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As I pulled into the parking lot at the entrance to Vignoble 1292 winery in Saint-Blaise-sur Richelieu, I was greeted by a woman with curly hair and an infectious smile. She was followed by another woman, and then a truck pulled up and three men got out—a welcoming committee of sorts!
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The entire team mobilized to show me around the place and give me a glimpse into the everyday life of a winemaker. Their chemistry was simply captivating—it made me want to chat, share stories and reimagine the world over a bottle of their delicious red wine.
Olivier Ross, Andrée Gagnon, Julie Couture, Éric Thibault, Samuel Comtois, and Gabriel Deslauriers are living proof that with enough passion, anything is possible.
Having grown up in the area, most of the team members are agronomists working as consultants in Napierville to help producers and organizations implement sustainable farming practices.
In fact, their shared passion for the land and agriculture is what gave rise to their deep, long-standing friendship.
It all started with Éric, who was the agronomist for the founders of the winery, Michel Lefèbvre and Christiane Allard. It was at one of the regular producer meetings that he learned of their intention to sell the winery. As fate would have it, just a few years later, in 2019, he and his friends rolled up their sleeves and began the process of taking over the winery.
The new partners wanted to preserve everything the founders had built, so they all worked together for an entire season during the transition to ensure a seamless change of hands.
Every year, a number of students are hired to work at the winery for the summer. Hailing from the restaurant industry, Samuel found his place immediately. He’s now a full-time sommelier at Amalgames, where he shares his knowledge about various products with visitors and strives to develop the best wines possible. His efforts are reflected not only in the quality of the final products, but throughout the entire process, i.e. from vine to bottle.
While the team would like to expand the vineyard and focus more on agritourism, they prefer to start by building a solid foundation for the business, making a growth plan and assessing the site’s potential before moving forward with an expansion.
Today, they all have other jobs outside the winery—their aim wasn’t necessarily to make it their main occupation, but to turn their love of the land into a fun group project that could also turn a profit. They share the same values, passions and love of wine, and the business provided the perfect opportunity to bring all of those things together.
"Agriculture is a labour of love, and we wanted to turn this passion we share into a group endeavour."
- Olivier Ross, sommelier at Domaine Amalgames
Even on Saturdays, they’re all here, working together—sometimes with their children in tow. And the grownups have as much fun as the little ones. “We love what we do. It brings everyone together! We like to say that we’re ‘partners in wine,’” noted Andrée, one of the owners.
People come to Amalgames for the wine, but they leave invigorated by the ties they’ve built with the passionate and highly spirited owners. A wonderfully inspiring experience that’s definitely worth the detour.
1292 Principale street
Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu, QC
J0J 1W0
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Discover the Domaine Amalgames wines
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