Posted at 11:00 a.m.
With conviction, humility and consistency, Alain Rochard participated in the growth of a joyful and quality restaurant in Montreal, first at the Continental, then at the Rouge Gorge. It is with peace of mind but with a somewhat heavy heart that the service and wine enthusiast, living in Quebec since 1990, retires from the metropolis and leaves to take care of the vines of the Loup blanc, in the Minervois. We caught him a few days before he left for France.
First serve
“My father was a watchmaker, my grandfather was a farmer. I come from a very, very modest family from Saumur, in the Loire. I was not necessarily destined to work in restaurants or in the vineyard. In fact, when you are born in a producing country like France or Italy or Spain, wine is part of the landscape, like snow here. The castles of the Loire, I no longer saw them!
“I first did an agricultural certificate, but I realized that I didn’t want to go there, so I moved on. So I worked in taxation and management for nine years. It’s a job that I liked because I like numbers, I quickly got a good job, I earned money. But I ended up pissing myself off!
“In 1988, I came to Quebec on a trip and I fell in love. I came back to settle there in 1990, alone, and that’s where my passion for wine really began, thanks to the SAQ. »
“People complain a lot about the SAQ, but it’s one of the finest accesses to wine in the whole world. Try to find yourself a bottle of wine, even Italian, at a French wine merchant in the region. Good luck ! »
“Here, in any SAQ, you can find everything and they have struggled in recent years in terms of quality.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Alain Rochard and his team at the reopening of the terraces last summer. In the photo, to the right of Mr. Rochard: Giancarlo Bonanno, Gabriel Tanguay, André-Nicolàs Medina, Simon Perrotte, Manuel Ruiz and Laurent Farre (co-owner).
“Before leaving France, I had opened a restaurant in Saumur then another in Angers, with my brother. Arrived in Quebec, I discovered the restoration from here. The good tables were classic French restaurants. There was L’Express, Le Continental. We also ate at the Latini, at the Piémontais, at La Bohème, at Gauthier. I joined the Continental in 1992 as head waiter. In 1993, I bought some shares, then in 1995, we bought everything, with my great friend Laurent Farre.
“I took my first sommelier course in 1997-1998 at the ITHQ and I understood that I wasn’t cut out for competitions! For me, it was more about oenology, winemaking, meetings with winegrowers. Then I did a second training in wine, with Olivier Robin, who came from the University of Wine in Suze-La-Rousse. »
second serve
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alain Rochard at the opening of Le Rouge gorge, in 2015
“Me, the restoration, it is on the floor that I lived it. At the Continental, I participated in the service with the staff, I participated in the development of the menu with the chef. I was present. It worked really well until the fire, in July 2007, which destroyed everything. Fortunately, we were insured and we didn’t have both feet in the same boot. We immediately looked for a new place, a corner further south. Zébulon Perron came to do the decor for us. Three months later, in October 2007, we opened Le Petit Conti.
“At the time, we managed to build customer loyalty. At the Continental, I had some who came almost every day. But it’s not usually like that anymore. Today, when you want to go to a restaurant in Montreal, the most complicated thing is choosing the place!
“We sold Le Petit Conti in 2014. I spent a lot of time at the estate, which we bought in 2003, and I walked around a lot to sell the wine. Laurent was a little left to himself. In my head, I already had a wine bar plan. It’s simpler than a restaurant. You have less pressure to always be on top, to prepare innovative menus, to do hours and hours of mise en place. At Rouge Gorge, the cuisine is a plus in the wine bar, but it only represents 25% of sales.
“Catering is a job of passion. We don’t earn fabulous salaries, the hours are difficult. Before, it was said that the secret of a business was rental, rental, rental. Now it’s management, management, management! You have to know how to count. »
Third serve
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
“I have 66 balls. In 20 years, if I’m not dead, I won’t be far, but you who are 20 today, you better be careful. Our voting power should be constantly directed towards ecology. »
“In the vineyard, we quickly moved towards organic and biodynamic farming. I have friends who say, “Ah, everyone is going to bio now.” Me, I say: “So much the better, SO MUCH BETTER!” Even if it’s not your philosophy, at least it’s a smart business reflex! »
“My future goals are agroforestry and permaculture. With Benoît, who is our agricultural worker and who will become a partner, we went to see other winegrowers who are starting out there. Replant hedges, trees, fruit shrubs… It seems that the flower of the female chestnut tree would be more effective than sulfur in acting on the bacteria and yeasts that cause the wine to deviate. I will test this. But for me, you don’t have to be totally sulphite-free to make natural wine and just because you don’t put sulfur in your wine doesn’t mean it’s natural.
“I want to make good wine, as a team with my associates, Carine [Farre] and Benedict. I don’t need to be told: Rochard, you’re a fantastic winemaker. It would even bother me. Let it be said: the White Wolf team is working well. Well, that would make me happy. »