Benjamin Bridge Tidal Bay 2022

Reviewed on October 13, 2023

When you think of Canadian wine, does Nova Scotia come to mind? Well, it is high time to add Nova Scotia to the list. Nova Scotia holds claim to being home to Canada’s 1st vineyard. It was planted by Louis Hebert, a French settler in the 1611. (412 years ago!)

Jumping ahead to present day. Wine is a booming industry in Nova Scotia with 7 wine regions – Annapolis Valley, Gaspereau Valley, Malagash Peninsula, Bear River Valley, Avon River Valley, LeHave River Valley and Marble Mountain (in Cape Breton). There are 19 grape wineries producing 1.9 million liters of wine per year.

Nova Scotia has a cool maritime climate, so getting grapes to fully ripen is challenging – especially red grapes. To navigate around this climatic hurdle, they plant a lot of hybrid grapes that are much hardier and can handle colder temperatures.

Benjamin Bridge winery is located near the town of Wolfville in the Gaspereau Valley region. Benjamin Bridge Tidal Bay is a blend of 4 grapes - l’Acadie Blanc, Seyval, Riesling  and Geisenheim. Tidal Bay is Canada’s only appellation wine! The wine reflects the costal terroir of the Bay of Fundy region. Benjamin Bridge is one of 14 wineries that make a wine labeled as Tidal Bay. This wine is fresh and lively and a natural match for fresh east coast oysters!