For Stutz, the tourism potential is important for Nova Scotia wine’s continued growth, and last year his winery hosted 31,000 visitors.

Visitors can come to Domaine de Grand Pre on the Wolfville Magic Winery Bus, a double-decker bus, and can also hop on and off at several other wineries.

At Luckett Vineyards, I met owner Pete Luckett, a jovial Brit from Nottingham, whose Crush Pad Bistro serves a lovely vegetarian panini of grilled zucchini, fired Roma tomatoes, bell peppers, fresh herbs and goat cheese.

“We’ve got the best view in the Annapolis Valley,” he said, “with…lovely manicured farm fields out in front of us.”

On the patio setting, with its tables and umbrellas, I noticed California fig trees growing in large containers.

Luckett explained: “I look after them inside the barn all winter, and in the middle of April, I bring them out and they become a part of our patio décor.”

Something else I noticed from the patio is a red phone box from Nottingham, which Luckett planted in the middle of his vineyards.

During our visit to the wineries, we stayed overnight at the comfortable Old Orchard Inn overlooking the valley.