THE ADVOCATE 709
VOL. 80 PART 5 SEPTEMBER 2022
and has a lovely winery and restaurant. We did our sipping in a tent on the
lawn, keeping dry in a rainstorm. This Tidal Bay is composed of L’Acadie
Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Ortega and New York Muscat (a very aromatic
hybrid developed at Cornell University with strong muscat-like aromas
and flavours). It has an intensely floral nose of honeysuckle and
blossoms mixed with white peach and lemon and bit of wet stone. On the
light bright palate are more peach along with apple and a bit of lychee. It
has a long slightly off-dry finish. In addition to the seafood and fish dishes
with which it is so often paired, it can tame curries and other spicy Asian
dishes. But lobster with a butter sauce is a match that is hard to beat.
BENJAMIN BRIDGE BRUT ROSÉ 2017
Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia $39.75
This traditional Blanc de Noir blend of Pinot Noir (fifty-five per cent) and
Chardonnay (forty-five per cent) has a lovely pale salmon hue. The nose
displays light strawberry and melon and pear, with notes of brioche and a
slight salinity, and the full creamy palate shows some more light berry fruit
(cassis, raspberry and strawberry), apricot preserve and crème de cassis. It
has a long and rich finish with fine and steady mousse. Pair it with a creamy
pasta, or a charcuterie, or again rich seafood that its effervescence will cut
nicely.
LIGHTFOOT & WOLFEVILLE KÉKFRANKOS 2020
Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia $35.00
Kékfrankos is the Hungarian word for what the Germans call Lemberger
and the Austrians Blaufränkisch. A bit is grown in British Columbia and
Washington state, but much more in eastern Canada and the eastern United
States. Those of us of a certain age will remember Egri Bikavér, the Hungarian
wine that made it famous (or perhaps infamous). It deserves better. This
winery, on the outskirts of Wolfeville, specializes in small-lot single vineyard
wines. The grapes for this one came from the Oak Valley Vineyard
near Avenport, Nova Scotia, and the wine was made biodynamically, fermented
on wild yeasts and then aged in French oak barriques for eight
months. Deep purple, it displays black currant, black cherry, plum and
dried tobacco with hints of smoky oak on the nose. The flavours are the
same dark fruit plus raspberry, some bitter chocolate and hints of nutmeg.
The tannins are very smooth and balanced, and it has a medium-long finish.
We had it with a BBQ roast beef with polenta fries and a mix of sauteed vegetables,
with which it went well. Roast or BBQ beef, pork or chicken are all
good food choices.