Gordon Ramsay to pour N.S. wine at his posh London restaurant

CTV News at 5: First at Five – August 25 First at Five A major honour at a top restaurant has people talking about Nova Scotia wine.

The man with the strongest temper in the restaurant business is embracing a Nova Scotia wine said to embody the strongest tide in the world.

Gordon Ramsay, the British celebrity chef best known for serving up profanity-laced tongue lashings on television, has deemed Benjamin Bridge’s Brute Reserve 2008 worthy of the well-heeled guests at his three Michelin star London eatery.

The highly-regarded sparkling wine has drawn comparisons to the Champagne region of France for its vibrant yellow gold colour, baked apple notes, and rich finish.

Benjamin Bridge head winemaker Jean-Benoit Deslauriers said while he is humbled to see his wine on the list at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, much of the credit is due to the region where the grapes were grown.

“It’s a wine that embodies all the traits that make our growing environment here unique, so a lot of freshness, a lot of richness,” he told CTV News Channel on Thursday. “As you know, the Bay of Fundy has the highest and strongest tides on the face of the Earth. It creates a growing environment that is fascinating.”

The moderating air effects during the growing season allow the grapes to mature to a higher level with low sugar content, Deslauriers explained.

Getting a taste could prove difficult without the right reservation. Deslauriers said they sold out of the 2008 reserve. Bottles were priced at $74.50, according to the Benjamin Bridge website. The recommended drinking period begins in 2018 and lasts until 2030.

Deslauriers said those looking for a comparable experience should consider the 2010 reserve.

“It's a traditional method sparkling, just like the one featured at Gordon Ramsay’s,” he said.

While this is not the first Benjamin Bridge offering to be selected by sommeliers at European Michelin-starred restaurants, the celebrity connection to Gaspereau, N.S. did come as a surprise worthy of raising a glass.

“We're just amazed he’d be picking up a wine from little old Nova Scotia,” said Benjamin Bridge co-owner Devon McConnell-Gordon.

With files from CTV Atlantic