Bruce Ewert is a wine star in his own right. Born in BC – he has done it all – Agriculture Engineering degree at UBC, then studied winemaking at the highly regarded University of California, Davis. He put his studies into action and has been making wine for over 25 years in notable wineries including British Columbia, Ontario, California, Australia…and now Nova Scotia.
Bruce is best known for crafting outstanding sparkling wines at BC wineries. I first met Bruce at a wine festival where he introduced me to Summerhill’s sparkling wines…and I have been a fan ever since. When I saw him next with a different bottle of bubbly in hand – from Nova Scotia – I was intrigued.
He explained that he was drawn to the rapid growth of Nova Scotia as a wine region in Canada. Plus, the grapes grown there are ideal for making sparkling wine. And with a Bluenose wife, Bruce even had a family relation to the region.
Just like Bruce did in BC, he is turning heads in Nova Scotia. In 2008, he release the first traditional method sparkling wine made in Nova Scotia. His family-run winery L’Acadie Vineyards arrived on the world wine map – literally overnight.
The winery is one of the few wineries in Canada that are certified organic by Pro-Cert. This was extremely important to Bruce & his family.
“It is a natural choice” simply declares Bruce. He continues to explain that the focus on being organic encourages healthy soil. This comes through in the wine as terroir. Bruce and his family can talk your ear off (in a good way about the virtues of being organic), most of all, this stewardship is a commitment to a bountiful winemaking for many generations. Being a new wine region in Canada, this approach will benefit the Nova Scotia wine industry.
We are excited to introduce to you L’Acadie Vineyards and their wines that are made with 100% Nova Scotia grown grapes – some varieties that you have never heard of before.
Enjoy every sip!
Introducing…
Bruce Ewert
Winemaker & Owner of L’Acadie Vineyards
There are tonnes of articles and interviews about Bruce – after all he is a wine star. We wanted to get some ‘dirt’ about the man who makes incredible sparkling wines. So we ‘grilled’ him with 20 Questions to learn more about what makes him tick….”This is raw & unedited” Bruce confesses. We were happy to hear that he had fun being grilled too!
Bruce….what do you take in your morning coffee or tea?
Organic green tea, straight up
What drink would you like right this minute?
Sparkling is on my mind a lot
When you were 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Teacher
What was the very first winery that you ever visited?
My mother’s basement
What wine got you hooked?
Oddly, it was Lindeman’s Bin 65 (Australia) back in 1988. I was intrigued by the buttery notes & its viscosity
Take a few minutes and jot down the path to becoming the winemaker you are today:
Peller Estates, Sebastiani, Padthaway, See Ya Later Ranch, Summerhill, L’Acadie Vineyards- you might see a decreasing volume trend here, 400,0000 cases to 20,0000 down to 2000…and I couldn’t be happier. My path veered to organic when I was head winemaker at Summerhill = intense terroir flavours. We went on to establish the first certified organic winery in Nova Scotia in 2004. And a Traditional Method sparkling focus at the last four wineries that I worked at set us up to release the first Traditional Method sparkling for the region.
What is your winemaking style in 3 words:
Sparkling from living soil
Do you have music playing in the cellar while you work?
CBC radio1,2. ABC in Australia. ‘Pruning playlist’ on Spotify
What is your favorite thing about the local wine industry:
Turning heads, especially to wine enthusiasts outside the province
Favorite thing about growing grapes:
Tasting the terroir from living soils
What part of winemaking are you always trying new things?
New styles that suit our region’s climate – presently doing research for our Pet Nat program. In the past – Appassimento styles, Traditional Method cider
What is the unglamorous thing about winemaking?
Tank cleaning
Who have been your mentors throughout your winemaking career:
Harry McWatters at Time Winery
What about personal mentors?
Influenced by the motivational leaders of the 80’s
What wine region do you want to visit next?
Spain
One surprising thing that I’m really good at:
Swimming in competitions in the glory years
When is your birthday (no year required!)
February 27 – I’m not a leap year baby!
My Birthday “Favorite Meal”:
Salmon, local asparagus, roasted potatoes, Prestige Brut Estate
What do you like to do when in you are not making wine?
Teaching people to make wine
And now for Question #20….
Since you are lucky to have lived and work in several wine regions across Canada – what are 2 of your favorite places that you’d recommend to take a break from tasting and touring to do? You know…the ‘local inside scoop’
Theos Restaurant in Penticton, BC
Go tubing down Gaspereau River in NS…just ask any local in Wolfville how to do this.
And that is a wrap!
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