L'Acadie Vineyards, Nova Scotia Wines, Gaspereau
Interview on Organic Winemaking, Andres Wines and Gaspereau Valley
Aug 17, 2009
S101 : Good afternoon, Mr. Ewert. Could you tell us a bit more about your history as a winemaker and your interest in wine here in the Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia?
L'Acadie Vineyards : I've been a winemaker since 1986, so I knew what I wanted in a location. My wife, Pauline, is originally from Nova Scotia, and I actually grew up in Vancouver.
I have a Bio-Resource Engineering degree from the University of British Columbia. I came out here to Truro to work at Andres Wines, where I actually met Pauline.
We went back to B.C. where I continued to work with Andres.Then I worked for other small wineries in the Okanagan Valley. Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards and Summerhill Pyramid Winery – both of these wineries specializing in sparkling wine made in the traditional method.
We'd always had a plan to move back, and finally in 2003 we came back on a serious vacation, kicked some dirt around, looked at all the available properties and found this property on Slayter Rd, in the Gaspereau Valley.
Our soil is very rocky on this side of the valley, it is northwest facing. When the glaciers receded, it retained a lot of rock, as it was the last to melt. This is ideal in many ways, it allows
for better draining of water and mineral flavours in the grapes. This is great terroir, or soil for grapes.
When we came out initially in this area the prevailing knowledge was that you absolutely required a south facing slope in order to produce grapes in Nova Scotia. In British Columbia that was not always the case – you planted the variety that suited the particular site.
This would not be a good site for Cabernet Sauvignon, for instance, as it's not nearly hot enough.
You pick the varieties for the site, and we decided on the L'Acadie grape.
The L'Acadie grape is well suited to this climate and microclimate, to this slope that we have here. The main thing is that cold climate requires a slope to prevent against lingering frost.
We've found that we're getting the same heat units that the other side of the Gaspereau River is getting, and the same general temperatures. We're getting about 1000 heat units a year, and about 180 frost-free days each year.
We've seen excellent results with the grapes that we've grown. They're still very young. We've had two harvests so far, a small '07 harvest and a bit larger '08 harvest.
S101 : And that's of the L'Acadie?
L'Acadie Vineyards : Yes. So we brought most of that into sparkling while retaining a bit for still wines.
We're a certified organic winery, actually, L'Acadie Vineyards is the only certified organic winery in Nova Scotia. It means that our practices, products, and records are checked by a third party – there are very specific guidelines at we need to meet in order to satisfy this certification.
What this essentially means is no herbicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers – but it's more than that. No pressure treated posts, and restrictions on winemaking procedures would be examples. We are accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the reason they've taken over from smaller accrediting bodies is to ensure consistency.
We offer one organic certified wine at the moment – that being Organic L'Acadie, but we are still quite young and are increasing our organic repertoire within the next few years as our vineyard enters full production. We also, however, offer Organic Cider which is obviously a huge hit here in the Annapolis Valley.
We'll be planting 10 acres on this property, and as we produce more, we'll be offering more organic wines. We're already developing a network of growers who will also be planting and growing organic grapes for us – starting with the South Shore here in Nova Scotia.
I believe that because we're not chemically treating the earth, by killing the weeds underneath for instance – and this is the whole premise of organic agriculture, that there's a healthy soil and food web existent – arthropods like earthworms, micro-organisms, bacteria, fungal populations all create food for the vine.
Due to that healthy, nutrient rich soil the flavour of the grapes is expressed more clearly than if you were to scorch it with chemicals. When someone drinks an organic wine they should feel good that they are promoting good stewardship of the land and that they are avoiding chemicals in their diet.
The conventional approach is to feed the vine. We nurture the soil, which in turn feeds the vine.
S101 : And how has the organic cider been received?
L'Acadie Vineyards : The cider has also proven especially popular – it's always nice to have a product that you can offer people who are interested in pairing something unique and refreshing to go alongside spicy asian dishes, Thai food, etc.
Nova Scotia wines are typically fruity, and very delicate – they'll get lost in the mix with spicy foods. So this has been a great pairing beverage for us.
The Interview is Continued...
Mr. Ewert first elaborates on L'Acadie Vineyards distinctive use of the traditional method in crafting their sparkling wines, and finally discusses their contributions to Ryan's Well and his motivation in becoming a winemaker and winery owner.
L'Acadie Vineyards, Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia
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