This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Winemaker Richard Bresee planted his first vines at the foot of the Sutton Mountains in the Eastern Townships in 2001, against all odds, at a time when Quebec wines were still far from popular. A quarter of a century later, it’s safe to say that he’s won his bet! His vineyard, recently certified eco-responsible by Écocert Canada, now has 25,000 vines on 8 hectares and produces some 55,000 bottles each year. The story of an improbable success story.
A sixth-generation farmer, Richard Bresee never doubted his calling. “At 12, I knew what I was going to do with my life,” he confided in a telephone interview after a long summer day in the fields. And it was at that same age that he “fell in love” with the land he now farms, near the family farm where he grew up.
A few years later, in 1997, he bought the property totaling 255 acres. He was then barely 22 years old. The site had long been fallow, but it was nonetheless picturesque; surrounded by mountains and, what’s more, with a pond. The young entrepreneur already imagined himself harvesting grapes in this bucolic place. “At the time, I didn’t think about making wine, but rather selling the grapes to other producers,” he explains. The agronomists he consulted, however, were adamant: the place would not be suitable for growing vines. “I didn’t listen to them and I did as I pleased,” he exclaims with a laugh.
After enriching the soil, refining the slopes and installing a drainage system, among other things, Richard Bresee planted his first vines, 12,500 hybrids, including the usual Frontenac, Vidal, Sainte-Croix and Seyval, in 2001. “I started with the idea that it would work… and it did! The hybrids produce very well here,” he says. So much so that from 2006 to 2017, the winemaker planted 12,500 additional plants, in addition to developing, over the years, half a dozen vintages—three reds, a white, a rosé, a late harvest wine and a dessert wine.
Even though he’s on a roll, the last few years haven’t been easy for the winemaker, who, like most of his colleagues, suffered heavy losses after a disastrous 2021 season. Regardless, in 2022, he’s adding chardonnay to his range of grape varieties, his only vitis vinifera for the moment, and the tests are already bearing fruit. “It takes about three years for the new plants to produce, but things are already going very well,” rejoices his partner, Nathalie Lamoureux, director of operations at the vineyard.
Celebrations
This is timely, as the couple are preparing to launch no less than five new wines by the end of the year to celebrate Domaine Bresee’s 25th anniversary in style. The first three (a white, a rosé and a red) should be released soon, while two sparkling wines—a first for the vineyard!—could be launched in time for Christmas if all goes as planned, Nathalie Lamoureux hopes. As for the bubbles, the vintages promise to be dry and festive. “We will have a sparkling white and rosé,” she describes. “We work in airtight vats and the fermentation is done in the bottle.”
In the meantime, it is still possible to stop by the vineyard for a tasting or, why not, to participate in the traditional grape harvest, which should take place somewhere between September 15 and 30. “We recognize people who come back to see us year after year,” emphasizes the operations director. “Some even arrive on Friday evening in an RV and sleep at the vineyard to be ready on Saturday morning.”
How does it work? After a short training session, budding winemakers get the full experience, from picking to barefoot crushing, including music. “It’s like a big party!”
And if we needed one more reason to celebrate: the 2024 harvest is looking excellent. “This is the first time in my career that I have seen such intense flowering in my vines,” says Richard Bresee. A beautiful gift from Mother Nature for the vineyard’s 25th anniversary!
To find out everything about wines and activities in the vineyard: vineyarddomainebresee.com
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.