While cleaning out the inbox of my email account I stumbled across an email from last summer. I was asked to write an article for possible inclusion on an amateur wine blog That never materialzed ....this is what I came up with. Hope you enjoy it.
Loco for Local
To neophytes and seasoned (pardon the pun) veterans alike, the wonderful growth of the “local” food and wine movement over the last 10 to 20 years or so is both stunning and welcome. What may seem like an overnight phenomenon would be undoubtedly described as a long and arduous journey by those at the grass roots. Chasing ones passion usually is.
If one were to compare today to twenty years ago, the availability of quality local food and wine, one would be shocked at the differences. In the days before the web as we know it, I spent a lot of time on the phone, at farmers markets and on the road tracking down what I wanted to serve to my guests. I couldn’t hit up the Halifax Farmers Market in its old location on the weekend….no, no….nothing so easy as that, because I was busy making breakfast for my guests. I drove to the valley to get free range chickens from Oulton’s Farms. I would meet a guy in a parking lot in Dartmouth to get some wonderful Northumberland lamb. Forging relationships with farms, fisherman and growers is certainly a great way to understand where your food comes from. Farmers markets are, in my humble opinion, one of the best things ever and it puts you in the vanguard of the local movement.
Conversely, the wine industry, such as it was, was truly in its toddler years. Few wineries with a selection that didn’t inspire the pallet. If you found a Nova Scotian wine on the menu it was generally there because of price. Unlike today where we have some wines we can truly be proud of. Recognition and accolades from the industry and our very own appellation. Of course this was to be expected, despite having some of the first vines planted in North America, we had a young and immature industry. The early stages of building a culture and industry around food and wine takes time, patience, perseverance and of course passion.
That passion, built on the shoulders of the veterans in the food and wine industry, is why we now boast such wonderful and world class artisans and purveyors. Think Dragons Breath Blue Cheese, haskap berries, Nova 7 and Buried Red. We have craft breweries, distillers, wine tours, farm markets and a thriving “foodie” scene that promises to get better.
This inaugural article is an introduction to what will come later. We want to talk to guys and gals with dirt under their fingernails and the smell of hops in their hair. Ok, that’s a little gross, but you get the idea. We hope to bring their stories and make it a part of your story.
Cheers
Dolce Far Niente
To neophytes and seasoned (pardon the pun) veterans alike, the wonderful growth of the “local” food and wine movement over the last 10 to 20 years or so is both stunning and welcome. What may seem like an overnight phenomenon would be undoubtedly described as a long and arduous journey by those at the grass roots. Chasing ones passion usually is.
If one were to compare today to twenty years ago, the availability of quality local food and wine, one would be shocked at the differences. In the days before the web as we know it, I spent a lot of time on the phone, at farmers markets and on the road tracking down what I wanted to serve to my guests. I couldn’t hit up the Halifax Farmers Market in its old location on the weekend….no, no….nothing so easy as that, because I was busy making breakfast for my guests. I drove to the valley to get free range chickens from Oulton’s Farms. I would meet a guy in a parking lot in Dartmouth to get some wonderful Northumberland lamb. Forging relationships with farms, fisherman and growers is certainly a great way to understand where your food comes from. Farmers markets are, in my humble opinion, one of the best things ever and it puts you in the vanguard of the local movement.
Conversely, the wine industry, such as it was, was truly in its toddler years. Few wineries with a selection that didn’t inspire the pallet. If you found a Nova Scotian wine on the menu it was generally there because of price. Unlike today where we have some wines we can truly be proud of. Recognition and accolades from the industry and our very own appellation. Of course this was to be expected, despite having some of the first vines planted in North America, we had a young and immature industry. The early stages of building a culture and industry around food and wine takes time, patience, perseverance and of course passion.
That passion, built on the shoulders of the veterans in the food and wine industry, is why we now boast such wonderful and world class artisans and purveyors. Think Dragons Breath Blue Cheese, haskap berries, Nova 7 and Buried Red. We have craft breweries, distillers, wine tours, farm markets and a thriving “foodie” scene that promises to get better.
This inaugural article is an introduction to what will come later. We want to talk to guys and gals with dirt under their fingernails and the smell of hops in their hair. Ok, that’s a little gross, but you get the idea. We hope to bring their stories and make it a part of your story.
Cheers
Dolce Far Niente
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