Out of Nova Scotia: Canada's first artisanal non-alcoholic wine

From a vineyard in the Gaspereau Valley, on the edge of the Bay of Fundy, comes one of Canada’s first domestically grown non-alcoholic wines. And it’s going to be a winner.

This could well be the evocative beginning for the story of one of the first of Canada’s favourite artisanal wines to be replicated in a non-alcoholic format. Nova 0, launching this year, is a product of an artisanal ethos, a passionate sense of place, and a non-interventionist style of wine-making.

Many of you will already be familiar with Benjamin Bridge farm winery, likely for its Piquette 0 percent alcohol wine-style beverage but maybe you will know it for it’s iconic Nova 7 wine. Now you can experience the most popular wine in Nova Scotia, without any alcohol.

Chief winemaker, Jean-Benoit Deslauriers, describes Nova 0 as a natural evolution of the low-alcohol Nova 7. The 7 refers to 2007, the year that particular vintage debuted, but also reflects the under 7% alcohol content. Even in its launch year, Nova 7 was a smash hit and continues to outsell any other wine in Nova Scotia.

“As aspirational leaders in the small world of ultra-premium Canadian wines, we see a niche opportunity at the intersection of non-alcoholic and artisanal winemaking. We believe that our skillset in crafting terroir-driven wines is positioning us to offer a non-alcoholic experience that is both unmatched and presently non-existent.”

Deslauriers says their low and no-alcohol products arise naturally from the location with its unique combination of soil and climate, its terroir. Bees and wildflowers abound and contribute their own essence to the vines.

“The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, rising and falling 14 to 16 metres, twice a day. That enormous displacement creates cool breezes and brings moisture to the vineyards, allowing the4 grapes to ripen more slowly and delays the metabolizing of sugars, creating a naturally lower alcohol product, rather than relying on removing alcohol.”

This low-intervention ethos has always been at the heart of the Benjamin Bridge approach. As Deslaurier notes, “it was never about alcohol”. He describes alcohol as being an almost accidental by-product of creating a taste of place.

“Over the last 17 years, we have perfected our skill in creating new possibilities for the Muscat grape variety; wines previously unseen and to this day never replicated. It was through the uniqueness of our Tidal ecosystem that we were able to bring change, replacing the traditional precedent of sweeter wines with this new take on Muscat; brighter, complex and balanced based on the natural acidy present in our local grapes. Today, we are ready to use the knowledge acquired through years of winemaking innovation to defy the odds and break the mould once more: a non-alcoholic alternative to Nova 7 that successfully captures all the qualities that made the original a modern-day classic. “

So what does the taste of a place mean to you, sitting in your living room miles away from the breezes blowing in off the Bay of Fundy?

It’s first and foremost an extraordinary sensory experience. Close your eyes and smell the breezes off the Atlantic, hear the bees and the wind rustle the vine leaves. Now experience the richness, the brightness, the taste and mouth feel of something that evokes wine, but is in a class of its own.

Nova 0 can be ordered and shipped directly to you from Benjamin Bridge or via softcrush.ca.

<<CLICK HERE FOR NOVA 0 REVIEW AND TASTING NOTES HERE>>

About The Author

Joanna Piros is a writer, trainer, coach and consultant with decades of experience as a journalist in radio and television. She teaches public speaking, communication skills and media relations. You can find Joanna at www.joannapiros.com.