Photo Courtesy of Taste of Nova Scotia
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (PRWEB)
September 26, 2019
Fall in Nova Scotia offers travelers leaf-peeping opportunities to rival those in New England, while also rewarding visitors with culinary exploration at seasonal festivals and along its signature Good Cheer Trail, Lobster Trail, and Chowder Trail.
Taste of Nova Scotia’s Trail programs feature new participating venues, hands-on experiences, and prize packages. Each culinary Trail details dozens of stops to taste, imbibe, and enjoy a multitude of Nova Scotia’s signature culinary experiences along the province’s 4,500 miles of coastline.
Nova Scotia has a rich culinary heritage along with an equally long legacy in cultivating locally produced wine and beer. The province produces a quarter of Canada’s seafood and boasts a billion-plus dollar fish and seafood export industry annually. Grapes have been grown since the early 1600s and today’s wineries receive international acclaim, while locally brewed beer dates back to the mid-18th century.
The Nova Scotia Harvest Wine Festival celebrates the province’s growing wine industry through October 31 with a calendar of events, including tastings, vineyard tours, wine-paired dinners, sommelier picnics, and more. A full list of events and locations can be found at https://nsharvestwinefestival.ca/
“In Nova Scotia we have the unique ability to tell our story through food and drink and through the people who contribute to our culinary heritage, from lobster fishers and farmers to vintners and brew masters,” said Emily Haynes, executive director, Taste of Nova Scotia.
Trail Passports
Each Trail has its own passport with a map, description of venues, and a card for visitors to collect stamps as they visit participating locations. Once a certain number of stamps are collected, passports can be sent digitally or by mail to enter to win prizes, from tee-shirts and culinary tours to fresh lobster shipped right to your door depending on the Trail. Visitors can get all three Trail passports at a participating Trail stop locations or can access the digital versions at http://www.novascotiaculinarytrails.com.
The three culinary trails are province wide and represent all seven regions of Nova Scotia, including Halifax, South Shore, Yarmouth and Acadian Shore, Bay of Fundy and Annapolis Valley, Northumberland Shore, Cape Breton Island and the Eastern Shore.
Good Cheer Trail
With 84 participating locations, the Good Cheer Trail is Canada’s first and only winery, brewery, cidery, and distillery trail. French settler and cartographer Samuel de Champlain established the Order of Good Cheer in 1606 in Port Royal near the Bay of Fundy. Today’s Good Cheer Trail celebrates the legacy of Champlain’s Order of Good Cheer, one of the first known gastronomic societies in North America.
Among the 16 wineries featured are distinctive locations such as the Avondale Sky Winery and Restaurant, where the tasting room is located in a church built in 1837, and Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards, Nova Scotia’s only certified biodynamic vineyard. Travelers can partake in tours and tastings at each featured winery, 11 of which also make Tidal Bay, the first wine appellation for Nova Scotia. A crisp, aromatic white wine, it displays the singular characteristics of the province’s cool climate and pairs perfectly with local seafood.
With 48 breweries and brew pubs on the Good Cheer Trail, visitors can sample award-winning IPAs, ales and lagers, along with a variety of truly “local” craft beers. The Oyster Stout at Sober Island Brewing in Eastern Passage is made with real oysters to infuse their stout with a true taste of the sea. At Boxing Rock in Shelburne the deliciously refreshing Sour Mash Cranberry Wheat Ale is made with Nova Scotia cranberries.
As with wine and beer production, the seven cideries and 10 distilleries are craft and small-batch producers, utilizing local ingredients, including locally grown apples, berries and other produce. Among the participants is Steinhart Distillery, who recently won the award for Best Classic Gin from Canada at the 2019 World Gin Awards in London, England, and Halifax’s first cidery, Chain Yard Urban Cidery.
Once 10 stamps have been collected, visitors can enter a drawing to win one of three grand prize Good Cheer tour experiences; at 15 stamps travelers can also earn a complimentary Good Cheer Trail tee-shirt (supplies are limited). For information on the Good Cheer Trail, visit http://www.goodcheertrail.com.
Lobster Trail
With 44 trail stops, including 40 restaurants, two seafood retailers and two lobster experiences on the map, the Lobster Trail offers lovers of this hearty crustacean a wide variety of classic and innovative dishes, from lobster poutine and lobster eggs benedict, to lobster tacos, fondue, and, of course, the traditional boiled lobster dinner.
Now in its second year, the Lobster Trail offers two experiences in quintessential Nova Scotia locations: Cape Breton Highlands National Park where visitors will learn about and enjoy a traditional lobster boil; and on the Peggy’s Cove Boat Tours & Lobster Dinner visitors will enjoy a savory lobster dinner during a two-hour boat tour.
Among the 40 restaurants featured this year are the Shore Club Lobster Suppers, celebrating 83 years of serving the original Nova Scotia Lobster Supper, and Halls Harbour Lobster Pound & Restaurant where visitors can witness the world’s highest tides on the Bay of Fundy while feasting on a number of delicacies, from lobster dinners and lobster rolls to lobster mac n’ cheese and lobster quesadillas.
Once visitors collect between three and 10 stamps, they will be eligible for three grand prize draws by submitting their passports via mail or digitally. For details, visit http://www.novascotialobstertrail.com.
Chowder Trail
Nova Scotia is home to Canada’s original Chowder Trail, first launched in 2011. Travelers can experience 59 seafood chowders across the province without tasting the same recipe twice. Each restaurant has its own methods and distinctive flavors – from smoked haddock and corn chowder to bacon and lobster chowder – that reflects each region of the province and family traditions.
Many visitors love to sample as many chowders as possible as they navigate their way around Nova Scotia. Among the highlights are Charlene’s famous seafood chowder at Charlene’s Bayside Restaurant & Café in Whycocomagh on Cape Breton Island; the fresh seafood chowder at Evan’s Fresh Seafoods & Restaurant on the Dartmouth waterfront at Alderney Landing; and, on the Eastern Shore, known for its beaches and surfing, visitors can enjoy made-to-order seafood chowder at the Rose & Rooster Café featuring local haddock, shrimp, scallops and lobster.
Cape Breton boasts 14 Chowder Trail participants, the highest concentration in the province. For more information, visit http://www.novascotiachowdertrail.com.
“Visitors will find cross over among the Trail stops, for example more than 30 Chowder Trail stops are also on the Lobster Trail and five are included on the Good Cheer Trail,” said Haynes. “Which just means more opportunities for visitors to sample their way across Nova Scotia…and more chances for them to collect stamps for a chance to win Trail prizes.”
For more information, a list of participating locations for each Trail, and prize details, visit http://www.novascotiaculinarytrails.com
About Taste of Nova Scotia
Taste of Nova Scotia is a province-wide marketing program whose members are committed to offering exceptional local culinary products and experiences. Launched in 1989 as a joint marketing initiative between Nova Scotia’s private and public sectors, Taste of Nova Scotia’s key mandate is to facilitate the growth of its members while promoting the unique quality of Nova Scotia food and beverage products to consumers locally and around the world. http://www.tasteofnovascotia.com
CONTACT
Ashley Mindnich
Redpoint
212.229.0119
mindnich@redpointspeaks.com
