Living in Wine Country
By N.Neslihan Ivit, M.Sc. Vinifera European Viticulture and Enology
Being a wine-producing country and living close to the vineyard changes our lives in many aspects. Firstly, it gives us the opportunity to visit the vineyards around us and to see how the grapevines are growing. If you haven’t payed attention to grapevine growth before, I suggest you to do it now, as it’s one of the prettiest seasons of the vineyards, when everything is all alive and green. When you visit a vineyard and get to know it more, you will feel closer to nature and this will make you feel happy, I can guarantee you that!
Secondly, you will start to appreciate more the wine, and the people who produce it, by respecting their soil. It’s challenging to deal with a vineyard and it’s even more challenging in Nova Scotia because of the cold climate conditions. When a glass of wine comes to your table from the Nova Scotian vineyards, behind it, there is a strong collaboration of nature and humans. So, do spare a minute of your time before you enjoy your wine, to have a toast for nature and our wine producing neighbours in the region.
Finally, living in wine country affects the cuisine. When you start to spare a place for wine on your table, the meals start to be fancier. A bottle of wine, and the wineglasses around it, can completely change the atmosphere around the table. (Of course, it’s important to remember that a *moderate* consumption of wine is the key.) As Robert Mondavi (one of the pioneers of wine production in Napa Valley, who passed away in 2008) said, “Fine wine can turn a good meal into a feast.” All in all, we are all lucky to be surrounded by vineyards which wait for us to visit, and to have local wines which wait for us to taste. Cheers!
