According to Wikipedia:

"Porter is a dark style of beer developed in London from well-hopped beers made from brown malt. The name was first recorded in the 18th century and is thought to come from its popularity with street and river porters, who carried objects for others.

The history and development of stout and porter beer types are intertwined. The name "stout", used for a dark beer, is believed to have come about because strong porters were marketed under such names as "extra porter", "double porter", and "stout porter". The term stout porter would later be shortened to just stout. For example, Guinness Extra Stout was originally called "Extra Superior Porter" and was only given the name "Extra Stout" in 1840."

Cool, but what do the local brewers say? We contacted Chantelle Webb from Lunn's Mill Brewing, who make arguably one of the best porters in the province, Anvil Porter.

Chantelle says, "At Lunn's our Anvil Porter has been one of the most popular brews since putting it on tap in 2017. Gone is the adage that dark beers are for winter only. We like it dark with those hints of chocolate and coffee roastiness especially in the heat of this perfect summer we've been having in Nova Scotia. Our customers love the malty body and smoothness and we have been told that it is one of the best examples of porter in the province by our peers in the brewing industry. Most surprisingly are the folks who shy away from dark beers because of their perceived heaviness and thickness on the palate but find Anvil balanced with its malty sweetness and deceptively light and totally smooth finish."

We have to agree! If you like coffee, chocolate, and toasted malt rather than hop bombs, but still enjoy a lighter beer, you'll probably love a Porter. And once you get a taste for Porters, look for interesting tastes such as:

Garrison Maple Porter

Propeller Coffee Porter

Nine Locks Vanilla Porter

Roof Hound Pumpkin Spice Latte Porter

Tatamagouche Smores Porter

And many more small batch and seasonal offerings.

As an interesting side note, here's a link to immigration records for Canada for 'Porters and Domestics'

As befits the history of Porters, Carry On!

Until recently, all vodka sold in Canada had to be distilled from either potatoes or cereal grains. Even world-famous Ciroc Vodka had to be called Grape Spirit in this country. This was an oddity unknown elsewhere in the world.

But, thanks to the persistence and disruptive innovation of Distillers Lynne MacKay and Pierre Guevremont of Ironworks Distillery, this has now been changed.

As Lynne tells it:

The Vodka War started in Canada on July 14, 2016, when the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) sent us an email stating that they had received a “trade complaint” about the labelling of Ironworks Vodka. They told us that vodka had to be made from only grain or potato and without distinctive character, aroma and taste, and would we please remove vodka from the label as soon as possible.

We said ‘no’ and so the war was on.

There were meetings. And phone calls. And letters asking when we were going to “bring the product into compliance”. We kept explaining that we would not be doing that. They even threatened at one point to “seize the product”. Throughout it all, we refused to change the label and insisted that they look at re-writing the rules.

All this time, our Local Member of Parliament, Bernadette Jordan, and her tireless team, were working behind the scenes in concert with former MP Scott Brison, to convince the Minister of Agriculture to revise the compositional standards of Canada’s Food Labelling and bring them into alignment with the rest of the major world markets.

Finally, in June 2019, the government announced that it would be changing the compositional standards as we requested. Victory.

The CFIA asserts that the new regulations will “encourage competition, facilitate interprovincial and international trade, promote innovation and enable cost-savings”. Those statements are all well and good but remain to be proven. The most important piece of the puzzle for us micro-distillers is allowing for creativity and the production of unusual, delicious and very local “vodka” that is now able to compete internationally using the name and definition that it deserved all along.

To the half dozen or so distillers making “unorthodox” vodka in Canada – you’re welcome!

Sometimes persistence pays off, and not just for your own business.

Read the new standards

 Image courtesy of Taste of Nova Scotia

Petite Rivière Vineyards is the largest winery in the LaHave River Valley Wine Region on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The unique terroir of the region is based on the sedimentary soil and rocks left behind by the last glaciers that formed part of Nova Scotia's surface by taking all the rock out of Annapolis Valley and depositing it on the south shore.

This rocky, well-drained soil with low organic matter grows grapes with more concentrated flavours, more tannins and thicker skin. These soils are ideal for growing red grapes and 80% of Petite vineyards are planted with red varietals. The vineyards experience the constant coastal breeze of Nova Scotia’s South Shore (that is the Gulf Stream) that evaporates moisture, keeping the vines safe from disease with no need to spray.

The winery building is set atop a drumlin hill with the vineyards sweeping below the stone terrace. The setting is a picturesque, beautiful countryside; a French-designed winery with lavender gardens - visitors often comment, “it is like being in Provence”.

Wines
Petite Rivière Vineyards is noted for the quality of its red wines. It relies on the unique terroir of one of the oldest grape-growing regions in North America to make distinctive wines. Petite has two vineyards; both built on a classic drumlin hillside, the drumlin situated next to the winery is rich in slate rocky soil. Drumlins are small, rolling rocky hills created by retreating glaciers.

Petite’s winemaker, Christian Perlat, from Burgundy France, grew up on a 200-year family-owned winery. He uses French methods in his winemaking with 20 years’ working in many of the great wine houses in France and several years in the Okanagan. He shares the belief with the owners that the winemaking starts in the vineyard. He is a prolific expert vineyard manager having grown grapes all over the world.

In addition to great reds, Christian has introduced a series of fortified wines, otherwise referred to as Port. The 2016 Mighty Maroon, made specifically for the Canadian Army, won an all-Canadian silver medal.

Region & Association
The South Shore Grape Growers Association has over 20 members all with vineyards in the South Shore. The association is working on developing the Osprey Ridge Winery CoOp and South Shore Agri-Innovation Park to further develop the wine industry in the South Shore. The Winery CoOp would allow for smaller growers to have wines professionally made, with options to sell their wines. The CoOp will have 5 acres of experimental vineyards where they plan to plant the Varieties-of-the-Future to determine what grape varietals grow the best wines in the region’s unique soils.

Petite uses a variety of hybrid grapes in their red wines. Perlat says, “The hybrid is a grape with a big character,” stressing the importance of time in making good red wine. “Hybrids require a lot of patience. To change the reputation of red wine in Nova Scotia, we need to be patient.”

The running commentary within the beverage industry in Nova Scotia is that Nova Scotians talk 'dry' but really drink 'sweet.' As most producers will tell you, their most popular products are the sweetest ones they make.

So what does this mean, how do you know what to look for, and most importantly, what if you REALLY DO want a dry cider?

With the help of some of Nova Scotia's cider producers, we've unpacked some information for you to consider when shopping for ciders.

According to thebacklabel.com "high amounts of sugar give beverages a thick, viscous or heavy feeling often described as wet...on the other hand, less sugar means less thickness, less sweetness and more of that crisp, dry feeling."

But that's not the end of the story. The word 'feeling' in this description is critical. As Sean Myles of Annapolis Cider Company in Wolfville will tell you, "Currently, there are neither regulations nor accepted criteria for labelling a cider as 'dry'. As is most commonly practised in the wine industry, we use the word 'dry' when the remaining sweetness of a cider, if any, is balanced in a way with the acid and tannin to produce the perception of 'dry'." So, a cider may feel 'dry' in your mouth, even though it is higher in sugar. And if that feeling is what is important to you, drink on!

However, if you are looking for a truly dry cider with low sugar content, look to the label. The amount of sugar left after fermentation is called residual sugar (RS) and is used by winemakers, cider makers and often brewers. Listed as grams per litre (g/L,) this is a reliable way to determine true dryness as opposed to perceived dryness.  Ross Palmer and Jimi Doidge from Maritime Express Cider tell us, "Our dry cider has 0-2 grams per litre while the semi-sweet has 18-22 grams per litre." That's a big difference if the sugar content is important to you for any reason, or if you truly want a cider that drinks like a Brut bubbly.

If your favourite cider brand doesn't list the RS (residual sugar) consider asking the cidery to add it to their labelling. Because, in one last twist, "dry beverages can be perceived as sweet if the beverage had flavours imparted on it through ageing in oak, such as notes of caramel, fruit, or floral notes for example...and are then slightly carbonated which adds another layer of perceived sweetness," according to Palmer and Doidge.

Worth noting, hangovers are more likely with high sugar beverages than low sugar ones.

Try as many of Nova Scotia's local craft ciders as it takes to discover what you enjoy, is our advice, just not all in one sitting! We work with eleven cider producers in Nova Scotia to bring you the best in variety.

The world is waking up to the emerging sparkling wine region that exists in Nova Scotia.
Whether using vinifera grapes (think Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) or our unique hybrid grapes such as L'Acadie Blanc, our award-winning sparkling wines are hitting the spot with locals and the international crowd, too!

With notice coming from international wine shows, sommeliers from around the globe, and Canadian wine fans, it's easy to see that this wine style will factor large in the future of Nova Scotia wines.

For a fantastic look at our sparkling wine industry, including a tasting trip around the Annapolis Valley and the South Shore that you can replicate, check out the Sparkling Winos NS Travel Guide! Give Mike and Jeff a follow, too, if you are a fan of bubbles.

We locals tend to take our backyard for granted, so if Nova Scotia is your home be sure to be a Hometown Tourist this year, and try some of our sparkling wines. You'll be glad you did!