Wine Review - 2012 Gaspereau Vineyards Tidal Bay: Nova Scotia Wine And Sushi Is A Match Made In Heaven

Given our overall lackluster wine tasting volume during the last 12 months we are just now getting around to drinking wines we have had in the racks for a while now.

This wine we purchased at the winery last year when we took one of the first trips to the Valley after our little guy arrived.  As you can see from the picture, we know require a 'Swear Jar' to go along with our wines.  It really is amazing to see how your terrible habits come back to roost on you.

In any event, to the wine.

For those unaware, we here in Nova Scotia have an actual appellation for our aromatic whites.  Tidal Bay was born a couple of years ago as great idea to play to our strengths as a wine region.  There are many regulations that go with putting Tidal Bay on your label including the grapes you can use as well as percentages of each.  Same idea as Bordeaux or Barolo with rules and regulations.  It's a flexible blend wine in terms of allow winemakers to use the best grapes from the vintage to drive the blend.  Great idea.  You will see L'Acadie Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Muscat, along with a bunch of other options in there.  All in all the goal is to create an easy drinking, cool climate white blend.  Each winery will have its own unique blend and that just adds to the magic.

This wine from Gaspereau Vineyards is a great example.  It is a pale yellow wine which indicates mostly stainless steel and it is a very clear wine.  It borders on watery but has a bit viscosity and body in the glass.

The nose is very light with hints of pear and citrus which reminds of Chardonnay or even lighter whites like Torrontes.  Very nice nose.

The flavours of this only slightly off-dry white wine are honey and lime zest.  It is a clean palate that makes one think of almost flinty German whites without all of the sugar.  It has a mineral component that is really nice and this would make a nice patio wine with the impending Summer overdue.  The main challenge is that it doesn't stay on the palate all that long and the crisp acidity makes way for a very slightly bitter finish.

	Tasting Notes:	Score:
Sight (0-5)	Pale yellow and very clear that borders on watery.	4.0
Smell (0-5)	Very light nose with hints of citrus and pear.	4.0
Taste (0-10)	Slightly off dry with honey and lime notes as well as a hint of minerality. Slightly bitter finish.	8.25
	Total:	16.25 / 20 (81.25%)

As with all our Nova Scotia wines, the pricing can be a little all over the place.  This one clocks in at $21.99 which is in the same range as many Kiwi Sauv Blancs.  Our wine industry is still in its infancy and we empathize with Nova Scotia wineries trying to balance pricing and profitability.  We would definitely pay $22 for this wine but outside of our province folks might not recognize the value proposition right away.  Call it a work in progress.

Keep on tasting!

Chris & Shannon