just received a shipment of awesome new wine racks, wine books, wine gadgets, decanters and much more. We are now carrying wine racks that sit on the floor, grace a shelf or hang from the ceiling and all are very reasonably priced! Books have arrived for the serious wine coniseur, the wine diva, or for the person who does not know much about wine but knows what they like. We have it all! We are open seven days a week from 9am to 6pm with complimentary tours at 12noon, 2pm and 4pm. Check out our website for upcoming events at www.gaspereauwine.com.

AgriFun Weekend for the Apple Blossom Festival

Good morning, we would like to invite you to join us at our booth at AgriFun, Kentville Centennial Arena, May 29-31. You are more than welcome to sample Gaspereau Vineyards and Jost Vineyards wines with Denny, Andrea and Tony throughout the weekend. We will also be selling wine at AgriFun. There will be lots for everyone to do at this event over the weekend - both children and adults alike. So, come visit, relax, savour and enjoy all that AgriFun will have to offer.

And, if you have time, stop by the canal in the Gaspereau Valley and cheer on our duck in the Corporate Duck Race in conjunction with the Rotary Club. Tony Jordan has been working hard on designing a duck that will travel swiftly down the river and look great at the same time. The Gaspereau Vineyards Duck - Quackers, will be racing to the finish line on Sunday morning. May the currents be with us!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Summer Cocktails


It's even warmer today! Here's a look at the new Brickstone products, as mentioned yesterday. To make a great summer cocktail, we suggest filling a glass with 08 Crescendo, and then drizzling some of the white balsamic cream and mix together. Maybe they'd go well with other wines too! Pictured here are our new dessert wine glasses - the perfect size for a little treat of Maple Wine.
Got any favorite summer wine cocktails of your own invention? Share them with Gaspereau Vineyards in the comments section!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

AWESOME NEW BRICKSTONE PRODUCTS JUST IN!

We have just received our first Brickstone shipment for the season and we have some great new products for you to experience. One of the new products is "BALSAMIC CREAM". The Balsamic Creams come in different flavours and are a wonderful addition to any home kitchen/bar. We have been tasting them and have found that:

1. Blood Orange Balsamic Cream - is absoultely delicious in our 2008 Crescendo! Yes, just a teaspoon in a champagne flute of Crescendo and you have a very easy wine cooler.

2. Pomegranate Balsamic Cream - is incredible and extremely flavourful over vanilla gelato from Foxhill Cheesehouse in Port Williams, or again in our newly released 2008 Crescendo.

Please, feel free to drop into the winery and try a complimentary tasting of our wines and maybe drop a little Blood Orange Balsamic Cream into your Crescendo! You will love it!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Recipes for Sexy Pizza

--Crust and directions for all pizzas
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp honey

Dissolve honey in warm water, mix with yeast and let sit 15 min. Combine flours and salt. Add the oil and yeast mixture to flour mixture. Kneed for 5 min., cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise. Roll out and place on a corn meal sprinkled pizza pan. Add toppings to pizza crust and bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 min. or until crust is golden.

California Pizza
1 small can pizza sauce
1 small can chopped artichoke hearts
200 grams crumbled feta cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
½ cup soft sun dried tomatoes, chopped
3 dried figs, chopped

Pizza Cordon Blue
1 small can pizza sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2-5 oz chicken breasts cooked and cubed
¼ lb chopped black forest ham
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 tbsp Italian mixed herbs

Smoked Salmon Pizza
(Recommended to be done on phyllo pastry crust; use 8 sheets of phyllo pastry dough, brush well between each layer with butter, and roll edges to make a crust. Makes for a much lighter, crispier, and delicate crust for the salmon)
½ lb hot smoked salmon
1 small block cream cheese
1 lemon
2 tbsp fresh or dried dill weed
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 small tube chevre cheese (goats milk cheese)
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

More awards!

The results from the All Canadian wine competition are in!

Double Gold:
07 Barrel Select Lucie Kuhlmann
07 Vitis

Gold:
07 Limosin Barrel Lucie Kuhlmann

Silver:
08 Seyval Blanc
07 Castel

Bronze:
08 Crescendo (sparkling)
Maple Wine

Congratulations as well to Jost, Domaine de Grand Pre, and L'Acadie Vineyards!

If you'd like to be added to our Monthly Newsletter list, please leave a comment or send an email to info@gaspereauwine.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Big Launch Day!

Today marks the launch of Gaspereau Vineyard's new sparkling white wine, Crescendo, and our 2008 Riesling. Both are very well-received; Riesling won double gold in this year's international wine competition, and Crescendo was a hit at last night's tasting dinner at Acton's in Wolfville, NS.

As always, come visit the winery for complimentary tours and tastings. Today's a beautiful day in the valley and Riesling won't be around for much longer!

Also, this weekend we'll be tasting Castel with "sexy pizza!" No more information here - you'll have to come into the winery or visit us at the Saturday Wolfville Farmer's Market to find out more.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

"The New Pink"

I've always truly believed since we opened our doors at Gaspereau Vineyards that Rosés were not getting the attention they deserved. Ours has always been made in a traditional French style from the free-run juice of our red wines (very high quality juice). People traditionally reminisce about Mateus with the shapely bottle which always was adorned with a candle after the wine was drunk. Rosés have come such a long way since then.

May/June 09 Tidings magazine confirmed these beliefs:
"Scantily clad French folk quaff it on beachesof the Cote d'Azur. Euro-version "it" girls sip it in the stylish tapas bars of Spain. And fashionistas pour it in boardwalk eateries of California. Frankly, in places where Rosé is de rigueur, the wine is drunk rather than discussed because focsu lies elsewhere -- on tanned skin, on the view of the ocean, on easy afternoon chit chat -- and the wet stuff in the glass merely lubricates and amplifes moments." (Carolyn Evans-Hammond)

The article goes on to state that Rosé sales are soaring and in France, Rosé sales overtook white wine sales last year. "Pink is huge!" writes Tidings magazine. Rosés have become drier, more balanced, and more sophisticated.

"Drinking Rosé is no longer something to blush about." - Tidings magazine

In the spirit of this article, let's pay some attention to Gaspereau Vineyards Rosé! Made from the free-run juice of Lucie Kuhlmann grapes, it's a semi-dry sophisticated patio wine. Pairs well with BBQs, salmon, canapés, hot summer days, turkey dinners, burgers, or pizza. As always, visit the winery for complimentary tastings and ask for Rosé!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

We have company!

Hi this is Brandi Williams I am here from Prince Arthur and I'm job shadowing here at gaspureau vineyards. so far I have pumped red wine from tanks to tanks, I have the stains to prove it and now I am stocking shelves in the store and waiting to go on the 12noon tour.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Two Days In A Row - People Looking for Tours!!

We have had people stopping in to visit us at the winery boutique, and looking for our tours. We have our tours running at 12noon, 2pm, and 4pm daily. Tours and tastings are complimentary, highly informative, fun, and educational too! We begin at the tasting bar in the winery with L'Acadie Blanc (Nova Scotia Grape Variety) and head out to the vineyard. From the vineyard and wine tastings we proceed through the wine cellar - not a "display" cellar but where we actually make our wines! Please, feel free to drop in to relax, savour, and enjoy Nova Scotia Wines with us! Visit us on twitter and facebook

Facebook and Twitter

Gaspereau Vineyards is now accessible through a Facebook Fan page (search for Gaspereau Vineyards and become a fan of us!). You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gaspereauwine. Check both places for frequent updates, news, and upcoming events!

We're featuring Apple Crisp, Blueberry Grunt, and Tea Biscuits from Farmer John this weekend! Come in for a sample of the desserts, paired with Gaspereau Vineyards dessert wines in honor of Mother's Day weekend. There will be a special on a 3-pack of dessert wine (Icewine, Maple wine, and Reserve Port) for $58.50 (taxes and btl deposit included).

Thursday, May 7, 2009

2009 competition results

International Taster’s Guild 2009
Results of wine competition:

Double Gold:
2008 Vidal Ortega Icewine
2008 Riesling

Gold:
2008 L’Acadie Blanc
Reserve Port

Silver:
2007 Castel
2007 Lucie Kuhlmann Barrel Select
2008 Rosé
2007 Seyval Blanc
2008 Crescendo (sparkling)

Bronze:
2008 Chardonnay
2007 Lucie Kuhlmann Old Barrel
Maple Wine
2008 Muscat
2008 Muscat-Chardonnay
2007 Pinot Noir
2004/06 Vitis