It’s hard to believe it’s been over a month since my visit to Nova Scotia. The images, smells and sounds are still fresh in my mind. Its people will remain in my heart forever. I awoke in a train car my second day. No, it had nothing to do with too much to drink the night before. We stayed at The Train Station in Tatamagouche and my bedroom was in a train car. After a delicious breakfast and a final visit with owner Jimmy LeFresne, we took off for Jost Vineyards to meet Hans Christian Jost and taste some of Nova Scotia’s wines.

Marechal Foch, L’Acadie Blanc & Leon Millot

The Jost family started Jost Vineyards in the late 1970s after emigrating from Germany to Nova Scotia. Hans Christian showed an early interest in the business and his dad told him he should run the company because he would make a lousy employee. Jost Vineyards was licensed in 1983 and its first wines went on sale in 1985. The vineyards are drop dead gorgeous. Located surprisingly close to the coast, they enjoy an average of 175 frost free days annually. Hans Christian’s passion for what he does is crystal clear to see. He does little things, like placing lobster and oyster shells in his vineyards. When told it can’t possibly make a difference, he responds, maybe not in his lifetime, but perhaps in his childrens’ or grandchildrens’ lifetimes. The white wines of Nova Scotia are exceptional, and Jost wines are some of the best. The Eagle Tree Muscat is crisp and very drinkable. Marechal Foch and Leon Millot are red varietals you may not be familiar with (I wasn’t) but they tolerate the Nova Scotia climate and produce some extremely interesting wines. We finished our tasting with a whiskey barrel aged Ice Wine that was incredible, while Hans Christian explained what motivates workers to participate in the ice grape harvest.

Pancakes, Maple Syrup and More Wine

When I had pancakes for breakfast at The Train Station, little did I know I’d be having pancakes for lunch, too, but that’s exactly what was in store for us at Sugar Moon Farm. It was a gray day with a touch of drizzle and on the cool side, but we walked into a great room with a crackling fire and heavenly smells. Quita Gray welcomed us in. We sat at picnic tables by the fire and enjoyed whole grain buttermilk pancakes with fresh maple syrup, beans and sausages while Quita told us about Sugar Moon Farm. She and her husband Scott Whitelaw began a two year apprenticeship on the farm in 1994 and learned the art of making maple syrup. We got a full tour of the facility and saw the wood fueled evaporator they use to make syrup from the “Sugar Woods”. Quita has a sparkle in her eye and clearly loves the path she and Scott have chosen and enjoys sharing what they do with others.

Le Caveau at Domaine de Grand Pré

We left Sugar Moon Farm for The Blomidon In in Wolfville, an historic 19th century estate. We had time to check in and take a quick tour of the grounds before departing for wine tasting and dinner at Domain de Grand Pré, just a few minutes down the road.

Cäcilia Stutz, wife of winemaker Jürg, showed obvious pride in her family’s work as she took us through the vineyards and into the tasting room. The view of the Bay of Fundy from the vineyards is breathtaking to say the least. We tasted several award winning wines in their modern tasting room. I particularly enjoyed the Stutz Hard Cider made with six different apple varieties. The marketing is brilliant – apples in leather jackets, with tattoos, with piercings – “hard” cider – I love it.

From the tasting room we made our way to Le Caveau, Grand Pré’s exceptional restaurant. To a person we were all astounded by how good the food in Nova Scotia was and this dinner was certainly no exception. I started with a wonderful smoked salmon accompanied with goat cheese and beet chips. I’ll be honest. I don’t care for beets. I’m being kind here. I thought I’d be polite and try a beet chip and wound up devouring them all. They were delicious. The presentation for all of the dishes was lovely. I enjoyed a spicy chicken Marrakesh, while others enjoyed pork belly, lobster, scallops and other delights from the kitchen. Sous-Chef Joseph Crocker came out after we had finished our dinner and shared his love of creating great food with us.

The second day had drawn to an end. We returned to the Blomidon Inn where we enjoyed a sound sleep while awaiting a visit to a cheese house, a lobster “pound”, a dyke walk and a visit to an herb farm the next day.

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The short rib lived up to Clavel’s expectations to the extent that I needed only my fork to cut through the meat. While a smoky, earthy sauce complimented the meat’s richness, it was paired with an equally indulgent puree of celeriac – a pleasant alternative to potato. The one mushroom ravioli on the plate was a tease; both musty and sweet at the same time, I found myself hoping that it would appear on Season’s final menu…hint, hint…

Last week we had slightly windy yet beautiful day to visit Domaine de Grand Pre for a tour, tasting, and lunch. I wish every Monday could be more like that. The property and restaurant Le Caveau, are just so stunning I couldn’t help taking so many photographs. I have chosen my favourite to share in this post.

After being scolded by the owner, Hanspeter, that shopping in the gift shop could wait until after the tour (and that the girls couldn’t help it because we were built with some sort of “shopping gene”) we were taken out back for a brief run-down of the vineyard, its history, and when Hanspeter purchased it, as well as his opinion on Nova Scotia as a wine region and how far we have come. Excited talk about how several wine experts have been saying we have the potential to become the next big Champagne-style producing area, was also brought up. We were lucky to be shown the greenhouse where several dozen plants were being kept, someday to be planted to produce future vintages.

And so the tasting commenced…

Trying several wines poured by Hanspeter himself, we tasted a wide sample, including both the l’Acadie Blanc and Vintner’s Reserve l’Acadie, noting the enormous difference in the two. As well as the Reserve Muscat (delicious, which I purchased a bottle of to later pair with Thai food) and the Verrazano Rose, which led the way to of course the Marechal Foch, Vintner’s Reserve Castel, and the very interesting Reserve Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge, a blend of Baco Noir, Marechal Foch, Castel, Leon Millot and even a touch of l’Acadie Blanc, I immediately dubbed “the red wine for non-red wine drinkers” as it was surprisingly sweet and dangerously easy going down. Disappointingly, we did not taste any dessert or ice wines.

We were seated in the beautiful and sunny Le Caveau dining room for a light two-course lunch served with Stutz hard apple cider (my personal favourite). The server greeted our table and got down to business right away: who has dietary restrictions? I asked for last-minute vegetarian option and she graciously assured me it would be no problem.

Everyone around me was being served a delicious-looking potato and leek soup which I anxiously awaited. Instead I was given a carrot soup topped with fresh green onions. I surmised that the potato and leek soup must have been started with chicken stock, and after tasting my first spoonful of the carrot soup, quickly got over my smidgen of disappointment. This was delicious and thick, somehow creamy without actually tasting like it had that much cream in it. The green onions were so fresh and crispy I felt like they had been just picked from the garden. I think they actually were, as Hanspeter had shown us where they grow many of their own herbs in the extensive gardens on the vineyard.

While everyone else was served a brisket sandwich, I received a roasted heirloom tomato sandwich with fresh greens and a black olive mayo. A very fresh and lightly dressed salad of greens accompanied this aromatic, rich and satisfying vegetarian sandwich. Not being a huge olive fan I gingerly took my first bite, however, the black olive mayo was so subtle and complimented the other flavours so well that I found it incredibly delicious and happily ate the entire sandwich. A very enjoyable lunch.

Taking advantage of the clear, bright and gusty day in the Annapolis Valley, we stopped at the Just Us coffee roastery and cafe in Grand Pre on the way back to gloomy and cloudy Halifax. A skillfully made cappuccino was the perfect ending to my exceptionally gastronomical Monday afternoon.

I received this gift from Stutz Cider last month in the midst of all my visiting guests and it was the perfect surprise! I had originally planned on trying to cook with some of it and sharing my results here but alas it was so yummy we drank it all!!! Zesty and zingy and good. I love hard cider. It used to be the drink of choice before beer became widely available but it is now happily becoming popular again.

What I had planned on making was this! I think I will still try it. Have to pick up some more cider:) The recipe came from Epicurious.
Cider Braised Apples and Leeks
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 cups (generous) thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, pinch of ground allspice, coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 cups hard apple cider

Melt butter in large pan over medium heat. Add apples & leeks. Cook covered, until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in caraway and allspice, salt and pepper. Add hard cider, bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, until most of liquid is cooked away, about 16 minutes. Serve over hotdogs in buns spread with dijon mustard and topped with cheddar cheese.

Funnily enough, I had been in Grand Pre just the week before and sampled it for the first time at Domaine de Grande Pre. A vineyard in the heart of apple country.