Nova Scotia’s Tidal Bay wine enters U.K. market

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Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards 2021 Tidal Bay is now available in England, the first Tidal Bay in the multi-billion dollar UK wine market.

Family-run Wolfville winery is represented in the UK by Propeller, an importer and distributor run by Managing Director Jamie Wynne-Griffiths.

“We first met Jamie with Propeller at a wine fair in Düsseldorf in 2019,” said Jocelyn Lightfoot, co-owner of the winery, on Friday. “Our export manager, Laetitia Miroux, continued to build our relationship during the pandemic, which eventually led to this latest export transaction.”

Lightfoot & Wolfville is certified as both an organic and biodynamic producer, and Wynne-Griffiths said that’s one of the reasons he was taking orders even before the Tidal Bay landed on the English coast.

“The reception was extremely enthusiastic, and customers loved the bold retro packaging, organic origin and naturally low alcohol content,” he said in a press release. “In the growing NoLo wine segment, where alcohol reduction/removal is the norm, a naturally low-alcohol, super-fresh white wine is something of a coup.”

Tidal Bay, Nova Scotia’s appellation wine, must contain relatively little alcohol, a maximum of 11 percent. Although all Tidal Bay wines must meet a number of standards, including sourcing from a selection of over 20 specific varietals and using 100 percent Nova Scotia grown grapes, each wine is slightly different as wineries are given the opportunity to express individuality to express through their mixtures.

The 2021 Lightfoot & Wolfville Tidal Bay is made from L’Acadie Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Scheurebe and Geisenheim 318 and is certified organic.

“Our first delivery arrived this month and was around 800 bottles and also included other wines from our portfolio, such as sparkling wines like our Brut and Brut Rose,” said Lightfoot, whose wines are on shelves in London, Manchester and Cambridge.

The Lightfoot & Wolfville Tidal Bay’s first UK retailer was The Grape Kitchen in South Yorkshire, whose owner James Ward once worked in the Nova Scotia wine industry.

“I was very excited to introduce my clients to Lightfoot & Wolfville’s Tidal Bay,” said Ward. “Since it arrived I’ve offered in-store tastings and featured it on regional BBC radio. Not only were my customers amazed by the history of Tidal Bay and its origins, but… by the quality and aromatic style of this appellation wine.”