Origine Québec identification

Do you know piquette? In French, the term has often been used to mean plonk or poor quality wine, but it’s actually a slightly tart, low-alcohol drink that’s been gaining popularity in the past few years. We look at the phenomenon in the latest edition of Fresh!

What do you drink with a hearty bowl of pea soup or some mouth-watering maple ham? We asked Marie-Hélène, a sommelier with both a sweet tooth and a refined palate, to enjoy some good eats at a BYOW sugar shack so she could suggest the best pairings. Here’s what she discovered.

Have you heard of Acerum? In this edition of Fresh, we’re looking at this newcomer on the fine spirits scene—an eau-de-vie made from the fermentation and distillation of maple sap.

At Cirka Distilleries, located in the Côte-Saint-Paul district of Montreal, Isabelle Rochette works the stills to bottle the enchanting flavour of Quebec barley, rye and corn. We had the opportunity to talk to her about her great passion for whisky.

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.