Vineyards and cideries of Quebec: Île d'Orléans and Charlevoix in a glass
Less than 30 minutes from Quebec City, Île d'Orléans and Charlevoix host bold vineyards and exceptional cideries. A northern terroir producing unique wines and ice ciders in the world.
Île d'Orléans was the first colonized territory of New France. Its fertile lands, bathed by the Saint Lawrence and protected from strong winds, have always produced fruits, vegetables, and grains of remarkable quality. Today, it is home to about forty artisanal producers, vineyards, cideries, and organic farms that attract visitors from Quebec seeking authenticity.
The agricultural tour of Île d'Orléans is one of the most popular excursions from Quebec City. By car, bike, or tourist bus, you circle the island passing producers' stands, tasting cellars, and breathtaking river landscapes, with Château Frontenac as a backdrop.
Accessible via the Île d'Orléans bridge from Quebec City, this agricultural island is a symbol of Quebec terroir. Strawberries in June, raspberries in July, apples in autumn, and farm products year-round.
Domaine Monna et Filles is the reference blackcurrant cidery and creamery of Île d'Orléans. Its blackcurrant liqueurs, creams, and wines are treasures of Quebec terroir, exported worldwide.
Quebec today has more than a hundred vineyards, including about twenty in the Quebec City region and the Eastern Townships. Grape varieties like Marquette, Acadie Blanc, Frontenac noir, and St-Pépin were specifically developed to withstand Quebec winters (-35°C) and produce quality wines despite a short growing season.
These Quebec wines have a very distinct personality: crisp acidity, intense fruity aromas, silky tannins for reds. They express a northern terroir that no other vineyard in the world can reproduce. Discovery wine lovers and curious oenophiles enthusiastically embrace them.
On Île d'Orléans, Vignoble Isle de Bacchus is one of the pioneers of Quebec viticulture. Its fresh white wines and summer rosés capture the essence of the island terroir with disarming elegance.
Another vineyard on Île d'Orléans, Sainte-Pétronille produces very fresh white and rosé wines, as well as a winter ice wine made from grapes frozen on the vine. Unique.
The best-known vineyard in Quebec, founded in 1982, is a pioneer of the Quebec wine industry. Its ice wines have won international awards and are available at SAQ stores throughout the province.
Quebec ice wine, made from grapes or apples naturally frozen at -8°C or below, is a global specialty. More affordable than Ontario ice wines, it offers exceptional value for money.
Quebec produces about 80% of all the ice cider worldwide. This specialty, born in the 1990s on Île d'Orléans, involves harvesting frozen apples from the tree in winter or allowing the apple juice to concentrate its sugars under the frost. The result: a golden, syrupy nectar with spectacular aromatic complexity, featuring notes of honey, caramel, apricot, and candied citrus.
An award-winning ice cider producer with international gold medals, La Face Cachée de la Pomme in Montérégie is the absolute reference in its category. Its Neige and Frimas are available in fine grocery stores in Quebec.
In addition to its legendary blackcurrant liqueurs, Cassis Monna et Filles produces blackcurrant ciders and craft beverages that delight fans of northern flavors. Available at the Old Port Market in Quebec.
Charlevoix produces some of Québec’s best cheeses, charcuterie, and farm products. Charlevoix Organic Charcuterie raise their animals in exemplary conditions, producing terrines, sausages, and pâtés that delight food lovers. Charlevoix Cheeses, with their Migneron and Hercule de Charlevoix, are exported across Canada.
Charlevoix organic artisanal charcuterie raise their animals outdoors in the Charlevoix mountains. Their products, available at Carrera Café on tasting boards, embody the best of Québec terroir.
Laiterie Charlevoix produces Migneron de Charlevoix, a refined bloomy rind cheese, and Hercule de Charlevoix, a firm cheese with hazelnut notes. Essentials for fine cheese platters.
Charlevoix organic charcuterie board, Laiterie Charlevoix cheeses, Borderon et Fils bread, accompanied by a Grand Prix espresso at the end of the meal. The perfect lunch at Petit-Champlain.
A glass of ice cider from Île d'Orléans on the Petit-Champlain terrace in the late afternoon. The sweetness of frozen apple nectar, the view of cobblestone streets and Château Frontenac. A perfect moment.
A drop of Monna blackcurrant liqueur on a cube of ice, alongside a tight espresso. The unexpected pairing that works wonderfully: the intensity of North American blackcurrant meets Ethiopian coffee.
Coffee at Carrera to start, then head to Île d'Orléans: Isle de Bacchus vineyard, Cassis Monna, Sainte-Pétronille Market. Return via Charlevoix. The best terroir day trip within reach of Québec.
Québec ice cider and coffee make an unexpected but brilliant pairing. After tasting ice cider from Île d'Orléans, order a fruity-profile ristretto espresso at Carrera Café: the citrus and berry notes of the cider echo the aromas of the lightly roasted Ethiopian coffee. It’s the most Québec terroir-coffee pairing there is, and both producers deserve this match.
At Carrera Café, products from Charlevoix and Île d'Orléans arrive directly on your boards. The terroir route starts here, in Petit-Champlain, before continuing on the island and in the mountains.
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