Text 27850, 89 rader
Skriven 2012-08-02 22:10:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
Ärende: interesting wine review
===============================
I have never seen Beppi so enthusiastic about a Canadian wine. I will
certainly seek this out if I'm ever down east.

Meet a white wine from Nova Scotia that's a real party favourite

Beppi Crosariol, The Globe and Mail

A wine can stand out for many reasons. It may be good, bad,
ridiculously expensive or surprisingly cheap. It may come with a
quirky name or arresting label. Rarely, though, does a single wine
stand out for blazing a new stylistic trail. Benjamin Bridge Nova 7
does that. It's a category unto itself.

If you've had the pleasure of a good moscato d'Asti, the lightly
spritzy, semi-sweet, gloriously fragrant white from Italy, you'll
have a sense of its core attributes. But there's a noteworthy
difference.

Nova 7 is livelier and not as sweet, thanks to a high-current jolt
of acidity. Imagine moscato d'Asti crossed with dry Mosel riesling
and you'll have abetter picture. Alternatively, imagine a white
table grape jumper-cabled to a car battery.

Peter Gamble had that stylistic fusion in mind when he created Nova
7, which happens to come from Nova Scotia, a refreshingly crisp and
pioneering region. A Niagara-based consultant with his own vineyard
in Argentina, Gamble has been the guiding light behind Benjamin
Bridge since the estate's inception more than a decade ago. Located
in the Gaspereau Valley near Wolfville, the ambitious venture was
founded by Gerry McConnell, a wealthy gold-mining executive. Its
specialty is high-end, Champagne-style sparkling wine, about which
I've enthused in the past. (Its 2008 Methode Classique Rose is among
about 20 wines being showcased at Olympics receptions by Canada's
High Commissioner in London.)

Those pricey bubblies take between four and six years to mature in
cellar before release, so, to get the cash flowing, Gamble set about
creating a fresh white he could sell soon after harvest. He loved
moscato d'Asti for its grapey-floral aromatics and low alcohol
(usually around 6 per cent). But, like me, he often wished it could
be drier. Nova 7 was born and is now crafted beautifully by
full-time winemaker Jean-Benoit Deslauriers.

Its maiden vintage (2007) flew off the shelves in Nova Scotia and it
has since developed a cult following, not least among women. "Nova 7
parties" have been taking up where cosmo-fuelled Sex and the City
gatherings left off in the 1990s. People lineup at Nova Scotia
stores, some hoarding case-loads, during its first week of release
each spring.

In fairness, that demand has been driven in part by scarcity. Fewer
than 4,000 cases of the current 2011 vintage were produced, though
more will be made in future as new plantings bear fruit. It's an
uncommon mix of grapes, too (chiefly a couple of muscat varieties),
which supply the aromatic verve; high-acid French hybrids supply the
nerve. Those vines fare reasonably well in Nova Scotia's cool
climate, especially when picked - as demanded by crisp, fizzy wine -
before they reach full ripeness.

In fact, the weather seems particularly well-suited to making fizz
from muscat, a grape with naturally low acidity.

"We wanted to do what no other wine region could do," Gamble says.
While it has been almost exclusively a home province phenomenon,
limited quantities of the especially good 2011 vintage go on sale
today in Ontario through Vintages stores. The rest of the country
will have to wait a few years to get in on the Nova 7-party action.

Benjamin Bridge Nova 7 2011 (Nova Scotia)

SCORE: 91 PRICE: $25.95

Very subtle effervescence helps lift the off dry sweetness, pulling
this ethereal, 6.5-per cent-alcohol white into perfect, refreshing
balance. Sip it on its own in the summer sun or pair its sweet-sour
flavour with aromatic Southeast Asian dishes featuring ingredients
such as lemongrass, cilantro and lime.


Cheers

YK Jim


... I prefer high-end things like wine with corks and beer with hops.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 And Still Here. Join Us: www.DocsPl (1:123/140)