Domaine de Grand Pre, L'Acadie Blanc, Local Wine
Interview Discussing L'Acadie Grapes, Nova Scotia Wine as Industry
Aug 17, 2009
S101 : Can you describe your range of clients? What types of customers are interested in Domaine de Grand Pré / Grand Pré Wines?
Domaine de Grand Pré : I think it's the person who really enjoys quality. The customer, the tourist, the guest who wants the entire experience.
The experience goes something like this. A guest might enter and ask : "Do you have any white? A Chardonnay?" and we reply "We cannot grow Chardonnay, but we do have some wonderful L'Acadie Blanc."
"L'Acadie Blanc? What's that, I've not heard the name. Can I taste some?"
They might take one of our daily tours, participate in our tastings, enjoy our wine bar, and stay for dinner at Le Caveau, a gorgeous and professionally prepared meal for these guests. Wine and hospitality is a culture of experiences.
Many of our customers are retiring baby boomers who worked hard their entire lives, saved their money, and now they want to see the world, they want to spend some money on experiencing new places, new cultures, and in particular to learn more about wine, wellness, and hospitality.
Wellness is a huge trend – it is a lifestyle, a movement towards leisure and relaxation, the relief of stress.
Our client is sophisticated, any age, any gender, who really and truly enjoys and cares for the beauty of wine. Taking the time to appreciate the aroma, the palette, the ability to pair wine with European haute cuisine.
S101 : That effort is apparent, especially in your fields and vineyard here on the premises at Domaine de Grand Pré.
Domaine de Grand Pré : You should see what we're doing. Look out at this vineyard here, look at the clusters. The naked cluster of grapes, there are no leaves blocking that cluster.
If we open the canopy and allow the sun into the cluster, into the berries it produces a superior grape. If it rains, it is faster drying that way as well. It's about attention to detail on all of our vines.
S101 : Do you feel it's important to contribute to the local economy – both with regards to production as well as employment.
Domaine de Grand Pré : Of course. We could do an economic impact study of the wine industry in Nova Scotia and it would produce some interesting and positive results. 90% of our building and creation was done locally – I took great care when creating this winery that it was primarily conducted locally. I mean, we shop locally, we are active at the Wolfville Farmer's Market with our booth as well as purchasing goods from that market.
We have farmers grow for us different fruits, vegetables, products for salads at Le Caveau. It's a little difficult to get every single thing locally, but if you can go local, it should be a huge priority.
We decided also to start holding social events for local consumers and local residents as well, with evenings of music and wine or other spirits. Organized by my daughter initially, we began doing this three years ago with great success – a Martini Night.
We had the Hupman Brothers last Thursday night here in pergola, all sorts of people from Grand Pré, Wolfville, the surrounding area.
Everyone had such a wonderful time and our grounds are beautiful enough to hold an outdoor event like that on a pleasant summer evening.
The Interview Continues
Miss out on the the initial discussion on why Hanspeter Stutz chose Grand Pre as an ideal location? The interview is also continued regarding crush wine clubs, vineyard walking tours, and new varieties!
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