A Nova Scotia winery has gained international recognition after landing on the wine list of one of Gordon Ramsay’s prestigious restaurants.
“Just a great TV personality for everyone watching at home, and we're just amazed he'd be picking up a wine from little old Nova Scotia,” says winemaker Devon McConnell-Gordon.
The MasterChef host is serving up Benjamin Bridge’s Brut Reserve 2008 at his three-star Michelin restaurant in London.
Everyone at Benjamin Bridge is raising a glass to the news.
“It's fabulous to put this area onto the map,” says visitor Toby MacDonald.
The man behind the vintage is winemaker Jean Benoit Deslauriers. The modest maker gives much of the credit to the Bay of Fundy.
He says the moderating air effects during the entire growing season allow the grapes to mature to a higher level with low sugar content.
“That's a very eccentric proposition that allows us to make what we believe are among the best sparkling wines on the face of the Earth,” says Deslauriers.
Benjamin Bridge offerings have also been listed at other Michelin-starred restaurants throughout the United Kingdom and France.
The 2008 vintage is sold out, but Deslauriers says the 2010 is comparable.
“It's a traditional method sparkling, just like the one featured at Gordon Ramsay's,” says Deslauriers. “It's a blend of multiple vintages going back to 2002, and so there's actually 15 years of winemaking history in those bottles.”
Everyone at Benjamin Bridge winery say they’re proud of being able to put their small Nova Scotia community on the world stage.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Marie Adsett.
