We’re a pretty satisfied bunch, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t covetous. Sometimes we see things out there that we just must have. Cool Things We Want is an archive of those earthly desires.
If the Trump-imposed Canada-US tariff dispute has any upside, it might be that it has pushed the Canadian and BC governments to make interprovincial trade easier by reducing long-standing barriers between provinces. This could have big implications for food and drink enthusiasts in BC—especially those who enjoy exploring new beers and wines. With that in mind, we’re highlighting five brasseries (breweries) and five vignobles (wineries/vineyards) that we’d love to see stocked on West Coast liquor store shelves soon. After all, a little wishful thinking (and drinking) never hurts!
VIN > WINE
If you’re a regular reader of Scout, you may recall last year’s Op-Ed on the Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge family-run winery, Les Soeurs Racines. Despite how small-scale and handmade their production is (and therefore how elusive their bottles are, even in the Quebec region), it’s only natural that we’d include their wines on our “wish list”, having had the opportunity to work in their fields during the 2023 harvest and witness first-hand the immense labour and passion that owners/winemakers Sophie and Fred Ouellet-Lacroix pour into the Les Soeurs Racines day-to-day operations (with a little help from their friends, bien sur!). Local, hearty, and hybrid grape varietals like Melon de Bourgogne, Frontenac Gris, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay grown using organic methods and naturally fermented without added sulphur make for funky and adventurous quaffs unlike anything coming out of our parts. We’ll take whatever we can get!
As of 2024, Canada’s first vineyard to be Regenerative Organic Certified® (read: next-level commitment to sustainable farming practices, assessed based on Soil Health, Animal Welfare, and Social Fairness criteria), Vignoble de la Bauge is situated in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec – specifically, in the municipality of Brigham. Established in 1996 by Simon Naud on a vineyard planted a decade prior (in 1986) on his family’s farm (circa 1976), la Bauge has been a trailblazer in the Quebec and Canadian winemaking scene since the beginning, only gaining more momentum over the years and decades since. These guys are proof positive that good, forward-thinking farming practices make for excellent, delicious results! Accessible yet interesting, their terroir-driven “Les Beaux Jus” line-up of wines immediately won me over; for starters: ‘Le Rouge’ (Frontenac Noir, Perle Noire, Marquette), ‘Le Rose’ (70% de Frontenac Gris et 30% de Frontenac Blanc), and ‘Le Blanc’ (100% Frontenac blanc).
Another vineyard advocating for biodiversity and agroecology, by utilizing regenerative organic viticulture (animals grazing in the vineyard, composting, encouraging insect populations around the vineyard, and cover crops are all status quo) and natural winemaking methods to express the unique terroir of the Eastern Townships – this time, out of Saint-Armand – is Vignoble Pigeon Hill, named after its hilly, village locale. If you can only choose one bottle to cross provincial borders, then the ‘Le Pigeon’ (Marquette, Pinot Noir, Petite Perle, Frontenac Noir) is the obvious choice, seeing as how it consists of a blend of grapes from Pigeon Hill’s original vines (planted back in 2008) – with some Pinot Noir thrown in there to round it out with an extra layer of sophistication – aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.
Established in 2017, this mom-and-pop-style winemaking project of growers/winemakers and life partners Justine Therrien and Julien Niquet is perched atop the “Joy Hill” hill of Frelighsburg, in the Estrie region of southern Quebec (on the border with Vermont). There, they grow only the grapes they love to drink: Grüner Veltliner, Blaufränkisch, Gamay, Gamaret, Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, and Chardonnay. Driven by their love for natural winemaking methods (getting their hands dirty in the fields and cellar, while also remaining hands-off when it matters), compounded by a deep respect for their natural setting, Joy Hill is currently segueing from organic to biodynamic cultivation practices. Dig the ‘Merle bleu’ 2023 Blaufränkisch – for its playful name (translation: “bluebird”), dynamic label, and fruity, spicy contents.
Located in Montérégie, in southwestern Quebec, along the Route des vins de l’Estrie, and producing only natural, low-intervention, biodynamic wines, Vignoble Coteau des Artisans has the distinction of being the province’s first vineyard to utilize amphorae (handmade sandstone and clay vessels – if you know, then you know…) – a traditional Georgian method – in the aging process. And since the best expression of amphora wines is an orange (and we love a good food pun), their homage to the old traditions, ‘AmphORange’ 2023 (Vidal, Acadie et Frontenac Blanc) would have to be our top selection from this particular winery. For this particular vintage, the grapes underwent a 200-day whole bunch aging process, with almost seven months of skin contact maceration.
BIERE > BEER
Although the nuances are a bit shady, believe it or not, as of the latest statistics available to the public that I can find, the number of Quebec brassicoles (breweries) more-than rivals BC’s – it actually outnumbers it! Figures from 2024 show that the East Coast province lays claim to over 300 brewing operations, in comparison to our 220+ (according to the BC Ale Trail). With that in mind, it’s certainly no simple task to single out just a handful from the pack, but let’s take a pragmatic stab at it:
Founded over a decade ago, on June 1st, 2011, and inspired by traditional European brewing methods – with a kink for curiosity – La Brasserie Dunham has reached iconic status within its Quebec borders. In addition to its solid line-up of classic and aged beers, I dig Dunham’s showstopper labels, featuring various artist collaborations. For me, Dunham’s funkier, Belgian-inspired brews are where the brewery really shines: their ‘Saison Rustique’, ‘Saison du Pinacle’, and ‘Bière de Table’ grisette are all solid choices. Dunham Brasserie is located in the historic 1796 town of its name.
Les Grand Bois
Founded just under a decade ago, in 2016, Les Grand Bois brings global inspiration to their brewing operation, located in the village of Saint-Casmir. Give me anything in their supremely soifable Coupe de Foudre series – Pils, Helles, Lager de riz (rice lager), Svetle Vycepni, Polotmavy Cerveza, Dunkel, Festbier, Hafer Bier, Vienna Lager – and I’m a happy camper. Fun fact: the 1946 building currently housing Les Grand Bois was once a cinema.
If you’re an avid local suds drinker with a solid beer foundation, then the inclusion of Dieu du ciel! (established in 1998) on this list will likely elicit a “No duh!” Certain BC liquor stores are already no stranger to DDC brews, but lets for a moment imagine an entire slew of their frequently rotating, seasonally inspired brews and ‘classiques’ holding down the fort beside their West Coast peers (R&B Brewing and Storm Brewing, to name a couple still on the scene). The supremely soif-able (sessionable) ‘Ça mon Ami, c’est une Pinte!’ thirst-quenching blonde ale seems like an amicable and endearing first choice for facilitating good relations between East and West Coast beer drinkers, mais non?
Although there is no precedent that Isle de Garde’s beers are likely to traverse the country to BC liquor store shelves (in the decade-plus since opening, cans of their beers have only relatively recently began being regularly available from select Montreal ‘deps’ aka convenience stores), it would be remiss not to include them on this list. A neighbourhood hot-spot – both of the out-of-town destination and local haunt variety – IDG is easily one of the most consistently good Montreal microbrasseries. These guys know their stuff – they even divide their beer menu into serving temperature. Their line-up is never too wild, but neither is it too safe (basically, it hits the sweet spot where at any giventime there will always be something for everyone, without anyone needing to settle or being overwhelmed by options) – but it is safe to say that, whether it’s your “thing” or not, everything brewed in-house and available on-tap is solid. As far as what makes it from the microbrasserie into the can, their J’ai tu envie moe de revivre 96? throwback American pale ale is ace. Bring it on!
Mellön Brasserie
No strangers to the West Coast, last October (2024) Mellön hosted the folks from none other than BC’s own Four Winds Brewing to create a trans-Canada collaboration brew that easily topped my list of best go-to beers of the year: the Mellön X Four Winds ‘Sous le vent’ French Pilsner (only available in Montreal). Sadly, due to the nature of such collab brews, I doubt that this one in particular will be making a return appearance in Montreal or Vancouver; but the already established East-West-Coast connection (Jules Dubus, Head Brewer at Four Winds and Alexandre Pontbriand, Co-founder of Mellön, have a long past of friendship and brewing together) gives me a glimmer of hope that we’ll be seeing Mellön in BC parts, logistics-permitting! As for something that is likely to make a comeback from the brewery that I think would go down well in BC? ‘Fluffy Wonderland’ Munich Helles is a brewer’s favourite owing to its flavour profile of “soft, cozy, and barely bitter baguette, a well-placed floral note, a well-crafted yeast profile, a meticulous delicacy”.
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