This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Bottles from here to water down the holiday season.
We are the perfect ambassadors of our own culture. Some ambassadors are more so than others, as evidenced by this recent meeting with the owner of the friendly Café Lézard, rue Masson in Montreal, where Rachel offers for sale a range of the best Quebec wines. “Our wines are great! » says the more than dynamic lady for whom culture and agriculture go hand in hand.
We come across just as many early Gamays from Geneviève Thisdel (Les Bacchantes vineyard) in the glass as the organic ones from Vincent Laniel — aka Vincent Sulfite — from the Très-Précieux-Sang vineyard, but also other oddities, including this Roland grape variety, from Raku Farm. White in the heights of Kamouraska? “Taste this for me, and tell me it’s good!” » Emissaries who open up such horizons for you certainly deserve the Boire le Québec medal one region at a time!
Rachel is not the only one to offer these vintages produced by Pigeon Hill, Nival, Joy Hill, Pervenches, L’Espiègle, Soeurs Racines, Grand-Saint-Charles and Polisson, among others. The problem is that the often Lilliputian volumes offered by these artisans force us to flirt with the SAQ, where the choices of Quebec wines abound. Are our wines delicious? It’s like asking if Santa Claus is a Quebec winemaker! Come see him at the SAQ, where he offers you his short list, not only for the holiday season, but also for the upcoming 2024 vintage.
Here are my recommendations.
Bubbles
• PetNat 2022, House of Cards ($19.95 – 15217190)
• Domaine de Lavoie 2022 Brut ($17.30 – 12358237)
• L’Orpailleur Brut ($30.50 – 12685625)
• Bergeville Le Blanc Brut 2021 ($31.25 – 13374562)
• Domaine St-Jacques Brut 2020 ($34.75 – 14721888)
Whites
• Seyval Blanc 2022, Vignoble du Marathonien ($16.50 – 11398325)
• Les Vents d’Ange “Cuvée Catherine” 2021 ($16.50 – 11833690)
• Vidal 2021 Le Stanbridge, Domaine du Ridge ($19.80 – 12962549)
• Cuvée Charlotte 2022, Léon Courville Winemaker ($18.55 – 11106661)
• Chardonnay 2021 La Cantina ($24.45 – 13835841)
• Riesling 2022, Domaine des Côtes d’Ardoise ($25 – 15051847)
• Gewurztraminer 2021, Domaine des Côtes d’Ardoise ($27.85 – 15051855)
• St-Pépin 2019, Léon Courville Winemaker ($30 – 10919723)
Roses
• Rosé Gabrielle 2022 ($17.30 – 10817090)
• Domaine Labranche Rosé 2022 ($18.50 – 14721861)
• Le Rosé du Calvaire 2022, La Cantina Rosé ($20.05 – 13835648)
The Reds
• L’Orpailleur Rouge 2021 ($16.95 – 743559)
• Red 2022, Vignoble du Marathonien ($17.55 – 14575315)
• William Red 2022 ($17 – 743989)
• Le Bâtonnier 2021, Domaine du Ridge ($17.25 – 11633161)
• Vin de Soif 2021, Château de Cartes ($19.95 – 14788636)
• Réserve Rouge 2021, Domaine St-Jacques ($21.80 – 11506365)
• Pinot Noir 2021, La Cantina ($26 – 13952941)
Sweets and brandies
• Avalanche 2019, Ice Cider, Clos Saragnat (27.40 for 200 ml – 11133221)
• Vidal Icewine 2021, Vignoble du Marathonien ($32.50 for 200 ml – 11745788)
• Fove Acerum White Maple Brandy ($47 for 500 ml – 14999038)
• Sivo Single Malt ($59.25 – 13566847)
• Gin Menaud ($67.75 – 14108709)
• Route 363 potato vodka, Ubald Distillery ($50 – 14737839)
• Isabelle’s crème de menthe, Les Subversifs ($34.50 –13547208)
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.