This Saturday, Oct. 8 Lane’s Privateer Inn in Liverpool is hosting a Riverside Nova Scotia Wine Harvest Festival, going from 1 to 8 p.m.
The idea to run a festival like this came from Corinne Maund, sommelier for the inn. Maund is originally from Ontario, which in the fall has several festivals celebrating wine. She thought it would be a great thing to bring a festival like this to Queens County
“Down on the South Shore, there isn’t many opportunities to try all this wine,” she says.
Maund says she wanted to do something that promoted both Liverpool and the South Shore, but also promoted the many wineries that exist around the province.
“We’re getting such great wineries with great reviews,” she says, adding the festival gives people the opportunity to try the wines without travelling far.
Most wineries from the province will have a presence of some kind at the festival too. Brands like Grand Pre, Annapolis Vineyards, Gaspereau, Sainte Famille, L’Acadia vineyards, and Benjamin Bridge winery will all be bringing wines, with possibly more to be added to the list. Some are sending wines, that Maund and Lanes owner Susan Lane and sommelier will pour. Others are sending down their own reps to showcase their products and talk about their operations.
“It’s a nice opportunity to try a wine from each one.”
If wine isn’t quite your thing though, Maund has you covered. Hells Bay Brewery out of Cherry Hill is bringing a selection of beers down, as well as the Ironworks Brewery with their selection of spirits and liqueurs.
“Not everybody is a wine drinker so we’re going to have beers, liqueurs, hot apple cider, and hot chocolate for the non drinkers,” says Maund.
Admission is free for the festival, and tickets will be sold at the event to get food and wine samples. And there will be plenty of food to go with all that wine.
Chef Jeromy Traynor is cooking over an open fire, with sticky ribs, fresh local swordfish, baked beans with brown bread, and seafood chowder all on the menu.
Eel Lake oysters is also bringing a rep down to personally shuck fresh oysters from their farm.
Maund says she discussed with the wineries what the food selection will be as well, so all the wineries will have a selection to go with whatever tempts your tastebuds. There will be whites to match the chowder, reds to match the ribs, and sparkling whites to go with the oysters.
To round things off, local band The 909 will perform throughout the day, and at dusk a fireworks display will cap off the event.
For more information, contact Lane’s Privateer Inn at 354-3456.
