Interviews

A few kilometres past Dunham and its lovely stone houses, you can’t help but notice a hundred-year-old red barn beckoning you to turn left. Here, nestled in the Appalachian foothills, is where you’ll find the Val Caudalies vineyard.

Estrie, just 5 minutes away from Sherbrooke, is where Marco Corbin and his family combine their love of wine with their flair for hosting to create the star products at La Halte des Pèlerins vineyard, which include Le Prestige and Le Voyageur. Here’s my visit to this fascinating urban winery.

Just 30 minutes from Montreal, in the Montérégie region, a shape stands out from the horizon—Mont Rougemont. On entering the town of the same name, having driven along winding roads lined with vines and apple trees, you see a sign at the side of the road: Welcome to Domaine Cartier-Potelle.

Located at the foot of Mont Yamaska, right on the border of Montérégie and Estrie, Les Petits Cailloux winery has panoramic landscapes that’ll take your breath away. This charming little spot in Saint-Paul-d’Abbotsford is where Martin Lavertu and Françoise Goudreau grow their grapes and showcase their various products.

In southern Quebec, just a few kilometres from the U.S. border, a stand of maple trees opens onto rows of vines. It’s here in Havelock that Line and Jean Joly founded Vignoble du Marathonien, where they make one of Canada’s top ice wines.

In the heart of Saint-Paul-d’Abbotsford, a charming village in Montérégie, David Guertin and his associates at Les Artisans du Terroir work tirelessly to create authentically Quebec wines, including Prémices Blanc, their most popular vintage.

When you arrive on Île d’Orléans, take a left at the first intersection and you’ll reach Cassis Monna et Filles in no time. Anne Monna, one of the sister-owners, welcomes me like an old friend. “We’re girls who love to celebrate and host parties. We created a place that reflects who we are.”

Somewhere in Saint-Armand, in the Eastern Townships, there’s a gorgeous road lined with tall trees that leads to a wooden building at the heart of Domaine du Ridge. I recently had the pleasure of visiting this agritourism hot spot, which is also one of the most well-known vineyards in Quebec.

On the road up to Mont Ste-Anne, just past the bridge to Île d’Orléans, I discovered a hidden gem—the Domaine l’Ange Gardien vineyard. Here, you can savour a glass of Côte de Beaupré and meet the friendly and knowledgeable winemakers. You’ll be charmed in no time!

Set a course for the magnificent Ubald Distillery, located on Route 363 in—you guessed it—Saint-Ubalde, in the area around Portneuf. A unique place where terroir and tradition combine to produce Ubald’s famous potato vodka as well as their Vallée gins, available in herbaceous and zesty varieties.

Gagliano Vineyard is like an Italian holiday—in the heart of the Eastern Townships! Just head to Dunham to savour a pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven, paired with a delightful glass of bubbly. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d been whisked off to Tuscany!

Distillerie La Manufacture is tucked away in the heart of the Laurentians, in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts. Laurent and his father welcomed me into their hideaway to share the story behind their products—from the famous Panacée gin and Narval vodka to all the new eaux de vie bursting with local flavour.