By BILL SPURR Features Writer
Sat. Dec 1 - 4:46 AM
Luckily, they had plenty of wine on hand for the celebration.
After just its second year, the Discover the Wines of Nova Scotia festival was named the Signature Event of the Year at the annual conference of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia this week.
The celebration of the fall grape harvest included more than 35 venues and attracted more than 10,000 visitors.
"In Year 1, we had 18 venues come on board and in Year 2 we doubled that and we doubled the capacity of every venue. There were only three venues that weren’t sold out," said Sean Buckland, executive director of the Winery Association of Nova Scotia, after accepting the award.
"The people involved did a tremendous job; the Alcove Bistros and Tempest Restaurants of the world believe in this, and did a great job on their own marketing this, and bringing people in."
"It’s something that we believe in. If you looked at Niagara 30 years ago, people thought of waterfalls. Now they think of wine. Wine has transformed Niagara and it is transforming Nova Scotia. When it comes to food and wine, it’s our belief that we can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the world. For us to promote that, and let guests experience that, it’s an awesome feeling."
Buckland said he intends to increase the festival’s momentum by lengthening the time in which the province’s restaurants create special menus featuring Nova Scotia wines paired with locally produced food.
And another wine festival will debut this winter.
"We’re going to have the first Ice Wine Festival in February, to market the winter season at a time of year when people don’t normally go out," he said. "Culinary tourism has no boundaries; there’s no season when it comes to food and wine."
Kim Strickland of Gaspereau Vineyards has participated in the Discover the Wines of Nova Scotia festival both years, and said it has had a noticeable impact on visitation to the winery.
From The Chronicle Herald