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BENT RIDGE WINERY

4499 HIGHWAY 14, WINDSOR FORKS · Food Establishment

Official record from Nova Scotia →

Inspection summary

BENT RIDGE WINERY has been inspected 4 times by Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (Food Safety Program) since July 8, 2024. The most recent inspection, on December 2, 2025, recorded 2 infractions.

1 of 4 inspections on record found no infractions at all. In the past 12 months there was 1 inspection with 2 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Food temperature control, Handwashing and staff hygiene and Cleaning and sanitizing.

Recent inspections have recorded fewer infractions than earlier ones, so the record is improving.

What these findings mean

Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.

  • Food temperature controlHigher risk

    Bacteria multiply fastest between about 4 °C and 60 °C (40 °F to 140 °F). Inspectors check that cold food stays cold, hot food stays hot, cooked food is cooled quickly, and that staff have accurate thermometers. Temperature problems are one of the most common causes of food poisoning, so these are treated as critical findings.

    Recorded 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on December 2, 2025. For example: 33(1) - OPERATOR FAILING TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE OF FOOD SO FOOD DOES NOT DETERIORATE OR BECOME INEDIBLE OR UNSAFE.

  • Handwashing and staff hygieneHigher risk

    Hands are the main way germs like norovirus move from people to food. Inspectors look for stocked, accessible handwashing sinks, staff washing hands when required, hair restraints, and sick employees being kept away from food. Gaps here can spread illness quickly.

    Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on September 29, 2025. For example: 19(2)(b) - OPERATOR FAILING TO PROVIDE ADEQUATELY DESIGNED & APPROPRIATELY LOCATED HANDWASHING FACILITIES.

  • Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk

    Anything that touches food, such as cutting boards, dishes and utensils, must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. Inspectors check dishwasher temperatures, sanitizer strength and how wiping cloths are stored. Poor sanitizing lets bacteria survive from one use to the next.

    Recorded once on July 8, 2024. For example: 29(2)(a) - FAILING TO ENSURE MAINTENANCE, CLEANING & SANITATION PROGRAM INCLUDES PROCEDURES TO ENSURE FOOD ESTABLISHMENT & EQUIPMENT MAINTAINED, CLEANED & SANITIZED.

  • Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk

    This covers how food is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.

    Recorded once on July 8, 2024. For example: 34 - OPERATOR FAILING TO ENSURE THAT FOOD & FOOD INGREDIENTS ARE PREPARED AND STORED IN A MANNER THAT PREVENTS CONTAMINATION AND ADULTERATION.

  • Food safety training and certificationLower risk

    Most jurisdictions require a certified food handler or manager on site, and some require allergen or food-worker training. These findings mean the paperwork or the trained person was missing at the time. They do not by themselves mean food was handled unsafely.

    Recorded once on July 8, 2024. For example: 28(2) - OPERATOR FAILING TO HAVE MEMBER OF PERSONNEL WHO HAS COMPLETED FOOD HYGIENE TRAINING PROGRAM PRESENT WHILE OPERATOR IS ABSENT FROM FOOD ESTABLISHMENT.

About this data

These results come from Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (Food Safety Program), which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.

4 inspections

  1. Inspection

    2 infractions

    • 29(2)(a) - INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE, CLEANING & SANITATION PROGRAM.
      • Correct condensate issue ion waiter's fridge. Bare wood (shelves) to be painted or varnished. Provide full separation between winery and food storage / receiving with wall and self-closing door. Paint / finish walls in receiving and storage room.
    • 33(1) - OPERATOR FAILING TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE OF FOOD SO FOOD DOES NOT DETERIORATE OR BECOME INEDIBLE OR UNSAFE.
      • Waiter's Fridge not holding < = 4C /40F in foods was adjusted and corrected during inspection. Keep temperature logs at least twice daily and keep records available.
  2. Inspection

    0 infractions

  3. Inspection

    3 infractions

    • 19(2)(b) - OPERATOR FAILING TO PROVIDE ADEQUATELY DESIGNED & APPROPRIATELY LOCATED HANDWASHING FACILITIES.
      • Keep paper towel in washrooms protected inside a functioning paper toweling dispenser. Provide single use paper toweling dispenser at kitchen handwash within reach of the user.
    • 29(2)(a) - INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE, CLEANING & SANITATION PROGRAM.
      • Clean kitchen, all surfaces behind and under equipment, and storage. Bare wood (shelves) to be painted or varnished. Cease use of milk crates for platforms (whereas uncleanable). Relocate outside freezer to inside area. Provide full separation between winery and food storage / receiving with wall and self-closing door. Refill detergent to dishwasher (corrected).
    • 33(1) - OPERATOR FAILING TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE OF FOOD SO FOOD DOES NOT DETERIORATE OR BECOME INEDIBLE OR UNSAFE.
      • Waitress fridge not holding <= 4C and condensate issue to correct. Relocate cheese & dairy to colder working fridge immediately. Three door undercounter fridge not holding <= 4C in foods. Remove all potentially hazardous foods and do not use until corrected. Small prep. table (> 4C) not to be used. Remove all foods and have repaired or replaced immediately. Operator to manage all food safety issues and have all units serviced / adjusted and holding <= 4C before reuse. Keep temperature logs at least twice daily and keep records available.
  4. Inspection

    5 infractions

    • 19(2)(b) - FAILING TO PROVIDE ADEQUATELY DESIGNED & APPROPRIATELY LOCATED HANDWASHING FACILITIES.
      • Rear handwash sink requires paper toweling dispenser and handwashing procedure signage.
    • 28(2) - OPERATOR FAILING TO HAVE MEMBER OF PERSONNEL WHO HAS COMPLETED FOOD HYGIENE TRAINING PROGRAM PRESENT WHILE OPERATOR IS ABSENT FROM FOOD ESTABLISHMENT.
      • Cook requires acceptable food hygiene training program certification. Ensure 1 person with it in kitchen at all times.
    • 29(2)(a) - FAILING TO ENSURE MAINTENANCE, CLEANING & SANITATION PROGRAM INCLUDES PROCEDURES TO ENSURE FOOD ESTABLISHMENT & EQUIPMENT MAINTAINED, CLEANED & SANITIZED.
      • Correct / increase sanitizer feed to dishwasher to manufacturers requirements. Keep daily records of sanitizer (test strips) and temperature. Correct drain pipe leak at pot sinks. Remove uncleanable milk crates and provide table for loading dishwasher. Correct / ensure function of lights at front prep. table and ensure >=540 Lux. Clean pipes around and behind front prep. table. To keep doors of restaurant open self closing screen doors are required. Full label including conc. and directions for use on chemical spray bottles.
    • 33(1) - OPERATOR FAILING TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE OF FOOD SO FOOD DOES NOT DETERIORATE OR BECOME INEDIBLE OR UNSAFE.
      • Four door under counter fridge not holding <=4C in foods has been taken out of use and must be serviced / adjusted and holding <=4C in foods before reuse for potentially hazardous foods.
    • 34 - OPERATOR FAILING TO ENSURE THAT FOOD & FOOD INGREDIENTS ARE PREPARED AND STORED IN A MANNER THAT PREVENTS CONTAMINATION AND ADULTERATION.
      • Cease practice of leaving utensils in food containers. Foods prepared must be labelled and dated. Dry storage and dish storage require cleaning. Food storage in winery must be relocated to within permitted area of food establishment and properly located.

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