Here is a picture of a bottle of Clos de Saragnat, the first red wine produced by Domaine des Cotes d’Ardoise, Quebec’s first artisanal winery still in operation.
It was the product from the 1982 vintage of the Vineyard Domaine des Cotes d’Ardoise, made of De Chaunac, a French hybrid variety.
It was at that time that the experts said it was impossible to produce red or white wine in Quebec. Afterwards, toward the end of the 80s, it was gradually admitted that maybe white wine could be made in Quebec, but certainly not red.
Work and Expertise
Even among the first wineries, many were convinced of the impossibility of making red wine in the province. Mentality changed slowly. People noticed that with hard work, the expertise of wine making and persistence, good results could be obtained, to the point
that today; it is rare to find wineries that do not produce red wine. Indeed, it is less easy than making white wine of which some imperfections can be hidden easier by serving it cold.
A Good Red Wine
At the Vineyard Domaine des Cotes d’Ardoise we always believed in the possibility of making a good red wine, therefore; since the beginning, our production has been always half-half, white wine and red wine. To do that, we grow Gamay (the grape variety of Beaujolais,) Foch, Chélois, De Chaunac, Lucy Kuhlman and a small quantity of a new hybrid variety, the Frontenac.
The future in this domain looks promising. There are numerous people who are attempting to develop a good red grape variety that is resistant to cold and has an early ripeness. The Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) at Brock University in Ontario along with their research team on cold climate viticulture and the Americans in Minnesota are in the vanguard. Their efforts will surely be rewarded in the near future.
