C'est La Vie

In 1739 just over 24 000 residents of Quebec imported more than 3/4 of a million bottles of wine from France.  No one in Canada enjoys wine like the Quebecois.  Yet, the domestic wine industry in Quebec is a fledgling industry at best.  When wine experts talk about Canadian wines they talk about Ontario and British Columbia, despite the fact that wine, of some type, is grown in almost every province in the country.  Even the locally obsessed owners of Joe Beef in Montreal carry no locally made wines, though they have tried their hands at making their own with self proclaimed less than stellar results.

The weather is the biggest obstacle to making wine in Quebec.  The winters are just too cold, even the St. Lawrence is unable to temper the extreme cold to allow vineyards to survive.  There have been some developments in techniques including artificially heating the ground to support the vines.  Producers have turned to the many varieties of grape that thrive in cold weather and a mix of hardier old world and even hardier new world varieties are showing some promise.

Another obstacle to overcome in Quebec is, despite their love of and pride in local produce, Quebecois do not consume products that are, in their opinion, of a lesser quality or value.  David McMillan, in his book, The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, discusses his and his province's love of old world French wines:

The air in Quebec is sweet and old, however, and we've been drinking French wine with French food here for more than three hundred years... Classically, Montreal has always preferred French wine.  There is a core Quebec crowd that has, for many historical reasons, cemented this province with a vin francais toujours policy.  I have many customers who won't even acknowledge any wine other than French wine.  Italian wine is exotic, and Spanish wine, well, they just shrug and look bewildered.

So wine production in Quebec will have a long hard battle against climate, history and Quebec tastes.  But, there is an aspect of Quebec wine production that is producing superior quality products. Fruit wines.  Yes, I said fruit wines.  The fermentation of grapes is not the only way to produce an enjoyable alcoholic beverage with complexity and depth of flavour.  Don't believe me?  Try a bottle of  Domaine Pinnacle 2008 Sparkling Ice Cider.  This wonderful product takes advantage of its environment and embraces the harsh Quebec weather to culminate in, what some call, apple pie in a bottle.  It pairs extremely well with foie gras and hard cheeses and makes an excellent end to a dinner party.  Try it instead of an Ontario ice wine.