QUÉBEC
SUPER COOL WINES AND CIDERS
Visitors can plan their own tours on the
website choosing from seven distinct wine
growing regions: Appalachian Foothills,
Appalachian Plateau, Deux-Montagnes,
Emerging Regions, Lake Saint-Pierre,
Mongeregian Hills, Québec and the Banks
of the St. Lawrence River and Richelieu
River Valley (www.vinsduquebec.com).
Located 45 minutes east of Montréal, The
Brome-Missisquoi Wine Route links wineries
along four suggested signposted circuits
totalling 203-km (126-mi.) in the beautiful
Eastern Townships (www.laroutedesvins.ca).
On the route, you will find the province's
first winery, Domaine des Côtes d'Ardoise,
opened in 1981 in Dunham, which is remark-
able not only for its wines but for its exhibi-
tion of sculptures gathered from more than
80 artists (www.cotesdardoise.com).
The Magog-Orford Harvest Festival, held
annually on the first two weekends of September,
offers an opportunity to sample Québec
regional food and wine products in a picturesque
setting (www.fetedesvendanges.com/en).
With an annual production of over 60
ciders, Montérégie is the pioneer of cider
production in Québec (www.tourisme-
monteregie.qc.ca/en/course/the-cider-
route). Ice cider (made from frozen-on-the-
tree apples) was first made in the Eastern
Townships by a French winemaker, Christian
Barthomeuf, at his winery/cider house, Clos
Saragnat, in Frelighsburg (www.saragnat.com).
Top microbreweries in Montréal include
Vices & Versa, Brasserie Harricana, Mabrasserie,
La Succursale, Le Vestiaire, Isle de Garde,
Broue Pub Brouhaha and Boswell Brasserie
Artisanale, many which also serve gastro
pub food. Eater Montréal publishes a map to
twenty essential Montréal microbreweries
and craft beer bars (www.montreal.eater.com/
maps/best-montreal-brewpubs-beer-bars).
THE MARITIMES
LOCAL FLAIR COMING
ON STREAM
Nova Scotia is Canada's fourth largest wine
producing province. Its wine trail has about
a dozen wineries making quality wines from
100 percent locally grown Nova Scotia grapes
and fruit (www.winesofnovascotia.ca).
Grape Escapes offers a number of tours,
some which include lunch or dinner at a
winery (www.novascotiawinetours.com).
Domaine de Grand Pré, the oldest farm winery
in Atlantic Canada, has an award-winning
restaurant, Le Caveau, which focuses on
regional Nova Scotia product prepared with a
global flair (www.grandprewines.com).
Benjamin Bridge makes champagne-method
sparkling wines recognized as among the top
in the world (www.benjaminbridge.com).
The Good Cheer Trail offers an exciting mix of
tours, tastings and special events at wineries,
cideries, microbreweries, meaderies and
distilleries (www.goodcheertrail.com). The
Halifax Beer Bus takes people around Halifax
to taste and learn all about Halifax's
exploding craft beer scene (www.halifax
beerbus.com). The state-of-the-art Authentic
Seacoast Distillery & Brewery opened its doors
in June 2016 as the home to award-winning
spirits and craft beer brands, including the
GLYNNEVAN whisky (www.authenticsea
coast.com).
New Brunswick has around a dozen
wineries and cideries and about a dozen
distilleries to visit (www.tourismnew
brunswick.ca/food-and-drink). At Motts
Landing Vineyard & Winery in the beautiful
St. John River Valley, wines are made from
estate grown grapes such as the unusual
Louise Swenson grape (www.mottslanding
vineyard.com). At Magnetic Hill Winery and
B&B, in a restored 1867 historic site overlooking
Moncton, visitors can picnic on the grounds
while enjoying a sip of estate-grown fruit
wines such as blueberry, cranberry and
strawberry, as well as those from local New
Brunswick grapes—all vinted on the premises
(www.magnetichillwinery.com). In 2012,
Distillerie Fils du Roy opened in Petit-
Paquetville making absinthe and a gin that
uses a local tree, the Thuja occidentalis
evergreen, in its botanical recipe.
In P.E.I., the Rossignol Estate Winery
offers a remarkable variety of table wines,
fruit wines and liqueurs. Family-owned
Matos Winery & Distillery offers tours and
tastings just minutes from Charlottetown,
and the Beamish Family Organic Orchard
produces craft spirits and liqueurs reflecting
an authentic Island taste experience at Deep
Roots Distillery (www.tourismpei.com/
what-to-do/culinary/craft-breweries-
wineries). Islanders have made illegal
moonshine throughout their history, and
Myriad View Artisan Distillery brings this
Island tradition forward for all to enjoy with
their "Strait Shine" (www.straitshine.com).
In Newfoundland, Auk Island Winery,
Quidi Vidi Brewery, Port Rexton Brewing Co.,
YellowBelly Brewery, Western Newfound-
land Brewing Co., The Newfoundland
Distillery Company and others, have come
on stream (www.newfoundland
labrador.com/trip-ideas/travel-stories/
ale-tales-story-of-craft-beer).
THE NORTH
SPIRITS AND BREWS
In 2016 Yukon Brewing Company released
Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt Whisky. One
of only two single malt whiskies made in
Canada at the time, it has garnered Canadian
Whisky Awards from 2017 through 2021.
Yukon Brewing also offers international
award-winning craft beers and brewery/
tasting tours (www.yukonbeer.com). The
award-winning NWT Brewing Company and
brewpub is located in Yellowknife
(www.nwtbrewingco.com).
With all these craft distilleries, breweries,
cideries and over 800 licenced wineries, a
good local drink is always near at hand in
Canada.
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PELLER ESTATES WINERY, NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON • ON TOURISM
