Last year, Rivière de Chêne
celebrated it’s 20th year of winemaking in Quebec. In 1998, with a desire and belief in the
potential of his family’s land in St-Eustache, Daniel Lalande planted the first
hybrid vines, on his family’s 7 hectares of land.
“We have come a long way”,
says Lalande. “We have made a lot of mistakes, lots of removal and exchanges of
vines. We have learned so much in the past twenty years that has helped us
create great quality wines.”
Rivière du Chêne is making
wine from both hybrid and viniferous varieties, and have recently expanded
their vineyards and portfolio by gaining land in the Oka, west of Montreal. “We
purchased this property a few years back and we decided to name it La Cantina
in honour of my grandmother who was from Italy.” Of the 23 hectares of land at the Oka site, Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir and Riesling are planted. The
site has excellent exposure, and excellent proximity to the lake, helping it
keep away from Spring frosts which can be a very stressful time in our Canadian
climate.”
Lalande is very excited about
the results of the wine he has been making at his Oka vineyards. He believes that it is truly a special place
and has amazing potential for future winemaking in Quebec. “We have the same degree days in this
location as they do in Burgundy and New Zealand. This, along with the protection of vines with
our geotextiles, we have every opportunity to make wines that are expressive of
terroir.”
Lalande is not the only one
who believes in the potential of Oka.
Hugo Grenon , a geologist - turned vigneron has recently purchased 7
hectares of land in Oka, and will see his first bottlings in the next few years. “It took me 5 years to find the land that I
believe is a perfect site for growing vines.”
The land he purchased in Oka
showed not only favorable factors for quality wine, like exposure, drainage,
and degree days, but it also had to have a special characteristic: alkaline intrusion. He believes this specific type of subsoil would
be ideal for the viniferous grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay.
“Alkaline intrusion is very
rare and unique. In an alkaline
environment, the organic soil is more capable of storage where these metals and
elements can be redeposited in the soil with water. The vines have the ability to convey these
characteristics into the fruit. “
Grenon said he had could not
just plant his vineyard anywhere, as it had to be a very specific site that he
believed could express a terroir for Quebec. It took him 5 years to find the
site he was looking for. “I have a clear
vision of what I want my wines to be like; fruit forward with freshness and
elegance, simply allowing the grapes to show their character and unique expression
of Quebec terroir…..and yes we have terroir.” The name of the winery is still yet to be determined, but Hugo and his team are working tirelessly to stay on track and do things right. In the mean time, they are making some delicious cider as a side project.
Both Grenon and Lalande have been
working closely with CRAM, le Centre de Recherche Agroalimentaire de Mirabel,
where a special experimental vineyard in Oka is being closely studied. “They know the land, the soil, the micro climate”,
says Lalande. “We work together to
create some of the best wine that is coming out of Oka. We know we have
something really special here, we just have to keep developing it. It takes
time”.
There are some exciting wines
being made in Quebec, and Oka is starting to gain some buzz and attention. With the support of CRAM, lessons of the
past, and keen, passionate winemakers like Hugo Grenon and Daniel Lalande,
there is endless potential here.
For more info and where to purchase La Cantina products, head to :
Hugo’s Project:
Instagram : hugo.grenon
