PRESS RELEASE
Halifax, N.S – Taste of Nova Scotia members took gold in four of five categories at the annual Halifax Chamber of Commerce Business Awards on Thursday, January 26, 2012.

“This recognition acknowledges the hard work our local food producers put into the industry,” says Janice Ruddock, executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia. “And it proves that hard work pays off…that our local food producers can thrive and succeed in Nova Scotia.”

The Halifax Business Awards are intended to recognize those businesses and business people in Halifax who exemplify the best that the city has to offer: innovators, who are willing to take chances, push the boundaries and stretch the limits for success.

“At the Chamber we have the unique privilege to meet new businesses and business people, hear about new ideas, follow industry trends, and experience the inspiring optimism, confidence, and resilience of Halifax’s business community every day,” says Valerie Payn, president and chief executive officer of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. “Our 2012 finalists and winners have very different businesses, come from different backgrounds, including many local food producers which is great news for Halifax as we see more and more world-class products being made right here.”

Taste of Nova Scotia members won awards in the following categories:

New Business of the Year
Gold: Schoolhouse Gluten-Free Gourmet Ltd.

Small Business of the Year
Gold: Cedar Bay Grilling Company

International Business of the Year
Gold: Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership
Silver: Acadian Seaplants Limited

Business Person of the Year
Gold: Jean-Paul Deveau, Acadian Seaplants Limited

Additional information about the Halifax Chamber of Commerce Business Awards can be found by visiting www.halifaxchamber.com.

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PRESS RELEASE

Halifax, N.S. –The Taste of Nova Scotia Prestige Awards is a celebration of excellence to honour producers and restaurants that provide exceptional culinary products and experiences. Winners, from over 900 nominations, were announced during the annual Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia’s (TIANS) Tourism Summit on November 29, 2011.

“We offer authentic culinary experiences in Nova Scotia,” says Janice Ruddock, executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia. “We have access to an abundance and variety of fresh, local ingredients, but it is the genuine passion from our people, the fishermen, the farmers, the chefs and the winemakers, that set us apart from other regions…every one of our Prestige Award recipients has a distinct pride of place and exuberant passion for what they do.”

Taste of Nova Scotia Prestige Awards were presented in the following categories:

Innovative Product of the Year
Lavender Syrup, Sledding Hill
Restaurant of the Year – Chef Inspired Fine Dining
Fleur de Sel, Lunenburg
Restaurant of the Year – Chef Inspired Casual Dining
Charlotte Lane Cafe, Shelburne
Restaurant of the Year – Essence of Nova Scotia
The Red Shoe Pub, Mabou
Producer of the Year
Meadowbrook Meat Market, Berwick
Server of the Year
Simone Mombourquette, Trattoria della Nonna, Lunenburg
Consumer Choice Product of the Year
Pumpkin Muffins, Schoolhouse Gluten-Free Gourmet, Mahone Bay
Gary MacDonald Culinary Ambassador of the Year
Chef Alain Bossé, Alain Bossé Consulting

“The winners represent innovation and expertise in our industry…they are committed to improving business and promoting culinary excellence in Nova Scotia,” says Ruddock. “With over 900 nominations it is clear to see consumer favourites and that consumers care about where their food comes from, who prepares it and the importance of supporting local businesses.”

Nominations for the Taste of Nova Scotia Prestige Awards were received from Taste of Nova Scotia members and the public. The nominations were brought to a judges’ panel and then approved by the Taste of Nova Scotia Board of Directors. For more information about Taste of Nova Scotia and its members visit www.tasteofnovascotia.com.

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 High resolution photos available upon request.

For more information please contact:

Christine White
Director of Communications & Events, Taste of Nova Scotia
Phone: (902) 492-9291, ext 115
Cell: (902) 880-2180
Email: Christine@tasteofnovascotia.com
Website: www.tasteofnovascotia.com

About Taste of Nova Scotia

Taste of Nova Scotia is a unique, province-wide marketing program, whose members are committed to offering the very best culinary experiences and products that Nova Scotia has to offer. The Taste of Nova Scotia membership base includes more than 140 quality food producers and processors, as well as a collection of the best restaurants in the province. www.tasteofnovascotia.com 

PRESS RELEASE

Halifax, N.S. – This summer, Taste of Nova Scotia is inviting food and wine enthusiasts to nominate their favourite restaurant, server, local food product as well as a Nova Scotia culinary ambassador. The annual Taste of Nova Scotia Prestige Awards is a celebration of excellence to honour producers and restaurants that provide exceptional culinary products and services.

“This is an opportunity to recognize our Taste members and their accomplishments… a chance to celebrate the best in our province,” says Janice Ruddock, executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia. “Consumers are a very important part of the culinary industry in Nova Scotia which is why we added consumer nominations to our selection process this year.”

Nominations are now open and will be accepted for Taste of Nova Scotia members in the following categories:

1) Restaurant of the Year (3 awards)
          Chef Inspired Fine Dining
          Chef Inspired Casual Dining
          Essence of Nova Scotia
2) Server of the Year
3) Culinary Ambassador of the Year
4) Consumer Choice Product of the Year

Online nominations can be made at www.tasteofnovascotia.com/nominate until August 31, 2011. Every person who submits a nomination is automatically entered to win a culinary getaway weekend for two in Lunenburg and a VIP package (including tickets) to the Prestige Awards in October.

For more information about Taste of Nova Scotia or the Prestige Awards, please visit www.tasteofnovascotia.com .

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Press Release – June 3, 2011

Lauchie MacLean, president of Glenora Distillers, producer of Canada’s Most Famous Single Malt Whisky, is pleased to announce that the whiskies of Glenora have been accorded highest awards in a series of recent international competitions:

Glen Breton Rare Aged 10 years won Gold Medal, 95 points, “Exceptional” at The 2011 International Review of Spirits, held in Chicago.

Battle of the Glen, our Special Edition Glen Breton 15-Year Old, commemorating the final victory of Glenora in a nine-year contest to register Glen Breton as our flagship trade mark, won Gold Medal, 93 Points, “Exceptional” at the competition.

In 2011 “World Whiskies Awards” competition, sponsored by the authoritative spirit journal, Whisky Magazine, awarded Battle of the Glen, “Best Rest of the World Single Malt 13 years and Over.”

In 2006, Glen Breton Rare was rated as one of the world’s “Top 50 Spirits” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Glen Breton Ice, the world’s first Single Malt Whisky aged in Ice Wine Barrels” won Silver Medal at San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“This is a proud day for all of us at Glenora Distillers,” says Bob Scott, executive vice president. “We are truly delighted that the unique character of the single malts from our beloved Highlands in Cape Breton have been so honoured in the world’s most prestigious competitive whisky evaluations. The recognition and following we have gained with whisky lovers globally has been hard won, and we believe, justly earned.”

For further information, please contact one of the following:

Bob Scott
Executive Vice President
bscott@glenora1.ca
902-468-6516

Lauchie MacLean
President
lmaclean@glenora1.ca
902-468-6516

Press Release – November 23, 2010

Blomidon Estate Winery is thrilled to announce we have brought home four Bronze Medals from the InterVin International Wine Awards for our 2008 Reserve Chardonnay, 2009 L’Acadie Blanc, 2009 Seyval Blanc and 2009 Rosé.  The InterVin competition is held annually in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ONT, and is presented by Vines magazine and the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo (Toronto).  The wines were blind-tasted and evaluated by a panel of industry professionals including wine educators, sommeliers, winemakers and members of the media.

These awards cap off a tremendous year for Blomidon Estate Winery.  The Bronze Medal for the 2008 Reserve Chardonnay follows up the success of the 2007 Reserve Chardonnay at the 2009 All-Canadian Wine Championships, where it was also awarded a Bronze Medal, and underscores the consistent quality of our 100% estate grown Nova Scotia Chardonnay. “I’m really pleased with the success of our Chardonnay program, and believe the 2011 release of our first 100% Estate Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Chardonnay is going to be another very exciting addition.” said Simon Rafuse, Winemaker at Blomidon.

The 2009 vintage was the first full vintage produced by Simon and despite a challenging growing season, the results have been spectacular.  In addition to the InterVin awards, Simon’s 2009 Baco Noir was awarded ‘87 Points’ in Wine Access Magazine by Craig Pinhey and the 2009 L’Acadie Blanc was awarded ‘Top Scoring Nova Scotian Table Wine’ at the recent NSLC Port of Wines Festival.  The 2009 Rosé was in fact a double medal winner, also picking up a Silver Medal at the Atlantic Canadian Wine Awards and was also awarded ‘86 points’ by Sean Wood in Tidings magazine.  In other awards, the 2008 Reserve Maréchal Foch won a Silver Medal at the 2010 All-Canadian Wine Championships and received ‘86 Points’ from Craig Pinhey in Wine Access magazine, while the 2008 Baco Noir was voted ‘Best Red Wine’ at the 2010 Savour Food and Wine Show.

According to Simon, “I think our recent accomplishments are a testament to the team’s effort at Blomidon Estate.  Our work in the vineyards has been paying off and we’ve been producing some very good fruit, which is the most important step in producing quality wines.”

Blomidon Estate Winery is a 10 hectare boutique winery located along the shore of the Minas Basin near Canning, Nova Scotia. For inquiries contact the winery at (902) 582-7565 or retail@blomidonwine.com www.blomidonwine.com

The goal of establishing a commercial hop industry in Nova Scotia just took a big step forward. Today, Garrison Brewing Co. signed a 5-year contract giving them access to hops grown organically less than an hour outside of Halifax.

“This really moves us from experimenting with local hop growing to long-term commercial production,” says brewery president, Brian Titus. “We’re excited to get behind something we believe strongly in.”

Garrison is partnering with FiddleHop Farms in the Truro area to plant and process a mix of hop varieties on a five acre plot. “I’m so happy to have found a strong partner in Garrison Brewing,” says FiddleHop Farm president Evan Price. “This is a great way to strengthen our economy from within.” Price is a fourth-year Finance student at Dalhousie University who has been in the business of harvesting fiddleheads for several years now. Growing hops seemed “a natural progression.” The hopyard is well on its way for a spring 2011 planting.

On the heels of the successful 3 Fields Harvest Ale, a wet hopped beer featuring hops from three Maritime hopyards, Garrison is actively trying to secure enough hops in this province to ramp up production of that brand and introduce local hops in other brands as well.  In addition to their experimental yard at Ross Farm Museum, the brewery is actively negotiating with at least one other producer to guarantee a steady supply.

For more information, visit: www.garrisonbrewing.com.

For more information, contact:
Meg Stewart, Marketing Coordinator
Garrison Brewing Co.
902-453-5343
marketing@garrisonbrewing.com

About Garrison Brewing

Garrison Brewing Company is an award-winning independent microbrewery located in the Halifax Seaport. They produce distinctive, unpasteurized, all-natural ales in small batches. Now in its 13^th year, Garrison distributes craft beer throughout the Maritimes in bottle

L’Acadie Vineyards, Nova Scotia’s first producer of Traditional Method sparkling wine, captured gold at the Annual Canadian Wine Awards in the sparkling wine category.

Canadian Wine Access Judge and Nova Scotia wine writer Craig Pinhey has high praise for the bubble, stating “Bruce Ewert has really forged new territory”.

With heavy hitters from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and Ontario’s Niagara Region, winemaker‐owner Bruce Ewert has reason to celebrate. Only 3 sparkling wines have ever been awarded gold medals in the 10 year history of the Canadian Wine Awards. Not only did L’Acadie Vineyards take top honours in the prestigious sparkling category, the small winery also laid claim to a trio of Bronze for their 2008 Vintage Cuvee, 2009 Estate L’Acadie and 2008 Organic Cider.

The Canadian Wine Access judge panel is comprised of Canada’s top palates, headed
by Wine Access editor Anthony Gismondi. Typically held on the west and east coasts
in alternating years, the Canadian Wine Awards is a blind competition.

The L’Acadie Vineyards 2007 Prestige Brut is aged for 30 months on yeast lees in the
traditional sparkling method and is available for purchase at the wine shop, select liquor stores in Nova Scotia, both private and provincial, as well as the Halifax Seaport and Wolfville Farmer’s Markets. A bottle of the bubbly retails for $39.99 (including tax and bottle deposit).

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About L’Acadie Vineyards
L’Acadie Vineyards, founded in 2004 by Bruce Ewert and Pauline Scott, is located in a sub‐valley of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis, where mountain ridges retain heat and ocean breezes help moderate temperatures. Known for tree fruit, the Annapolis Valley is welcoming more grape growers every year. A gold win for L’Acadie Vineyards’s 2007 Prestige Brut is validation that the area provides an ideal climate for Traditional Method sparkling.

The winery is the first in Nova Scotia to release a sparkling wine crafted in this style,
and is the first to be certified organic. Other recent accolades include a silver medal
at the All Canadian Wine Championships and the Top Scoring Sparkling at the 2010
NSLC Port of Wines International Competition.

Craig Pinhey Review (full)
I had tried the wine before the competition, but not blind, so I was glad it showed so
well against very formidable competition, and found some fans among the esteemed
judges from across the country. Bruce Ewert has really forged new territory with his
Traditional Method sparklers, especially the ones based on L’Acadie, a grape that is pretty much only grown in Nova Scotia. 30 months on the lees! That’s an investment in time and money, but it paid off. He was confident getting into this project and wines like this prove him right.

Pale straw with a classic yeasty, bready nose, complimented by floral notes,
assumed to be varietal character contributed by L’Acadie, which is known for this.
This is a serious sparkling wine, austere, with very fine mousse and strong lees
contributions owing to the 30 months spent on lees. It tastes of lemon, is bone dry,
and has medium length from the bready aftertaste. This wine screams for oysters.
Craig Pinhey
Judge, Canadian Wine Access

Press Release -

CHEFS
Kim Stacey – Chef and Proprietor of Emma’s Eatery and Youth Food Activist
Sean Gallagher – Chef and proprietor of Local Source Market

YOUTH
Anna Magera – Academic and seafood/healthy oceans activist
George Christakos -Proprietor of Brooklyn Warehouse  and BOD Taste of Nova Scotia

PRODUCERS
Peter Darnell  - Indian Point Marine Farms Mussel and shellfish farming operation
Michelle Fike  - Pumpkin Moon Herbals and BOD Wolfville Farmers Market
Nicole Burkkart – Organic Farmer and CSA Operator

FOOD COMMUNITY
Sheila Stephenson BOD Slow Food NS (Secretary) – retired -  Museum of Natural History
Margo Riebe Butt – registered Dietician, food educator, efforts directed at Youth – Breakfast for Learning program
Kathy Aldous – Coordinator of Health Promotion programs
Jack Schoon Slow Food volunteer – Slow Motion Film Fest committee and BOD Slow Food NS
Susan Slater – University Professor – lecturing on food in society and manager of Community garden project
Lil MacPherson  - Restaurant owner and Climate change/food activist

OBSERVERS
Michael Howell Leader – Slow Food NS and Chef/restaurateur, BOD Taste of NS
Craig Flinn Co- Chair SFNS and Chef Restaurateur
Warren Young Filmmaker and coowner of FOODEAST.CA website
Stephen Anderson – FEG Consulting – World Food Program

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For more information:  mail@slowfoodns.ca or mh2@rogers.blackberry.net

Garrison Brewing Honoured Four Times at 2010 Canadian Brewing Awards

PRESS RELEASE – September 28, 2010
Last Friday, Garrison Brewmaster Daniel Girard attended the 8^th annual Canadian Brewing Awards in Toronto and left with four medals.  With more than 390 beers submitted from 76 breweries across Canada, this was the largest national competition to date.

“This event gets more competitive each year as the craft beer scene continues to explode,” said Girard. “It is also very gratifying to see experimental brews like the Black IPA recognized. It shows an industry that is alive & evolving.”Garrison received the following awards:

•     GOLD for the Black IPA

•     SILVER for the Hopyard Pale Ale

•     BRONZE for the Grand Baltic Porter

•     BRONZE for Irish Red Ale

Black IPA was a limited edition seasonal released last January that drew considerable attention.  This loose style originated from the San Diego area of California and is a hybrid combination of the roasty Martello Stout and the hop-laden Imperial IPA. It will return again this year as Garrison’s featured mid-winter seasonal.

As a whole, this region was well-represented with Picaroons, Pump House, Hart & Thistle and Moosehead, bringing the Maritime total wins to eleven.

For more information, contact:
Meg Stewart, Marketing Coordinator
902-453-5343
marketing@garrisonbrewing.com
www.garrisonbrewing.com.

About Garrison Brewing

Garrison Brewing Company is an award-winning independent microbrewery located in the Halifax Seaport. They produce distinctive, unpasteurized, all-natural ales in small batches. Now in its 14^th year, Garrison distributes craft beer throughout the Maritimes in bottled and draught format.

PRESS RELEASE – September 20, 2010
Delegates from 15 countries are meeting this week in Halifax, Nova Scotia during the 2010 Culinary Tourism World Summit. The summit, presented by the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA) and hosted by Taste of Nova Scotia, is an opportunity for delegates to discuss culinary tourism best practices, and to use this global forum for exchanging ideas and bettering the industry.

“I can’t put into words the excitement and enthusiasm I feel when I look at the agenda for this summit,” says Janice Ruddock, executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia. “It is incredible to have this variety and this level of expertise from around the world congregating here in Nova Scotia.”

The summit began on Sunday, September 19 with mobile workshops at L’Acadie Vineyards and Fox Hill Cheese House in the Annapolis Valley. It continues through Monday and Tuesday with sessions at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax.

Speakers on the agenda include Erik Wolf (president and CEO, ICTA), Robert Kenner (producer and director, Food, Inc.), Chef Michael Smith (Food Network Canada), Daniel Gray (editor, seouleats.com) and Linda Tomkova (European Studies, University of Luiss Guido Carli).

“We have a strong, local, passionate culinary tourism industry in Nova Scotia that is now being recognized internationally,“ says Ruddock. “Aside from the straight economic benefits of hosting an event of this caliber, think about the international exposure our local producers, chefs and restaurants will have without even leaving the province.”

For the agenda, speaker biographies and additional information about the 2010 Culinary Tourism  World Summit, please visit www.culinarytourismworldsummit.com.