2014 Tawse Spark Limestone Ridge Sparkling Riesling – Vintages 370361 – $19.95 – **** – This is a “serious” wine at a very “not serious” price. This is a traditional method sparkling wine which means that the fermentation giving it bubbles takes place in the bottle. The nose is bright lemon and lime but there are hints of a field of wild flowers just underneath it. To be honest to call this wine complex might scare someone away from popping the cork loudly on a patio with a group of friends, but this wine from Tawse is a perfect excuse to pop a great bottle of bubbly on the patio with grilled fish or for brunch with bacon. The high acidity and bubbles from this wine keep the palate clean and refreshed which means that this will pair with just about anything you can put on the table next to the bottle (except for maybe a great steak). I have been known to laud the great pairing of Riesling and Bacon, so definitely add that to the bucket list of food pairings.
2014 Benjamin Bridge Nova 7 Sparkling – Vintages 256289 – $24.95 – **** – This is the fourth vintage of this wine I have tasted. For each vintage I have tasted my curiosity continues to increase about what is going on in Nova Scotia. This wine consistently delivers high quality clean flavours. This is your fish fry wine, that makes a lot of sense given where the wine comes from. There is a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity with a floral quality and a bit of sweet spice on the finish of this wine. The fruit is peaches and melon. The wine is lower alcohol than what you would normally find in French or Canadian bubbly which means that as well as being seafood friendly you can sit and enjoy this on a patio on a hot day without having to worry about being hit by the alcohol too quickly. I can’t wait to taste next year!
