FAQ's

How many acres of vineyards? What kind of grapes?

The Malagash Vineyard consists of 59 acres. The Gaspereau Valley (Annapolis Valley) Vineyards is 35 acres and Jost purchases from 130 acres of contract growers. The most common grapes are French and German varieties (Marechal Foch, Vidal, Muscat, Seyval Blanc, Baco Noir, DeChaunac, L’Acadie ). The Vinifera grapes grown on a smaller, more experimental scale are Zweigelt, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Ortega.

How much wine does Jost Vineyards produce?

Over 40,000 cases

How many employees?

The number of employees varies depending on the season from 10 - 30. More staff is required during the pruning, tying and sales seasons.

How many different kinds of wine?

Jost Vineyards produces red, white, rose, fruit, and specialty wines. The specialty wines include icewine, maple wines, raspberry wine and blueberry wine. The wines vary from blends to vintage varietals, non-oaked and oaked. Jost produces wines of varying sweetness levels such that there is a good chance that any customer can find a product they enjoy.

What is Icewine? Why is it so special?

Jost Vineyards Icewine is a treat indeed! Icewine was originally developed in Germany in the 18th century. The hand harvesting begins in the chilly pre-dawn hours and the rush is on. The low temperature, (-8 to -12 degrees C) has frozen all but the sweetest drop of juice, usually allowing only about 10% of the normal amount of juice per grape. This drop has been naturally concentrated by the freezing process and must be quickly brought to the press-room. The still-frozen grapes are pressed, releasing only the rare, sweet drops. Fresh juice is high in sugar, flavour and balance-giving acid. After many months of careful vinting the final product emerges, ready for sale, and tasting by a happy wine staff. Ice Wine, sweet and intensely flavourful is a treat indeed.

How to store wine? Serving of Wine? How long does it last once open?

Wine should be stored on its side (corked bottle) in a cool, draft free location where the temperature does not fluctuate.  To serve a red wine, stand the wine at room temperature for 2-4 hours to allow any sediment to settle. Most red wines benefit from being opened for an hour or two. For heavier reds the best temperature for serving is 16-18 C and 10-16 C for lighter reds or rose. White wines are best served chilled (chill in a refrigerator or chill in an ice water bath for 15 minutes). The best temperature for serving white wines is 8-10 C and 6-8 C for sweeter wines and champagnes. Use an efficient corkscrew with a long helix, a good point and rounded edges so the cork is not cut, which results in crumbling of the cork. Make sure glasses are clean and don’t smell of detergent. Wine deteriorates in the presence of oxygen. The length of time that it will stay palatable once open varies so many people will either pump in an inert gas or try to remove the oxygen with a vacuum pump. A general rule, for every glass of wine in a 750ml bottle, the wine will stay fresh for one day.(example: 2 glasses remaining in a bottle, the wine will be fine for 2 days). The less wine in a bottle, the less time the wine will remain fresh.

Jost Vineyards Latitude?

45 degrees which is equivalent to the Bordeaux region of France.

Does Jost Vineyards irrigate?

Not at this time. It is normally not a necessity as this region normally receives adequate precipitation.

Why cork? Why screwcaps?

Cork is the natural bark of a tree and varies greatly in quality. Corks are the traditional method of closing wines (especially the more premium wines) but they do have problems. It is estimated that at least 5% of wines produced become "corked" which renders them unsaleable. To combat this problem, synthetic corks are being used. Screwcaps are becoming increasingly popular because there is no risk of ruining the wine. Initially Jost Vineyards used only corks but due to requests from customers (restaurants) many of our blend wines became closed with screwcaps. Jost Vineyards uses both methods of closures. Our corks are from France and we are very pleased with the quality.

Sugar Code?

The sugar code is designed to assist the consumer in making a more educated decision in purchasing of wine.

0-5 (0= Dry and 5=Sweet).

How old is Jost Vineyards?

Jost Vineyards became licensed in 1983 with the store opening in 1986. The new addition was built in 1993.

What is the square footage of the winery?

Between the cellar and the store 20,000 feet squared.

Does Jost Vineyards operate a restaurant?

Jost Vineyards does not have a restaurant on site.  We do operate a small, seasonal deli-bar which features That Dutchman's Cheese,  Foxhill Cheese and meats from the Pork Shop.  A barbecue is available for use on the deck.

Contract Growers- What are they? What is the acreage?

In order to have enough grapes for wine production we purchase grapes from private vineyards. We have approximately 15 growers with a combined acreage of 130 acres.

When do we harvest?

We harvest in September and October. Icewine is harvested anywhere between November and January when the temperature is consistently cold and the grapes are frozen.

Where is the Jost Family from?

The Jost Family is from Gau Algesheim which is a small village in the Rhine Valley of Germany.

Where were the first vines purchased? What varieties?

The first vines came from the Kentville Research Station and the variety was Marechal Foch (5 vines)

Does Jost Vineyards ship to the US or outside of Canada?

Jost Vineyards is unable to ship or sell to the US or outside of Canada.

Where are Jost Wines Distributed?

Jost wines are sold directly from our winery store, the Farmer’s Market in Halifax and private wine stores. A limited variety are also available at the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, the New Brunswick Liquor Board, the Prince Edward Liquor Corporation, Newfoundland, Manitoba and Alberta. Jost wines are not available in the LCBO or SAQ.

What type of wood are the aging barrels made from? Why use this type? How old are the barrels? How long is wine aged for?

The oak barrels that we use are Limousine Oak and we use the because the wood is tight and the aging is more mellow than American Oak. We purchase barrels that are 2-3 years old. Red wines are aged on oak for approximately 1 year and white wines for 6 months.

What makes wine age well?

Tannins allow a wine to age at a slower rate. As a general rule, ordinary white wines do not improve after 18 months and quality wines do not improve after 3 years in the bottle, however, this varies greatly between grape varieties and styles. White wines have a very steep aging curve; they get better quickly and may deteriorate more quickly. Good quality, full-bodied tannic red wines sometimes are not ready to drink for 8-10 years and remain of the same quality for 10 years. Tannin is a substance that comes from the seeds, stems and skins of grapes (think of strong tea). After a time the tannin settles out of the wine to become a sediment at thebottom of the bottle. Because red wines derive their color from the skins of the grape; red wines will be more tannic.