Franglo

During the last weekend in August, we found ourselves without children or any commitments on a Saturday. This was a phenomenon that had not occurred all summer. I had not yet been to the Eastern Townships, so it was time to go explore my new province. The wine industry is well known in both Ontario and British Columbia, but I knew very little about wine from Quebec.

I was eager to go experience the Quebecois countryside in all its glory, and my other half is excited to drive his new car, so off we go on our adventure. Along the way, we made a quick detour for a covered bridge. Our history lesson turns out they used to build them like this so they would last longer although in the winter they would need to push snow onto the bridges so the sleighs could pass through.

After the bridge, onto Dunham to sample some wines. Our first vineyard Chateau De Cartes , great little family run vineyard with a pizza oven. We were able to taste a few of their wines and learn about the process. We came home with an Orange Wine, which is a white wine produces the way you make a red wine with the skins left on the grapes. It was different to be saved for a special occasion. They also had a wood fire pizza oven with a few exotic selections, my other half had a veggie pizza that looked amazing. Sadly the only gluten-free option was a salad, although tasty not as satisfying but I did pair it with their sparkling Rose, the advantage of not driving.

Next up, we took a break from sampling wines and went to Côte D’ Ardoise  which is one of the oldest vineyards in the region and also has the sculpture from over 80 artists displayed around the vineyard. We paid our admission of $4 wandering around the vineyard enjoying the art and the view.

I was still hungry, so we were in search of more food, so we went to one of the better-known vineyards in the area Vignoble de l’Orpailleur . Sadly the restaurant was closing in ten minutes, but we did stay to sample a few wines. This time we came home with a Grey Wine, which is late harvest wine with a smoky flavour. I can’t wait to make something fun to pair this wine with.

After that tasting, I needed to be feed so off to Lac Brome. We had lunch on the patio of the Star Cafe.  It was nestled beside a river and cobblestone bridge, very cute. I was surprised by how Anglo this town was, but I guess it is really close to the Vermont border. When in Quebec, poutine is a must. I had a version that was more of a French fry version of a baked potato with bacon, sour cream and cheese- all very good.

We walked around the town a bit and then hopped in the car to start the journey home. The region is beautiful and so close to Montreal, I think we will be back soon.