Since 2012, Nova Scotia’s winemakers have produced our region’s signature white wine, Tidal Bay. As the first appellation for Nova Scotia and the only one of its kind in North America, Tidal Bays have received numerous awards and earned world-renowned recognition.
Nova Scotia’s Signature White Wine
These fresh and lively white wines reflect the characteristics of our cool climate region and must meet a strict set of rules and pass a tasting panel’s evaluation before they can proudly stamp Tidal Bay on their label. Each winery may put their twist on it, but at its heart, each Tidal Bay tastes truly Nova Scotian.
The Tides of Nova Scotia
This year, 16 Nova Scotian wineries have released their own expressions of Tidal Bay. Here’s a taste of what the 2024 growing season had to offer.
What makes it a Tidal Bay?
To obtain the prestigious Tidal Bay label, the wine must be made from 100% Nova Scotia grown grapes of specific varieties. From growing to bottling, the wine must adhere to a strict set of standards that were created by a committee comprising of winemakers, sommeliers, and wine experts. Additionally, they must be approved every year by an independent blind tasting panel.
The Standards
- 100% Nova Scotia – all grapes used to make Tidal Bay must be grown in Nova Scotia
- Signature Grapes – the majority of the wine must be made individually or from a combination of Nova Scotia’s signature grape varietals including L’Acadie Blanc, Seyval, Vidal or Geisenheim 318. Other varieties are permitted to add aromatic seasoning but cannot dominate the final character of the wine.
- Vinification – the wines must be vinified in an inert container such as stainless steel to preserve freshness. The wine can be aged in up 20% new oak but if the wine tastes oaky, it will be rejected by the tasting panel.
- Concentration – to ensure the concentration of flavours, the yields (amount of grapes as measured in tonnes) per acre of vineyard has a threshold. For Tidal Bay it is four tonnes per acre.
- Balance – To ensure the wines strike the right balance of body, acidity and fruitiness, wineries must adhere to minimum and maximum alcohol standards, minimum acidity levels and maximum sugar levels.
The Judging Process
Before it can be named a Tidal Bay, Nova Scotia’s winemakers must first pass a tasting panel analysis. The wines are sent to a third party that hosts a blind tasting for the judging panel consisting of wine writers, educators and sommeliers.
Over the years, the members of the tasting panel have trained their palates to focus on the flavour profiles they believe best represent Tidal Bay. Through the blind tasting process, wines are scored from one to five:
- A score of one indicates the wine is faulted as a result of an error in the winemaking process.
- A score of two indicates the wine isn’t faulted but has failed the tasting. Usually this means the panel feels the wine does not represent the qualities of Tidal Bay.
- Wines that receive a score between three and five pass the tasting. A score of five is reserved for the wines the judges feel best represent Tidal Bay.
Wineries have up to four attempts to present their wines to the tasting panel each year. While they never want to fail any samples, the judges take the responsibility of ensuring consumers are guaranteed of the quality and consistency of wines labelled as Tidal Bay.