Tidal Bay enters UK market

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

The family-owned 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 back in 2019 in Dusseldorf, Germany at a wine trade fair,” Jocelyn Lightfoot, co-owner of the winery, said on Friday. “Our export manager, Laetitia Miroux, continued to build our relationship throughout the pandemic, finally resulting in this recent export transaction.”

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

“Reception has been extremely enthusiastic, with customers loving the bold, retro packaging, the organic provenance and the naturally low alcohol,” he said in a release. “In the growing Nolo wine segment where alcohol reduction/removal is the norm, a naturally low alcohol, super fresh white is something of a coup.”

Tidal Bay, Nova Scotia's appellation wine, must be relatively low in alcohol, to a maximum of 11 per cent. Although all Tidal Bay wines must meet a set of standards, including coming from a selection of over 20 specific grape varieties, and using 100 per cent Nova Scotiagrown grapes, each wine is slightly different, as wineries are given the opportunity to express individuality by their blends.

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

“Our first shipment arrived this month and was approximately 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 store shelves in London, Manchester and Cambridge.

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

“I was extremely excited to introduce Lightfoot & Wolfville’s Tidal Bay to my customers,” Ward said. “Since it arrived, I have offered instore tastings and showcased it on BBC regional radio. My customers have not only been wowed by the story of Tidal Bay and its origins, but…by the quality and aromatic style of this appellation wine.”