Jost Vineyards

When the Jost family moved from Germany to Nova Scotia in 1970, they were told it wasn't the right climate for growing grapes. Hans Wilhelm Jost had operated a successful family-run vineyard and cellar in the Rhine region of Germany, but upon settling in the Malagash Peninsula, he decided to try his hand at beef, hog, and grain.

That was until he crossed paths with Dr. Donald Craig at the Kentville Research Station. Craig specialized in strawberry variety development but also did some work with grapes. In 1978, he supplied Jost with grapes and five vines to put in the ground. "He was just curious to see how they would do," says Hans Christian Jost, son of the German winemaker. The following year, the elder Jost planted 400 vines for personal consumption and experimenting. "He figured if they panned out, we'd never have to go to the liquor store again."

In 1981, the family planted four thousand vines and quickly realized that they couldn't drink it all themselves! And the idea of an award-winning Nova Scotian winery was born.

Just over 25 years ago, the Josts applied for a license to start their winery and began production in the garage of their house. They built the first part of the present winery in 1984, with a goal to one day hit a milestone of 10,000 cases of wine. Today, they produce over 50,000 cases per year.

The implementation of the Nova Scotia Farm Wine Policy in 1986 was a milestone for Jost and boosted sales immensely. "The policy allowed us to sell directly to the public and to restaurants out of our store in Malagash. Up to that point, wine could only be sold through government liquor stores," says Hans Christian. Sales from the store have proven extremely important to the winery. "We get a lot of local visitors and also tourists from around the world. They are all very surprised that here in Nova Scotia we can grow grapes and make wine. It counters the thinking that it's all purely fog and lobster here."

Just around the time that Jost started to win awards in 1988, the founder of the Vineyard, Hans Wilhelm, died. His son, Hans Christian, took over as winemaker and manager of the winery. Since that time, the winery has continued to grow, adding thousands more square feet to their cellars, experimenting with different varieties of grapes, and also growing grapes in other regions of the province.

Jost also owns Gaspereau Vineyards in the Annapolis Valley with winemaker Gina Haverstock, who is making headlines across Canada. In 2007, she launched her first wine to unanimous praise and a silver medal in the All-Canadian Wine Championships. The next year, Gaspereau Vineyards won seven medals including five gold at the 2008 All-Canadian Wine Championships.

Jost Vineyards produces red, white, rose, fruit, and specialty wines, including Icewine, maple wines, and berry wines. Their wines have won over 100 international awards and medals. "Our biggest win was in 2000 when we won Canada's wine of the year against 594 other wines," says Hans Christian. It marked the first time the award was ever presented to a winery outside of British Columbia and Ontario. "That was a wonderful time." Jost Icewines have won particular acclaim around the world and have been served to world leaders including Bill Clinton and the Queen of England.

From July through to November, the Malagash area records more heat units than any other area of Nova Scotia. The exceptionally warm summers make perfect conditions for certain types of grapes such as Marechal Foch, Seville Blanc, Baco Noir, and Leon Millot. These varieties have been developed in the Alsace region of France, at roughly the same latitude as the Malagash Peninsula, which explains why they do so well here.

Today's Jost Vineyards sits on the same 700 acres of land that Hans Wilhelm bought; the same piece of land he was told could never grow grapes. "It was a bit of fate to have him land on a piece of the earth that grapes can be grown on. Many of the other properties he was looking at would never have sustained grapes," says Hans Christian. "So, someone must have been watching."

Hans Christian, who has long been involved with the Grape Growers Association of Nova Scotia and the Winery Association of Nova Scotia, can't imagine having more fun in any other industry. "One of my greatest joys has been watching the industry grow," he says. "It started on the ground floor and now it's just going through the roof." A particular pleasure is hashing out what's best for the province with other winemakers. "We're all generally pointing in the same direction when it comes to our beliefs as to how things should proceed in this province," he says. "We all feel blessed being part of this industry at this stage of its development."

The Jost winemaker believes that the success of the wine industry is actually changing the image of Nova Scotia. "Look at the Annapolis Valley where there are now a dozen wineries, beautiful inns and incredible restaurants," he says. "That's a good thing for the whole province." He also cites the rapid growth of sommeliers in urban and rural parts of the province. "In Nova Scotia 10 years ago, there may have been three sommeliers – now there are close to 80. A lot more restaurants have very good wine lists and the whole dining experience has changed in Nova Scotia."

On top of all this, the most heartening part of his job has been watching young people decide to stay in Nova Scotia and make a career out of wine. "Until recently, the only ones making wine here were from away," says Hans Christian. "All of a sudden there are young people who want to make a career in this industry. This wasn't a career choice that anyone would have thought of 15 years ago."

Nova Scotia is indeed home to Hans Christian Jost and his family. Whenever he travels for work or pleasure, he is happy to return and enjoys telling people that his version of rush hour is a school bus or a tractor in front of him. "It's a very friendly place to live – people are still very open in how they deal with each other and many still keep their doors open and unlocked." He believes that his father landed in the right place. "Nova Scotia has been extremely good to us. It's been a wonderful experience. "