Food Film Festival, Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Melange of great Chefs and great films If Robert Redford can turn Park City, Utah, into a film festival destination, Michael Howell believes he can do the same for Wolfville, drawing parallels between the home of the famed Sundance Film Festival and Wolfville, which has the Al Whittle Theatre on Main Street. Howell, chef-owner of Tempest Restaurant in Wolfville, is organizing the second Slow Motion Food Film Fest November 10 - 13. At the first festival in 2009, 1,000 people came out for a retrospective of classic food films like Babette’s Feast and Ratatouille. Other films are: Land Awakening, set in Greece, France, Italy, Spain and Canada, the 89-minute feature is lovingly photographed and "an unbelievably beautiful view of the world." Blood into Wine, a documentary about the singer for the rock band Tool moving to Arizona and opening a winery, gets its Canadian premiere at 6 p.m. Saturday. Another Canadian premiere is El Camino del Vino, an Argentinian film about a sommelier who loses his sense of taste and his journey to recover it. The movie, which has been written up in Wine Spectator magazine, screens at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. At 8 p.m. at the Harvest Gallery, learn from an expert How to Really Taste Wine. Jason Priestley will take part in the festival’s opening "Barn Dinner" on Thursday at the Wolfville Farmers Market, joining these celebrity chefs in cooking a four-course meal. - Craig Flinn (Chives), - Dennis Johnston (FID Resto), - Peter Dewar (NSCC), - Jason Lynch (Le Caveau), - Luis Clavel (Atlantica Hotel), - Peter Jackson (formerly of Jacks Grill in Edmonton), - Renee Lavallee (The Feisty Chef), - Chris Velden (Flying Apron), - Brad Bowden (Glen Arbour) and - Jesse Vergen (Saint John Alehouse) There will be awards for best documentary feature, best documentary short, best feature and best feature short. Winners will be given papier mache snails, the symbol of the worldwide slow-food movement. Information on the festival can be found at http://www.slowmotionfilmfest.ca

Indian Summer in Nova Scotia

Early to mid-October is the best time to admire the beautiful fall colors in Nova Scotia. Start in Cape Breton for the "Celtic Colors" festival and slowly wind your way to the west, stopping for the many wineries along the way, especially around Wolfville.

And don't miss the "Scar Crow" weekend in Mahone Bay. Get an extra memory stick for you camera, you will have hundreds of brilliant photos to take - beside the wonderful memories you will have to tell.

Nova Scotia Ice Wine Festival February 4 - 14, 2010

I am working on a book about travelling Nova Scotia's vineyards and just received an invitation to this years Ice Wine Festival:

"The countdown is on - only 10 more days until the third annual Nova Scotia Winter Icewine Festival begins. Running from February 4-14, this year's festival features over 40 wine and food related activities, winery events and accommodation packages.
To kick off the festival celebrations, we are giving away an Icewine gift basket from Benjamin Bridge*.
In the basket you will find a bottle of their delicious Borealis Icewine (yum!) and two Icewine glasses. All you have to do to enter, is make a comment on our brand new website, www.nsicewinefestival.ca ".

But you don't need an invitation to attend these events and have lots of winter fun and great wine and food:

Entice
Saturday, February 6, at 6pm in downtown Wolfville
Wolfville entices you to a variety of activities for the whole family - from wine makers dinners to an ice carving competition sponsored by local businesses to a fireworks display at Waterfront Park. Dress warmly.

Stars on Ice
Saturday/Sunday February 6 & 7

L'Acadie Vineyards, Gaspereau Valley
Join award winning winemaker Bruce Ewert in a geothermally heated winery for samples of Traditional Method sparkling wines and our unique rich dessert wine, Soleil, paired with chocolate and classic cheese fondue. 12-5pm. Cost: $10 (includes tastings and food pairings).

Festival Wine Dinners on February 4, 2010:
Taste of Nova Scotia Gold - Saege Bistro, Halifax
Winemaker's Dinner - Amherst Shore Country Inn, Amherst
Tempest-Muir Murray Wine Dinner - Tempest, Wolfville


Daily Festival Events, Feb 4-14, 2010
Icewine & Chocolate: Brooklyn Warehouse, Halifax, 2795 Windsor Street
Sweet & Delicious: Fox Hill Cheese House, Port Williams

*Benjamin Bridge is an innovative sparkling wine house on the south facing slopes of the Gaspereau Valley, where owners Gerry McConnell and Dara Gordon have been working with an international team of winemakers to produce Méthode Classique sparkling wines on the order of cuvées de prestige wines. They have released several limited editions, luxury whites and reds to date including NOVA 7, Borealis Icewine, NEXUS Rosé and TAURUS.
This winery is a working winery only and does not have a tasting room or retail store and is not open to the public.