Top 100 sweet wines of Quebec
Discover the top 100 best sweet wines of Quebec as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the sweet wines that are popular of Quebec and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of Quebec
Quebec (or Québec in French) is the largest province in Canada, spanning nearly 20 degrees of latitude between 44°N and 62°N. While its Severe continental Climate makes viticulture here extremely challenging, there is indeed a flourishing wine industry.
Viticulture is largely confined to the very South of the province aLong the international border with the USA. Cold-hardy HybridGrape varieties such as Marechal Foch, Seyval Blanc and Vidal dominate the Vineyards in the region.
More specifically, most of Quebec's vineyards are located in the area immediately surrounding Montreal on the banks of the St Lawrence River. There are some vineyards near Québec City, 200 kilometers (140 miles) to the northeast.
The river valley is fertile, but extremely long winters brought about by Quebec's continental climate mean that vignerons must look to earlier-ripening grape varieties with the ability to withstand extremes of temperature.
Quebec produces much less wine than neighboring Ontario, but is noted for the quality of its ice wine.
Even though it accounts for less than 10 percent of the province's total production, it easily realizes the best prices. The thick-skinned Vidal grape is well suited to ice-wine production.
Most Quebec wine is consumed locally. The vast majority of it is sold through the state owned Societe des alcools du Québec (SAQ) and the Marche des Saveurs at the vibrant Jean-Talon Market in Montreal.
News from the vineyard of Quebec
A perfect pairing: Madhu’s masala lamb
With culinary inspiration dating back to 1935, our restaurant brand Madhu’s specialises in South Asian cuisine with an East African influence. It’s thanks to the secret recipes handed down across eight decades that we have become caterers for royalty, dignitaries and Asian weddings – and that our original Southall location has been named Best Indian Restaurant multiple times by Pat Chapman’s Cobra Good Curry Guide. Over the past few years I’ve been working on creative combinations to find the pe ...
Ten years on: Chinese wine’s breakthrough moment at DWWA
The prestige attached to winning at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) means that being awarded a Bronze medal for some wineries will mean huge celebrations in China, Japan, India, or Thailand. Since the competition began in 2004, I have often reminded judges on my panel about this – whether they are journalists, sommeliers, educators, Masters of Wine or Master Sommeliers. Scroll down for new tasting notes and scores on Jia Bei Lan vintages: from the Chinese wine label that won big at DWWA 20 ...
Tributes paid to Paul Pender
Canada’s wine community is mourning the sudden loss of beloved Ontario winemaker Paul Pender. Passing away at the age of just 54, Pender died ‘unexpectedly under tragic circumstances’ on 4 February, 2022, as announced by sister wineries Tawse and Redstone. Before becoming director of viticulture and winemaking at Tawse and Redstone, he was a carpenter. When he developed an allergy to the dust and solvents, he went back to school to study winemaking at Niagara College in 2004. Pender’s interns ...