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Sparkling Wine Production in Nova Scotia


Sparkling wines may be categorized according to their inherent sweetness as Extra brut, brut, extra dry, Sec and Demi-sec (Descirbed below)

Nova Scotia has become increasingly known for its sparkling wines over the course of the past decade. The climatic conditions in Nova Scotia including the warm summers which are complimented by the temperate influence of the Atlantic Ocean, create ideal conditions for the flavours of the grapes to become more intensely developed while still maintaining acidity levels that are required for the balance and structure of the wine. The conditions in Nova Scotia rival some of the best cool climate wine-making regions in the world.

History
Historically, Nova Scotia wineries focused on the production of icewine since the cool climate and cold winters provided optimal conditions for it. In more recent years, however, Nova Scotia has set itself apart from other winemaking regions in Canada and North America by turning focus over to the production of traditional method sparkling wines.

L’Acadie Vineyards released Nova Scotia’s first traditional method sparkling wine in 2008. Tather than focusing on traditional grapes used for sparkling wine, L’Acadie Vineyards winemaker, Bruce Ewert, focuses on using Nova Scotia’s signature white grape, l’Acadie blanc in the production of his sparkling wines. In 2010, l’Acadie vineyards Prestige Brut became one of three sparkling wines to ever be awarded a Gold at the Canadian Wine awards. It was also the Top Scoring Sparkling at the same event. In 2011 at an international competition of the world’s best sparkling wines, the Effervescents du Monde event, Prestige Brut received a silver medal, the only medal awarded to a North American sparkling wine.

The first traditional method sparkling red wine was released in December 2013 by Blomidon Estate Winery and was made from a blend of Marechal Foch and Lucie Kuhlman grapes. Williamsdale Winery in Nova Scotia was the first winery in Canada to produce sparkling wines from blueberries that were grown in the northern region of Nova Scotia.

Methods of Production
There are 4 methods used for the production of sparkling wines. These include:
 * Traditional Method
 * Charmat method,
 * Transfer method
 * Carbonation method

In Nova Scotia, there are currently no wineries using the Charmat or Transfer methods. Most focus on producing traditional method sparkling wines. This means that the majority of sparkling wines in Nova Scotia are produced by the same method as is done in Champagne France. Traditional Method sparkling wines are produced through natural fermentation in the bottle. They are aged on the yeast lees within the bottle, then hand riddled and hand disgorged to remove any remaining sediment. This process results in very fine, persistent bubbles in the wine and a complexity and creaminess that sets it apart from other methods of sparkling wine production.

The carbonation method of sparkling wine production involves artificially carbonation the wine. This is a common practice in mass-produced bulk sparkling wines and involves injecting carbon-dioxide into chilled products prior to bottling them. Wines produced in this way typically have more coarse large bubbles that quickly dissipate in the glass compared to the persistent bubbles of the traditional method wines. Wines produced in this manner also lack the aged, creaminess that distinguishes traditional method sparkling wines.

Terms
Cuvee – a wine blend of different vineyards, varieties or vintages for the best harmony after aging. Our Vintage Cuvee is made from one vintage with different varieties and vineyard sources.

Lees – yeast produced in the bottle during fermentation. Aging sur lie, on the lees, produces celebrated toasty characters to the wine.

Tirage – aging in the bottle, on their sides for ideal lees contact. We use tirage wire bins holding 500 bottles each and stackable to 4 bins high. Constant temperature is ideal – our tirage cellar is half under the ground. Tirage is from 12 months to over 4 years.

Riddling – after aging, bottles are shaken to dislodge lees and put on pupitres, or riddling racks, and the lees are coaxed down to the neck with daily hand turning for 20 days.

Disgorgement – the final step. The necks of the riddled bottles are frozen with a neck freezer and the special tirage crown cap is removed, expelling the frozen lees. Dosage, sweetened wine, is added to balance the natural acidity and then the bottles are topped and corked

Vineyards and Wineries
The most prominent wineries in the production of sparkling wine in Nova Scotia are:
 * Benjamin Bridge
 * Blomidon Estate Winery
 * Domaine de Grand Pré
 * L’Acadie Vineyards

These wineries have developed fairly extensive sparkling wine programs. L’Acadie vineyards produces almost exclusively sparkling varieties of cuveé’s and rosé’s. Benjamin Bridge winery has a produed a variety of rosé’s, brut’s and a blanc de noirs in 2004.

Regulations
General rules and regulations must be followed in the production, labeling and distribution of wine in Nova Scotia. These regulations are laid out under Section 184J of the Agriculture and Marketing Act and are cited as the Nova Scotia Wine Standards Regulations. These regulations can be found at the Nova Scotia Wine Standards Regulations. As it pertains to sparkling wines, there are regulations invoving the amount of pressure that the wines must be under once surcharged with Carbon dioxide gas. It also distinguishes the minimum alcohol percentage by volume that is required for a sparkling wine versus a light sparkling wine.

These regulations also state that any sparkling wines which are produced via the carbonation method must clearly indicate that it is the case on their bottles. Any registered winery is not allowed to display the grape varieties or a vintage date on the principal display panel of any sparkling wine produced using the carbonation method.

Challenges
Sparkling wines typically use grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Pinot blanc, or Pinot Meunier. The climate of Nova Scotia is not particularly conducive to the growth of these types of wine grapes. Instead wine-makers in the region have turned to less traditional grape species such as L'Acadie blanc, Marechal Foch, or Lucie Kuhlmann varietals. The biggest challenge in Nova Scotia are typically temperature related parameters including the length and intensity of the growing season. The winter temperatures can reach extreme lows. Any cultivar that is selected for growth in the region must be cold-hardy and have a relatively short growing season required to achieve optimal acidity and sugar content. The best growing regions in Nova Scotia have been rated at only fair suitability having 900-1100 degree days above 10°C, a 150 day frost free period an minimum temperatures of -21°C almost every year and -26°C or lower only once in ten years.

Typically, any cultivar that is selected for growth in Nova Scotia must be sufficiently winter hardy and have a short growing season to ensure that it will ripen early enough in the year to avoid frost damage. This has led wine-makers in the province to pursue alternative grape cultivars for use in their sparkling wines. Although this has been challenging, it has also given Nova Scotia its own signature style of sparkling wines that rivals those produced in more traditional regions such as France and other countries outside of North America.