Why Not Host a Wine Tasting Party??!!!

We are becoming an epicentre of wine country here in the Gaspereau Valley. We are in close proximity to at least six other wineries within twenty minutes of our location. What would be more fun than to host a wine tasting party. For example, L'Acadie Blanc is a grape variety grown here in Nova Scotia and is used to produce white wine - 98% of all L'Acadie Blanc grows in Nova Scotia. However, each of the wineries working with L'Acadie Blanc produces a much different style, flavour profile, and terrior characteristics in their wine. A group of friends could easily each purchase a L'Acadie Blanc wine from each of the wineries and have a wine tasting party - no two wines would be the same but the initial grape variety would be. What a wonderful way of exploring a new, emerging wine region! Get to know your Nova Scotia Wines better and pair your local wines during your party with local cheese - Foxhill Cheesehouse. Makes for a relaxing, fun and entertaining evening! For more information -

http://wine.about.com/od/holidayswithwine/ht/Winetastingpart.htm

Temperature of Wine for Serving - And Consumption!

It has been a few really warm weeks here in the Gaspereau Valley, and in the winery boutique, one of the questions we get asked is "What temperature should we be serving our wines at?" Well, when it is 31-32 degrees celcius plus humidity - not at room temperature!

We have found a really good article that explains the temperatures for wine service. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

http://4cousins.blat.co.za/2009/08/26/why-you-should-chill-that-wine/


"Wine is like revenge. Both are best served cold. But just how cold?" - Bivio

Fall Festival Brochures Arrived Yesterday!

We have received our Fall Wine Festival Brochures, so please, feel free to stop in to the winery boutique and pick up a copy to browse through and decide which events you would like to participate in - maybe all of them!

Here is a rundown of events for the month of September -

September 12 & 13: Perfect Pairings Progressive Dinner - Go North Tours, Annapolis Valley
September 19: 11th Annual Grape Stomp - Jost Vineyards, Malagash
September 19 & 20: Champagne Wishes & Seafood Dreams - L'Acadie Vineyards, Gaspereau
September 19 & 20: Wine in the Vines - Blomidon Estate Winery, Canning
September 26 & 27: Autumn Wine & Food Festival - Gaspereau Vineyards, Gaspereau http://www.gaspereauwine.com/
Friday, Sept 25: Walking Dinner - Domaine de Grand Pre, Grand Pre
Saturday, Oct 3: Annual Harvest Wine Fest - Sainte-Famille Wines, Falmouth

There will be lots to do, wine to taste, food to eat and grapes to stomp. Come, relax, savour and enjoy Nova Scotia wines with all of us!

The "Eat Atlantic Challenge"

Everyone is encouraged to join the Eat Atlantic Challenge taken place on September 4th, 2009. It is very important in todays society to eat local and support the local businesses! The politicans and the Atlantic food advocates have sent out a challenge to the 4 Maritime Provinces to see who can get the most pledges to eat ONLY Atlantic food on September 4th. The province with the most pledges per capita will win the challenge; So get your pledge in!! This is an excellent way to show people that our Atlantic provinces have so many food choices which are local and delicious. The end result of this will not be about which province "wins" or "loses" but will be about showing people that it is more beneficial and just as delicious to buy their food locally! If you would like to be a pledge or for more information go to http://www.eatatlantic.ca/.

Upcoming events

Due to the impending weather concerns of a hurricane reaching Nova Scotia, the IncrEdible Picnic has been postponed until next Sunday, on August 30th. Mark your calendars!

If you're still looking for something delicious this weekend, stop by the winery for a sample of local fudge (chocolate, peanut butter and chocolate, maple, or vanilla-chocolate swirl) with our Reserve Port. Come by for a free tasting on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and enjoy a glass of Nova Scotian wine on our deck.

Follow us on Twitter (@gaspereauwine) to keep up with all the events and news from Gaspereau!

Thinking about Carbon Footprints

In today's society, it is very important to be environmentally conscious because of the effects our choices have on global warming. A person can be aware of their impact on the environment by tracking their carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is defined as "a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person, organization, or location at a given time" (dictionary.com).
Everything has a carbon footprint, even wine corks and wine screw caps! The figure to the right shows the difference in the carbon footprint left by natural corks compared to screw caps. Screw caps have a carbon footprint at least 4 times higher than that of a natural cork and at least double that of a Nomacorc (synthetic plastic) cork.
What are your thoughts -is that enough of a difference to make an impact on your decision of whether to buy a wine with a cork compared to a wine with a screw cap?

Is it a beautiful warm summer day, what should we enjoy on the patio?

Warm summer day,how about a Limoncello Cooler 1/2 oz limoncello, 1/2 oz club soda into champagne flute top off with Crescendo sparkling wine - Gaspereau Vineyards newest wine!

Try some of these tasty treats as well:

White Wine Sprtizer

8oz L'Acadie Blanc into an ice filled wine glass, add club soda to taste, stir gently and garnish. Really easy to make and refreshing too!

Icewine Martini - really tasty treat!

Pour 2oz of vodka and 1 oz of 2008 Ortega Vidal Icewine into a drink mixer of ice. Shake, serve in a martini glass and garnish with frozen grapes. Perfect summer sustanance!

Drop into Gaspereau Vineyards for more summer patio drink ideas all made with Nova Scotia Wines! Tours and tastings are complimentary, tours are at 12noon, 2pm and 4pm daily. Come, relax, savour and enjoy NS Wines with us at Gaspereau Vineyards!

We Love Lovis BBQ Fundraiser - Aug 8/9 at Gaspereau Vineyards

We are pleased to be able to help support the "We Love Lovis" Fundraising team. They will be here at Gaspereau Vineyards on Saturday Aug 8 and Sunday Aug 9 having a barbeque to raise money to help with Lovis. Please, come and enjoy the barbeque from 12 - 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday in support of this local three year old battling cancer. We will also attach a list of the upcoming fundraisers.

More information regarding We Love Lovis is available at http://welovelovis.com/

Support Local!

We Always Knew Wine Was Good For You - now we know it is GREAT for you!

We knew that a 4 or 5 oz glass of wine every day is good for you. We did not realize just how good it is for you until we came across this article in Ironman Magazine (http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/site/?p=3741). Read the whole article for yourself at the website in brackets. It is extremely interesting! Here are a few excerpts from the article:

Grapes, from which resveratrol comes, were among 600 plants tested for cancer-prevention properties in the study. The research consensus today is that only large doses of resveratrol are capable of initiating a cell signal that causes cancer cells to kill themselves—a process called apoptosis. Resveratrol inhibits enzymes, such as cyclooxygenase, that are involved in inflammatory processes, a cornerstone of cancer. Resveratrol also inhibits angiogenesis, a process whereby tumors develop new blood vessels. It’s a process essential to the maintenance and spread of cancer cells in the body, and blocking it leads to the rapid death of tumors.

Resveratrol was identified as the primary protective factor found in red wine when nonalcoholic extracts proved equally effective in preventing cardiovascular disease.

The good news is that two recent studies show that you don’t need huge amounts of resveratrol to get cardiovascular protection. One study found that drinking a moderate amount—a five-ounce glass daily—of red wine was enough to stimulate nitric oxide production in human platelets.3 The other study found that giving middle-aged mice lower doses of resveratrol—4.9 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight—increased beneficial gene activity in the heart the way a calorie-restricted diet does.4 Researchers said that high doses were not only not required but could prove detrimental.

This is great and beneficial research we should all take heed to. Something as simple as a 5 oz glass of wine with supper could benefit us so much. Think about it!

What is next - wine in plastic (PET) bottles??!!!

We just came across this article via facebook. The wine industry has not just sent us head over heels with screw tops and tetra paks but now they are introducing us to plastic bottles (PET). Check out this site for more information - http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23405839-details/Plastic%20fantastic...%20Is%20this%20the%20end%20of%20the%20glass%20wine%20bottle/article.do . It will be interesting to see what takes place and how it affects the colour, flavour, bouquet and ageability of wine. Will anything leach into the wine from the PET or will it be beneficial for us? We purchase hard liquor in the PET bottles, where will we go from here? What do you think? It will definitely be better for shipping but will it be better overall for the environment. Something to think about..................

Gaspereau Vineyards Sunday Market was a Success!

The first Sunday Market of the year was yesterday, August 2nd, and it was a great success! We had many different vendors with products such as organic blueberries, magnetic jewellery, lavender products, alpaca wool, chocolate covered pretzals, celtic tarot reading and more! When the vendors were done the market they left very excitted to come back this coming Sunday, August 9th. The music was done by Matthew Martin; He played classical guitar and it was very well recieved! It was a great day to sit in the sun and listen to music while having a snack and sample of wine. On Sunday, August 9th we will be having our second Sunday Market, there will be even more vendors attending, a BBQ to support LOVIS (local young child battling cancer) and the music will be done by Mike Aube from Rustbucket! The Sunday Market here at Gaspereau Vineyards will be heard from 12:30pm - 4:30pm so come relax, savor and enjoy local Nova Scotia products with us! We are located at 2239 White Rock Road, Wolfville.

If you are interested in being a vendor at our Sunday Market please contact Andrea by email at gaspereauvineyards@live.ca or call at 542-1455! Hope to see you soon : )