Blomidon Estate Winery

About Blomidon Estate Winery

Blomidon Estate Winery is a boutique winery nestled on the shore of the Minas Basin, near Canning, in the picturesque Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Our beautiful seaside setting offers a unique location for viticulture, as well as a scenic stopping point for our many visitors.

We are committed to producing 100% Nova Scotia grown grapes and wines, and are proud to have won numerous national and international awards and acclaim for our efforts. We invite you to join us and to discover our Nova Scotia wines.

Representative Biography

Simon Rafuse, Winemaker/Operations Manager

Our winemaker, Simon Rafuse, travelled the world for his wine education and work experience but was excited at the opportunity to return to his native Nova Scotia.
He attended Mount Allison University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science before earning a Master of Science degree at the University of Kent (UK) and a Master of Viticulture and Oenology degree at Montpellier SupAgro (France). He also holds the Diplôme National d’Oenologue (France).
Since 2009 he has been the Winemaker at Blomidon Estate Winery, having worked previously in Languedoc-Rousillon and Alsace (France), and Central Otago (New Zealand), and his wines have won numerous national and international awards and accolades. Simon is also an instructor with the Atlantic Canada Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.
“What better ‘desert island’ wine can there possibly be than a crisp, complex, Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine? There isn’t. There simply isn’t. Chardonnay delivers every time.” Simon Rafuse

Why We're Cool

Blomidon Estate Winery farms two vineyards, just outside the town of Canning, Nova Scotia (45’N), our estate vineyard and our Woodside Road vineyard. The estate property sits at sea level on the shore of the Minas Basin and the Habitant River estuary, where the soils are predominantly sandy loam and the near constant breeze helps reduce frost and disease pressure. Woodside Road runs along the base of the North Mountain, a basalt ridge that forms the north boundary of the Annapolis Valley. The soils are there are a heavier red clay-loam with basalt stones. It’s warmer than the estate vineyard but can be more frost prone. The Woodside Road vineyard rises to an elevation of 60m above sea level.

At the Blomidon estate vineyard, we’re extremely fortunate to have the oldest block of Chardonnay in Nova Scotia as the backbone of our Chardonnay program. The 5 acre “Old Block”, as we call it, was planted in 1996 with a mix of clones. It sits on a gentle slope at the bottom of our vineyard, right on the shore of the Minas Basin. Our vineyards are significantly influenced by two bodies of water: The Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean. Both moderate our climate be delaying budbreak in the spring due to their cold waters and tidal movement, but also by preventing frost in the fall.
Typically, in Nova Scotia, Chardonnay will be picked in the second or third week of October for sparkling and as late as November for still wines. While we make sparkling wine every year, the still wines are only made in better vintages when the conditions allow for the longer hangtime. With such a cool growing season, the wines are lightly structured and elegant. We use a mix of stainless steel and older oak for both still and sparkling, and generally allow for up to a year of lees ageing. All our Chardonnays are whole cluster pressed.
Our goal is to work with the best fruit possible through careful attention in the vineyard, and to make pure, lithe, and defined Chardonnays that are true to their Maritime terroir.