Established vineyard and estate winery housed in a historic bank barn. Offering tours and tastings. Selection of classic Vinifera and Hybrid still wines.
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Guest suite available for rentals.
I guess this was the calm before the storm last night. A beautiful sunset ahead of heavy rain over night and this morning. We are close to harvest, within the next 2 weeks on some varieties, so this needs to be the last big rain we get for awhile…
It happens fast… I just posted a picture the other day of the grapes gradually turning colour and starting to ripen. Less than a week later, they are ripe enough that the birds are at them. Looks like harvest will be early this year. Likely before the end of September for some varieties.
Veraison, when the grapes turn colour and the sugar levels begin to rise as they ripen. An exciting time of year in the vineyard! I would say we are at least a week ahead of an average year. It’s been a good growing season after a tough one last year. But we aren’t through it yet. We would like to see a warm, dry, September to complete the process.
The Village Cauldron has established itself as a wonderful dining option for guests visiting Bear River. We are so please to be able to tell our guests that they now have meal options for their entire day in Bear River: Sissiboo Coffee Roaster for breakfast, Myrtle and Rosie’s for lunch, and the Village Cauldron for dinner! Jody’s Pizza stays open late on weekends to expand the options even later into the day. No need to send people to other towns for food. An important part of being a welcoming tourist destination is to have great options for dining. And we do!
A great day to visit Bear River! We are open 11am-6pm today and have charcuterie available for purchase while it lasts. Sourced and made locally by Kelly’s Catering here in Bear River.
Thank you to everyone who enjoyed our first vintage of Lighthouse L’Acadie Blanc, and in turn helped us to support Lydia’s Crew in the BMO Ride for Cancer.
It was an honour to be able to share the wine, and the story that is dear to our hearts, with so many of our guests.
We look forward to next season, and the vintage we will create with the crop currently thriving in this lush season.
Next year there will be a new charity chosen by another bereaved Mom who is also close to our hearts.
Until then we encourage people to consider that whatever wine they choose, there is always an opportunity to share a glass, listen to their stories and be their light.
Have you visited our area lately? We still have some openings in our guest room for this season!
Happy Canada Day! If you are in the Annapolis Royal - Digby area for Canada Day festivities today, the winery is open 11am-6pm. Drop in for a glass or flight over looking the vineyard.
Happy Canada Day! Join us for this fun, schedule event events. All events are being held as scheduled, with the exception that the Community Band performance will now take place at the Community Hub gym, 578 Saint George St.
Looking for a relaxing long weekend getaway?
We have a last minute opening in our guest suite this coming weekend.
Two or three night stay available. Includes a complimentary tour and tasting and a chilled bottle of our award winning 1611 White wine.
Call or message us for details.
Bearly Baco is a favourite here at the winery. Near and dear to our hearts as one of the first wines we developed with our consultant back in 2017.
The saignée method used to make this richly coloured and flavourful rosé only allows us to make small lots.
Reduced crop levels coming out of the polar vortex of 2023 means that our production was much smaller than usual and we are already down to only a few cases.
If you want to try this consistent award winning wine we suggest you visit us soon before the sun sets on this beauty for another year.
Our 2024 Medal winners! 3 silver medals from Finger Lakes International Wine Competition:
Red Eft - a lightly oaked vintage of our traditional blend of Marquette, Baco Noir, and Marechal Foch.
Signature 1611 - our first vintage of this white blend of Frontenac Gris, Seyval Blanc, and L’Acadie Blanc. Fruit forward, medium sweetness, crisp finish.
Emboldened - our classic Baco Noir / Marechal Foch field blend. Each vintage is a bit different but consistently delivers a velvety smooth finish.
All three wines made from 100% Nova Scotian grapes. Most came from our own vineyard here at the winery, but thanks also to contributions from our local growers: Seyval Blanc from Parlan Family Vineyard (Ian and Leslie); Frontenac Gris from LaPointe Family Vineyards (Jeff and Diane); and Marquette from Bloody Creek Vineyard (Ross and Monica).
We are open 11am-6pm daily until October
What a spring we have had here in the Bear River Valley. Our Baco Noir is flowering early this year as a result of the favourable weather and our other varieties are not far behind. About a week ahead of most seasons.
Now, if we can just keep the deer away from it… a doe had her fawn in the thicket at the bottom of the vineyard this spring. Even our deer fence can’t keep mama from getting in and out to check on baby, and she snacks on vines while visiting. We expect (hope) that once the fawn can fend for itself and leave the vineyard we won’t see them anymore.
Happy Fathers Day to all the dads and grandpas out there. Please note that we will be closing at 5pm today so that we can spend the evening with our families in the Valley.
Hours for Sunday, June 16th: 11am-5pm
Come join us this weekend as we officially launch, Lighthouse L’Acadie.
Our third memorial wine was crafted in honour of bereaved parents.
Share a Glass. Listen to their stories.
Be their Light.
Lighthouses are powerful symbols. Signifying hope and safety. A guiding light in the darkness.
This imagery resonates to personal losses within our own family. The label artwork was done by Su’s maternal Grandma, herself a bereaved Mother.
A portion of proceeds will be donated with each new vintage, to a charity chosen by bereaved parents and their families.
This year we are honoured to support:
“Lydia’s Crew” in the BMO Ride for Cancer.
Our regular guided tastings in the tasting room this weekend will include a complimentary sample of Lighthouse.
We are just about sold out of this special wine. Many thanks to everyone who was part of developing it with us, and to our customers whose support enabled us to in turn support the Annapolis Valley Victorian Order of Nurses in memory of Val.
Fingers crossed that 2024 is a good growing season and we get the chance to share it with you all again!
We were fortunate to have Roger visit our winery a couple of times over the last few years. He was always generous with his time and supportive with his comments. We always felt energized and positive about our industry following a visit from Roger. He will be missed.
Today we remember Roger Dial; a pioneer of Nova Scotia wine and a true believer in the future of this industry. We thank him for everything he gave to help develop Nova Scotia as a wine destination, from opening the original Grand Pré Winery in 1980, to developing and advocating for the L’Acadie Blanc grape and helping to implement the Farm Winery Act. The Nova Scotia wine industry owes a large part of its success to the determination and vision of Roger Dial.
Thank you, Roger, for everything you did.
Look what the sunshine did! The third photo in this post is the one I used on Tuesday to announce we were opening for the season on Friday. The first two photos were taken today - same vine 5 days later. Those 5 days were full of sunshine and summer like temperatures and the vines responded!
Thanks to everyone who visited us to open the season. We are also open tomorrow, the holiday Monday, and 7 days a week until October. Hope to see you soon!
The buds are opening for the season - and so is the winery! Starting Friday, May17th, we will be open 7 days a week from 11am-6pm including holiday Mondays. Tastings, tours, wine by the glass, and flights in the vineyard - come pick the experience that suits you!
Less than a month until our first market of the season! Join us every other Wednesday from 4pm-8pm on the Bear River Waterfront starting on June 5th!
Come down for a night of good food (we’ll have produce, baked goods, hot meals, local honey, plant starters, and so much more), grab a drink at the Bear River Legion (they’ll be open during the night market hours for beverages or bathroom breaks) and enjoy some amazing live music (we’ve got a lineup of musicians from all over the province!)
See you there! 🐻🎶🍒
You can find us at the Valley Wine Festival coming up April 26-27th at The Old Orchard Inn. Hope to see you there!
We are now accepting reservations for our guest suite for the 2024 season. Visit our website or follow this link to our "Guest Suite" tab where there is a link to our listing on VRBO. We hope to see you this summer!
Bear River Vineyards offers a well appointed guest room, including all the amenities you need to make your stay a relaxing experience.
🍔Our 2024 Burger Wars for Campaign for Kids entry.... The Cajun Burger!
A 1/2 lb burger patty, between a grilled telera bun, with homemade creole sauce, lettuce, crispy onions, pickles, shredded cheddar and cream cheese!
Served with seasoned, crispy fries and cajun dipping sauce. $15
Available here on April 3rd and staying all month. $1 from the sale of every burger goes to the Campaign For Kids, plus when you rate your burger, you get entered for a chance at weekly prizes.
There is so much to love about Nova Scotia wine! ✨ But what makes our wines uniquely special is how each glass of 100% grown Nova Scotia wine is reminiscent of the place it was grown and produced.
Having the World’s highest tides, a mixture of sandstone and slate soil, and being surrounded by large bodies of water all contribute to a unique yet ideal viticultural climate. Each style of wine we produce has a mouth-watering freshness with a hint of salinity reminiscent of an ocean breeze, a characteristic that is truly 100% Nova Scotian.
Let us know why you love Nova Scotia wine in the comments! ⬇️
Head to the link below to learn more.
https://winesofnovascotia.ca/
As the sun sets on 2023 I want to thank our staff, customers, and the local community for helping us keep this dream alive. From a farming perspective, 2023 was a difficult season. We have had a couple of those in recent years! We have our fingers crossed for “stable” weather in 2024 (we would love “hot and dry” but at this point in our journey we will take stable - no polar vortex, June frost, or atmospheric river events!).
Weather aside, we found our groove in the winery shop and tasting room. Following the “covid summers” it was great to welcome back more international travellers and see people mixing and mingling in the winery. Nothing is more satisfying than when strangers meet on a tour of the winery, then decide to sit together for their tasting experience, and then watch them trade contact information and leave as new friends.
We added flight boards to our menu in 2023 and they were a big hit! Our guests really enjoyed being able to take their tasting experience outside and enjoy the beauty of the property. Many people have asked us about serving food - we aren’t there yet but stay tuned for updates in 2024!
I never miss an opportunity to share a sunset picture so here is another one to end the year. Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year. We hope to see you in 2024!
Bear River is the place to be today! The winery will be open from 10am-2pm along with the other events happening in town. There are three craft fair locations: Oakdene Centre, The Legion, and the Fire Hall. Also, Pleasant Street Living and Casa Nova Fine Beverages are open. With only a month until Christmas it’s a great day to start shopping!
Sunday, October 29th, will be our last official day of the season here at the winery. After that, we will take visitors by appointment - and weather permitting.
You can also find us at the Lazy Bear Harvest Market on Sunday. Sarah will be there offering a season ending special on a selection of our wines!
133 Chute Road
Annapolis, NS
B0S1B0
| Monday | 11am - 6pm |
| Tuesday | 11am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 11am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 11am - 6pm |
| Friday | 11am - 6pm |
| Saturday | 11am - 6pm |
| Sunday | 11am - 6pm |
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Still Point Lodge and Cottages
Colonial Arms Drive
