Local Christmas | Wines of the week

Quebec’s vineyards continue to grow as no one would have imagined just 30 years ago. Today, nearly 200 producers produce wine in Quebec, with more than 1000 hectares of vineyards. There were around 150 in the 1990s! In Ontario, by comparison, there are more than 7,000 hectares of vines. Everything is happening in the two provinces, good and bad. Here are three wines, not among the cheapest, but from exceptional winegrowers who sincerely seek to best express their terroir. To treat yourself during the Holidays!

Bubbles

Expression of our Nordic terroir

Domaine Bergeville quickly rose to rank among the best in the province thanks to a clear vision, extremely meticulous work and constant questioning. Specialists in sparkling wines, Ève Rainville and Marc Théberge consider them the ideal vehicle to express our Nordic terroir. And this climate, extreme for the vine, offers very variable conditions. No recipe therefore, we question ourselves with each vintage. The Blanc Brut 2022, a rather cool year, is made up of a majority of Vidal, supplemented mainly by Seyval, Acadie Blanc and Saint-Pépin. The nose, aromatic and fine, offers notes of apples, with a hint of honey, sweet clover and white flowers. Light and very dry, it has ripe flavors carried by fine bubbles and lively acidity. Perfect for whetting the appetite, with oysters, goat cheese and apple canapes, and fish tartare.

Keeping: 3 to 5 years

Domaine Bergeville Le Blanc Brut 2022, $31.50 (13374562), 10%, organic

Consult the SAQ sheet

Blanc

Among the best in Ontario

Founded in 2003, Hidden Bench has focused on chardonnay and pinot noir from its beginnings. A judicious choice which, coupled with the Beamsville Bench terroir and meticulous work, is the origin of some of the best wines in Ontario. Despite a difficult vintage, the 2021 Chardonnay is very successful. Pale in color, it offers a very pretty, complex nose, where a noble, delicately spicy woodiness mixes with ripe fruit with accents of pear and clementine, with a hint of browned butter. A ripe and caressing substance fills the mouth. Ample, but very fresh, it stretches to a finish which tightens with a slight chalky impression. Very harmonious and complete, it has nothing to envy of foreign Chardonnays of the same price. Perfect for quail, a seafood or mushroom risotto, or a turkey meal.

Keeping: 3 to 5 years

Hidden Bench Chardonnay Estate Beamsville Bench 2021, 34,75 $ (12583047), 13 %, bio

Consult the SAQ sheet

Rouge

Pinot noir that flourishes here

While hybrid grape varieties dominate the wine landscape in Quebec, with around 80% of the vines, at Domaine St-Jacques, the emphasis is on vinifera grape varieties which account for almost 70% of their vines. Pinot noir, a revered but very capricious grape variety, seems to flourish in this terroir of Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur, where, like all the estate’s vines, it is the subject of meticulous care. In the excellent 2021 vintage, their Pinot Noir offers a very fine nose, with notes of undergrowth, currant, cherry and rhubarb. The palate is also very fine, delicate, fresh and fragrant. Light, but impeccably held, it stretches on light tannins which provide just the right amount of depth. All the more pleasing since he doesn’t seem to be from anywhere other than Quebec. Try with quail, grilled vegetables and beet carpaccio.

Keeping: 3 to 5 years

Domaine St-Jacques Pinot Noir Wine from Quebec 2021, $29.00 (13023172), 12.2%, organic

Consult the SAQ sheet