The flavor of hay in wine of Quebec
Discover the of Quebec wines revealing the of hay flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
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.
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking up at some terraced vineyards in St-Joseph with an Australian friend. He remarked that he’d never seen a steep vineyard like this in his home country. Who could afford to rip out the trees, build the access roads, construct the terraces, and plant the vines, without being certain beforehand that the resulting wine could be sold at prices high enough to recoup the investment? It might not be the most romantic way of looking at it. But that’s the modern reality ...
It is always reassuring to find flourishing examples of family continuity in French wine estates. At the famous Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace, Pierre-Emile Humbrecht is the latest to join the family business. In preparation, he studied at the Changins School of Viticulture and Enology in Switzerland and then completed internships at wine estates, beginning with Thérèse Chappaz in that same country for 18 months, followed by a six-month period at Domaine Tissot in the Jura and then nearly eigh ...
As a wine critic, witnessing a relatively unknown estate rise up and receive the recognition it deserves can be a bittersweet feeling. From a purely selfish point of view, you watch the prices rise inexorably so you can no longer afford to drink wines from that estate as often as you once did. But primarily you’re delighted for the owners and for those who have discovered their wines. Scroll down for Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for five vintages of Domaine Gonon St-Joseph {"c ...