There's a new wine in town that is making its first official appearance here in Toronto, and you're going to want to get your hands on it before it sells out (and it will -- quickly!)
Grape Witches, one of our city's leading specialty wine importers, has finally locked in representation of Pinard et Filles, a hard-to-find Quebec wine that is as mysterious as it is delicious. Those who know it most certainly love it and tend to seek out this wine for its unique flavour and distinctive characteristics. This marks the wine company's first official foray into the Ontario market, as it has mainly been sold exclusively in the Quebec market up until now (including at their most famous restaurants like Joe Beef, Moleskine and Au Pied de Cochon) and with the exception of one US distributor, Zev Rovine Selections.
The vineyards of Pinard et Filles are based on the west shore of Lake Memphremagog in Estrie and as of recently, they are working on a second location on the shores of the St. Lawrence River in the Lanaudière region. Owned by Frédéric Simon and his wife Catherine Bélanger, the winery is tended to manually, the fermentation happens without interference and there is very little added when it comes time for bottling -- as they put it, "no additions or subtractions". As a result of this very low-intervention style, the northern land and climate are showcased through the wine itself and the characteristics of the grapes change from year to year as the seasons' change. Especially for grapes grown in such a cold climate, it is not surprising that this method of production comes with its fair share of challenges, pushing for a remarkable amount of creativity and experimentation. The gorgeous labels on all their vintage wines are made by artist Marc Séguin, a friend and a partner of the team.
The winery offers several different wines, from single-grape reds and whites to sparkling rosé and orange. They have successfully cultivated wines from hybrid grape varieties, which result from crossing wild North American species with Vitis vinifera, a European grape variety. Grape Witches launched their Pinard et Filles packs this morning, noting that "it is hard to over-state how famous and coveted these wines are: one sip and we think you'll know why." Clearly, this statement could not be more true, as they've already completely sold out on their website.
But don't worry: if you want to get your hands on some of these incredibly bold and complex wines, you still have a chance to do so. Grape Witches is distributing bottles to Happy Coffee & Wine, Bathurst Local, Bar Volo, Paradise Grapevine, Peter Pantry, Boxcar Social and Paris Paris, so you can head into one of these spots to try a bottle for yourself. Hurry, though -- production of this wine is limited and it is rare that it gets distributed outside of the local Quebec market, so there is no doubt that the rest of the lot will be gone swiftly here in Toronto!
