Taste Camp: The Wine Industry of Quebec (Part 2)

Vinifera are also important at Vignoble Les Pervenches. The vineyard was established in 1991, but the current owners, Michael Marler and Véronique Hupin, purchased it in 2000. The vineyard consists of three hectares, certified organic, and they grow hybrids and vinifera, though since 2003, they have only planted vinifera grapes. Their most planted grape is Chardonnay, and they possess some which is 22 years old. You'll also find grapes like Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch, Seyval Blanc, and Frontenac. They plan on planting some Pinot Gris this year, planting a few rows to see how it does.

Michael, pictured above, informed us that for the last five years, they have been practicing Biodynamic viticulture though they are currently not Demeter certified. Their issue right now that that they have made some changes to their viticulture, due to difficulties with the laborious practice of stirring the waters for their Biodynamic preparations. To Michael, the only way to assess the efficacy of Biodynamics is to do it and check the results. He is still unsure if his results are due to Biodynamics or simply from being a conscientious farmer.

The winery produces about 15,000 bottles annually, with small increases each year. The cold, like for all of Quebec, is an issue and they cover their vinifera grapes with cloths to protect them, though that can also lead to mice and rabbits sometimes taking residence under the cloths.

We got to taste one of their recently released wines as well as a number of barrel samples. Their whites were definitely my favorites, especially their Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay wines. The 2012 Seyval Blanc & Chardonnay blend ($17) was bottled only 2 weeks ago. The blend consists of 85% Seyval and 15% Chardonnay, was barrel fermented and they used natural yeast. It had a clean, crisp, fruity taste, some delicious pear and apple. Based on my tastings, I think their concentration on white wines is a very good idea and I would recommend you check out their wines.

One of the most beautiful properties we visited was at L’Orpailleur, where we met founding member Charles-Henri de Coussergues. As I stated yesterday, they are now the largest winery in Quebec, producing around 160,000 bottles per year.

Their biggest challenge is to pass safely through the Quebec winters and pruning is a very important aspect in that regard. They conduct 3 main types of pruning, and each grape type has its preferred method of pruning. For example, Chardonnay has a more complicated pruning. They also practice hilling, putting sand or dirt over some of the vines as protection. Their oldest grapes are hybrids, sich as Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Marechal Foch while their newer grapes include Chardonnay, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer.

We started our visit with some bubbly, the NV Orpailleur Brut ($26), and several writers even got to saber open some bottles, using the blade pictured above. They first started producing this sparkling wine back in 1992, beginning with 2000 bottles, and they use the traditional Champagne method. The Brut is made from 100% Seyval Blanc, is aged for about 2 years and has an alcohol content of 11.5%. I was impressed with this Brut, which was crisp, clean and dry, possessed of some subtle and pleasant apple and melon notes. A hearty recommendation for this bubbly.

The winery also produced one of my favorite wines of the trip, the 2010 Cuvee Natashquan ($25), which is also made from 100% Seyval Blanc. It spends a year in French oak, 30% which are new, and it possessed an intriguing complexity, as well as a rich, savory mouth feel and nice citrus tastes. Each sip impressed and I seemed to find something else within it to enjoy. This may be made from a hybrid, but you wouldn't know it from the taste. You would just taste a delicious and compelling wine. Highly recommended.

At L’Orpailleur, after lunch, we had a tasting of wines from a number of other nearby wineries, and I wanted to highlight a few of my favorites.

The 2012 Val Caudalies Rosé ($17.50), a blend of Chambourcin, De Chaunac, Marshal Foch and Lucy Kuhlman, was crisp and dry, with subtle red fruit flavors that brought to mind a Provence Rosé. An excellent summer wine, as well as something that would be delicious year round. Their 2012 Vidal ($16.75) was very aromatic, with citrus, peach and floral notes. Another nice summer wine, something to sip on the front porch, in the backyard or at the beach.

Vignoble Gagliano made a delicious 2012 Frontenac Gris ($18) which had a complex melange of taste, with notes of honey, apricot, and lychee. It was crisp and smooth, with a very pleasing finish. Their 2011 Frontenac Noir ($25) was one of my favorite red wines, with rich red and black fruit flavors, hints of spice and a smooth, lingering finish.

The 2009 Domaine Les Brome Reserve Vidal ($24.50) was intriguing, with delicious citrus, peach, white flower and a backbone of minerality.

White hybrids and ice wine also impressed me at Vignoble Le Marathonien, which is owned by Jean Joly which ran some marathons when he was younger, hence the winery name.

Jean Joly, pictured above, led us on a tour of his 2 hectares of vineyards, which have a very stony soil that provide excellent drainage, and the rocks also maintain heat. The vineyard started in 1989, growing only hybrids, but they now grow a few vinifera, like Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

There are several goats on the property, and the baby goats were especially cute. They serve no larger purpose on the vineyard but they do make for a fascinating attraction for visitors.

The winery produces about 12K-15K bottles annually, including some compelling ice wines.

The NV Seyval Blanc ($12) is 100% Seyval Blanc, a blend of 80% from the 2011 vintage and 20% from the 2012 vintage. It was fresh, clean and crisp with bright fruit. Simple but not one-dimensional. An excellent value wine, pleasant enough to drink on its own or a nice accompaniment with food. The 2009 Boise d'Havelock ($13) is also 100% Seyval Blanc but is undergoes 6-8 months of oak aging. It had a richer, more complex taste and I found it very appealing. Of these two wines, each has their place, and it depends on your mood at the moment which you would prefer.

The 2011 Late Harvest ($28), made from Vidal, was delicious, with a pleasant sweetness, balanced by acidity, and flavors of honey, apricot and citrus. The most impressive wine though was their Ice Wine ($50), also made from Vidal. In 1994, they were the the first ice wine producer in Quebec. This ice wine had a bright golden color, and an alluring aroma of honey, flowers and dried fruit. Its richness caressed the tongue, yet possessed sufficient acidity to prevent it from being too cloying. A lengthy, satisfying finish helped to elevate this wine to the top of the charts. A killer wine and highly recommended.

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Taste Camp: The Wine Industry of Quebec (Part 1)

Exploring emerging wine regions is always a fascinating endeavor even if their wines are not readily available outside of that region. It is an educational experience that can reflect the realities faced by many other emerging regions. It is also fascinating to witness the early growth of a wine region, to be one of the first to see their potential. During TasteCamp, our three-day exploration of the wines, beer and food of Quebec, we encountered one of these emerging regions, which has an approximately thirty year history, and an even shorter history with vinifera grapes.

Quebec's first winery, established in 1981, was Côtes d’Ardoise and it is still in existence. In 1982, the L’Orpailleur vineyard and winery was founded by four men, two from France and two from Quebec. These men purchased a 20-hectare farm not far from Côtes d’Ardoise and their winery is now the largest in Quebec, producing over 160,000 bottles of wine annually. Currently, there are over 100 wineries in Quebec, though there appears to be some contradictory information online, with a few sources claiming that there are only around 50 or so wineries. Nonetheless, Quebec has a small wine industry which continues to grow each year.

One of the biggest challenges facing Quebec wineries is the cold weather. It makes it difficult to grow vinifera grapes, and the frost can decimate much of your vineyard. If you lose 50% of your crop or more in a given year, that certainly makes it more difficult to turn a profit. That risk tends to lead to higher prices for vinifera wines, which can make them less of a value. Hybrid grapes, which can be much hardier, generally grow better in this climate yet some feel they don't possess a sufficient cachet, and won't put Quebec on a competitive level with the rest of the world. There is some validity to that argument as a significant number of wine lovers seem to have a prejudice against wines made from hybrid grapes. They shouldn't possess that prejudice, but we cannot deny it exists. If vinifera grapes don't grow well though, what should the wineries do?

This division of opinion as to what grapes should be planted in Quebec seems to extend to a greater division over many other issues. There are two winery organizations in Quebec, the older Association des Vignerons du Québec (AVQ) and the newer Vignerons Indépendants du Québec (VIQ). For a small wine industry, to have two such organizations working at cross purposes, may not be beneficial. At TasteCamp, we heard little about these organizations though we did hear about some of the differing opinions of winery owners and winemakers. These organizations should work together to benefit the entire Quebec wine industry, helping its growth.

Based on my own tasting experiences with the wines of Quebec, I felt that, in general, the white wines and ice wines were of better quality than the red wines. Some of my favorite wines were also made from hybrid grapes. None of that means they cannot make good red wines in Quebec, but I think it is going to take more time and experimentation to increase the overall quality of the reds. Due to the risks of the weather, price is going to be an important factor, meaning you might not find many value vinifera wines. One finds much passion in the winery owners and wine makers, pioneers who are working hard to produce wine in a less than ideal climate. Improvements in the Quebec wine industry will continue to come.

Located along the St. Lawrence River, our first winery visit was to Vignobles Carone, owned by Anthony Carone. The winery was established in 1997 by Anthony's father and originally grew only hybrid grapes, as that was all that was available. However, his father wanted to experiment with vinifera and starting bringing home grape vines from Italy in his luggage. Would you have ever imagined that anyone in Quebec would grow Italian grapes like Sangiovese and Nebbiolo?

Anthony, pictured above, has been following in his father's footsteps. The vineyard consists of 8 hectares which are broken into 3 lots and possesses 25-30K vines. Though they still grow some hybrids, such as Marquette and Frotenac, they have been slowly, taking baby steps, replacing their hybrids with vinifera such as Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, and Sangiovese. In addition, Anthony has chosen to only produce red wines and his annual production is roughly 25K liters.

On his blog, Anthony has stated the reason for why he embraces vinifera. "I have always been an advocate that nature will always do a better job of creating new grape varieties than man. Hybrids are a creation of man and while useful in allowing the range of viticulture to be extended where natural varieties might not succeed, by definition this does not produce great wine." He also believes that "Hybrids are like Gerber’s baby food. It was fine for a while, but now the consumer wants and expects more."

Anthony keeps the vinifera vines low to the ground to provide them better protection from frost damage though that is not always successful. This year, they were devastated by a terrible black frost, which was worse than anything else they had sustained previously. There were two weeks of extremely hot temperatures which caused everything to bud early. Then the black frost arrived and Anthony lost 50-75% of his grapes, including about 75% of his Pinot Noir. How do you continue after such a catastrophic loss? For Anthony though, there was no question. He would continue, no matter how deep the loss. He has chosen a formidable challenge and his passion drives him despite adversity.

About 75%-85% of the vineyard operations, like pruning, are mechanized and Anthony owns a number of specialized tractors.

Anthony owns a two ton hydraulic press, which was originally designed for ice wine though works with red wines too. He uses both French and American oak barrels, usually a year old, and rotates them every three years. To produce white wines, Anthony would need different equipment, and he thinks reds are more interesting anyways.

I tasted four of the Carone wines and overall they were good, though I didn't find any of them especially impressive. They show promise and it would be interesting to see how the winery develops during the next five years.

The NV Rosso Classico ($18), a blend of Frontenac, Landot Noir, Landal Noir, and Cabernet Severyni, spent about three months in new American oak and has an alcohol content of 12.5%. This wine accounts for about 20% of their production and was a creation of Anthony's father. It was fruity and pleasant, though a bit simple, with a nice element of herbs and spice on the finish and hints of oak. An easy drinking wine, this would be a good burger or pizza wine.

The 2011 Venice Cabernet Severyni ($24), a blend of 90% Cabernet Severyni and 10% Frontenac, has an alcohol content of 13%. Anthony's father planted the Severyni because it reminded him of Barolo. This wine had some volatile acidity and tasted a bit unripe, a strong green aspect to it. The aroma seemed a bit chemical though the taste had more raspberry and spice notes. I would like to have tasted some other vintages to see if this wine was more an exception or not.

The 2010 Venice Pinot Noir ($35), a blend off 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Landot Noir, has an alcohol content of 12.5%. Anthony was the first producer of Pinot Noir in Quebec and loves growing the grape because it is such a challenge. In 2010, he produced about 2500 bottles. He blends in other grapes for more complexity, a greater bouquet and greater fruitiness. I found thus wine to have an interesting nose of herbs and spice, and on the palate those remained prominent, though nice red fruit tastes also came though. It was smooth and pleasant, with moderate complexity. If this were less expensive, I would more strongly recommend it.

The 2009 Double Barrel ($55), a blend of 92% Cabernet Severyni and 8% Sangiovese, has an alcohol content of 14.5% and only 1000 bottles were produced. A special yeast, imported from Italy, is used in fermentation. Its oak aging is more unique in that the wine is first aged in American oak for a year and then it is transferred into French oak for another four months. This wine avoided the negative aspects of the Venice Severyni, and presented lots of compelling fruit flavors up front with spicy edge on its finish. Its tannins were mild and the finish was relatively long and pleasant. This was a good wine, but I think it is pricey for what it delivers compared to similarly priced wines.

To Be Continued...

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Taste Camp: Apple, Strawberry & Honey Wines In Quebec

Wine doesn't have to be made from grapes to be delicious or interesting. During TasteCamp, our three-day exploration of the wines, beer and food of Quebec, this was made evident by numerous compelling wines made from apples, strawberries and honey. Some of these fruit wines were even better than some of grape wines we tasted. Quebec would be well served by continuing to showcase these delicious and intriguing fruit wines.

You may be familiar with Ice Wine, from Germany, Canada or elsewhere, but Quebec is the birthplace of Cidre de Glace, apple ice cider which is sometimes known as apple ice wine. Ice cider can be produced into two different ways, cryoextraction and cryoconcentration. In short, cryoextraction means that the apples are allowed to freeze on the tree before they are harvested, pressed and fermented. With cryoconcentration, the apples are harvested and pressed, and then the juice is allowed to freeze. What difference does this make for the resulting ice cider? In general, cryoextraction will produce more fresh fruit flavors, increased acidity and less oxidation. It is more expensive to produce though so many ice cider producers primarily use cryoconcentration.

Ice cider is growing in popularity in Quebec, and elsewhere, and Farm Credit Canada states that it accounts for 70% of sales in the Société Des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) local product section. About 1 million bottles are produced in Quebec each year, worth an estimated $20 million in retail. About 1/3 of the production is exported to Europe and Asia. Some ice cider is imported into the U.S. and you might know Neige, an ice cider produced by La Face Cachée de la Pomme, which I have I previously reviewed.

During our explorations, we visited with Christian Barthomeuf (pictured above), the owner of Clos Saragnat, as well as the creator of ice cider. He was also one of the first men in Quebec to plant grape vines, back in 1979. Around 1989, he decided to produce something different, and created ice cider, though in the 1980s, no one wanted to hear about cider. The wine regulating bodies refused to recognize the designation of "ice cider" until ten years later. It was difficult during those ten years to market and sell ice cider, which had to be known by other common terms, which were not actually accurate terms.

Christian has consulted with other wineries and cideries, including what would eventually become La Face Cachée de la Pomme. In 2002, Christian and Louise Dupuis founded Clos Saragnat, which occupies about 35 hectares. Their apples are organically grown and they grow some other fruits as well. They produce their ice cider through cryoextraction, though it would cost them one-third less to use just frozen juice. An assemblage of apple types are used, and Christian wants to work with the fruit and nothing else, including wood. The cidery produces less than 10,000 bottles a year, largely dependent on the results of each vintage. It is a small, artisan operation and Christian's passion for ice cider was more than evident.

Currently, Christian is advocating for new regulations on ice cider, to make producers have to place on the label the method of production. He believes people should know whether the ice cider they are drinking derives from frozen apples or frozen juice. As there are clear differences in the resulting product from each different method, as well as differences in price, I agree with Christian that it would benefit consumers for this information to be required to be on the label.

We tasted two of their ice ciders, the 2009 Avalanche and the 2009 L'original, both sold in 200ml bottles. Both were excellent, complex, liquid ambrosia that seduced the palate. The Avalanche was less sweet, though still with honey notes, and possessed some tartness, good acidity and delicate floral notes. The L'original was sweeter, with a thicker and richer mouth feel, but still good acidity. It also had more dried fruit flavors and far fewer floral notes. Which is better? It all depends on your mood at the moment.

Christian's influence can be felt at La Face Cachée de la Pomme, which means the "hidden side of the apple." They have been producing ice cider since 1994 but only commercially since 1998. They prefer to refer to their produce as "apple ice wine" so they can avoid any confusion with other ciders. Their orchards extend over 50 hectares and they grow about 30 different types of apples, though the majority as McIntosh and Spartan. The McIntosh is the essence of their Neige Premiere and Bubbly.

They currently have two types of apple tree plantings, the classic and contemporary. The classic method generates less apples per acre and it takes much longer, 10-15 years, for the tree to mature properly. The contemporary method, which was inspired by the Netherlands, takes only about 5 years to mature properly, and an acre can produce significantly more apples. As all of their harvesting is done by hand, this method is also easier to harvest. The cidery is moving toward all contemporary plantings.

Unlike Christian, La Face Cachée primarily produces apple ice wine through cryoconcentration, about 90% of their production. They use cryoextraction for their Neige Winter Harvest. They export their apple ice wines to 20-25 countries, and California is their largest U.S. market, though they are also available in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, only two of their products, the Neige Premiere and Bubbly, are currently available in the U.S. It is interesting that because of U.S. law, the cidery is not permitted to place the vintage on their labels.

I was enamored with the 2011 Bulle Rose Sparkling Cider ($18), a blend of the Geneva and Honeygold apples. It acquires its pink color from the red/pink flesh of the Geneva apple, rather than from the skin. It only has a 6% alcohol content and is made in limited quantities once a year. The delicious sparkling cider was mostly dry, fresh, crisp and bursting with apple and and red berry flavors. An excellent summer drink, and very food friendly as well.    

The Neige Bubble ($15) is made from 100% McIntosh apples and I previously tasted and enjoyed at the Boston Wine Expo. Another fun sparkling cider, perfect for summer entertaining, or just relaxing. I am also a fan of the Neige Premiere, their basic apple ice wine.

The 2009 Neige Sur Lie ($26) is intriguing, having been left on the lees for about a year, and bottled unfiltered and without any sulfur. It has a darker amber color, with apple notes but deeper flavors of caramel, nuts and almost butterscotch. It is sweet, though with balanced acidity, and possesses a lengthy and complex finish. The Neige Winter Harvest is very thick, rich and sweet with a melange of complex tastes, including caramel, apricot, lychee and dried fruits. An amazing, well balanced elixir that delights the palate and mind.

Val Caudalies Vignoble produce ciders and wines, and their orchard are planted with about a dozen different varieties, with five usually primarily in their ciders. Their 2010 Cider Liquoreaux, made from Cortland, MacIntosh, Empire, Liberty and Spartan apples, is smooth, tart and tasty while the 2011 Apple Ice Cider Reserve, made from the same apples, is sweeter with a silky mouth feel and plenty of complexity. Both were fine examples of what Quebec is doing well.

Though Union Libre Cidre & Vin produces ice ciders and wines, they are also known for another unique product, Le Cidre de Feu, fire cider. Their Ice Cider ($24), made from an assemblage of Cortland, Empire, Spartan, & McIntosh apples, is made from cryoconcentration. It has a mild sweetness and a delicious crisp apple taste with elements of honey. A fine product.

Their Fire Cider ($26) is produced by fermenting a must, which has been heated and reduced by evaporation. This process takes several months of fermentation and then it is aged in oak barrels. It has an alcohol content of 16% and is sweeter, with more caramel, maple, and nutty elements complementing the apple foundation. Their 2004 Reserve Fire Cider ($28) is aged in Jack Daniel's whiskey barrels. It is similar to the basic Fire Cider, but with deeper flavors and the added element of a whiskey aroma and taste.

Strawberries! Ferme Guy Rivest produces two tasty wines made with strawberries including La Donzelle and Mistelle de Fraises. La Donzelle is a fortified wine made with strawberries and raspberries, and it is not too sweet, with nice acidity, and a smooth, pleasant flavor. It would made for a nice dessert wine. The Mistelle de fraises is a port style wine, also made with strawberries, and it is sweeter, with tasty notes of vanilla, spice and strawberry. Another good choice for a dessert wine.

As an interesting aside, they also produce Strawberry Pearls, which uses molecular gastronomy techniques to create little red pearls, resembling fish roe, but which burst in your mouth with a strong strawberry flavor.

Finally, at one of the large tastings, one of the most interesting wines was the Les Ruchers du Troubador Sparkling Honey Wine ($25), a vin de miel mousseux. It is organic, unfiltered and aged for three years prior to release. It is semi-sweet, with honey and floral notes, and an appealing earthiness elevating its complexity.

People sometimes get overly pretentious, feeling that only wine made from vitis vinifera grapes is worthy of attention. They show disdain for hybrid grapes, and out right hate for wines made from other fruits. They are wrong in their attitude and approach. Good wine can come from many different avenues and my experiences in Quebec have shown me high quality and delicious wines made from apples, strawberries and honey. I know others who visited Quebec who felt the same. That should be your main takeaway from this post, that you should be willing to explore wines beyond vitis vinifera. You never know what treasures you might discover.

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Dining Outside of Taste Camp: Montreal's Culinary Delights

A beautiful view of Kaniatarowanenneh, the "big waterway" which is more commonly known as the St. Lawrence River. This is one of the sights I viewed during TasteCamp, a three day visit to Quebec, tasting wines, ciders, beers and local foods. However, this view was not on our itinerary and was discovered during a detour to eat some poutine. Outside of the official Taste Camp events, I used my free time to explore some of the other culinary offerings of Quebec and Montreal.

I found much that was worthy of mention, from excellent restaurants to a killer food market. However, I didn't take many photos of these extracurricular activities as I chose more to relax and savor the food. I still want to rave about them though, to provide some recommendations for anyone traveling to Quebec and Montreal.

I arrived in Montreal on Thursday night, a day early for Taste Camp, so I had some extra time to explore the city. For dinner, I went to Kaizen, a Japanese sushi bar and restaurant located on St. Catherine's Street. This is a sleek and rather large restaurant, divided into several different rooms. The main dining area has a high ceiling, and possess a nice elegance though without being stuffy. However, the background music was a bit disconcerting, making it seem more like a lounge than a restaurant.

The menu was extensive, including lots of intriguing selections, and includes much sushi, which you can get with brown rice instead of white if you so desire. We ordered some sushi, all which was fresh, large and delicious. The tamago, the omelet, was especially tasty, one of the best I have had. The organic salmon sashimi was also very good. For hot dishes, the fried calamari was some of the best I have tasted, small and tender rectangular pieces with a delightfully crisp batter. The sweet potato fries came with a curry-like dipping sauce topped by thin slices of foie gras. The crisp, plump fries went well with the dipping sauce and the foie was heavenly. A large bowl of mussels were prepared in a savory Sake broth, and they were addictive. Everything we ate was fantastic.

I was disappointed with the tiny number of Sakes on their wine list, and the only one that appealed to me cost over $600, which is not within reach of my wallet. The list though had a superb collection of wines, albeit pricey which is a common issue with most restaurants in Montreal. The wines came from all over the world, and included plenty of quirky and interesting wines. Wine lovers will certainly love perusing this list and will be sure to find something of interest. We ordered a Priorat white wine and an Austrian Blaufrankisch, both which I enjoyed.

Service was impressive, including the sommelier. We had to send back the first wine we ordered as it was flawed, and the sommelier took it right back without question. The food was reasonably priced and we left the restaurant very satisfied. Kaizen receives a strong recommendation.

On Friday morning, Taste Camp began with a late morning winery visit. I and my traveling companions, including Adam of Wine Zag, were a bit early so we drove around exploring the area. We stumbled upon the above roadside restaurant, drawn by the fact that they served poutine. I later learned that this restaurant has been around for many years and is a bit of a landmark. Poutine was likely invented in the 1950s in Quebec and essentially consists of french fries topped by brown gravy and cheese curds. There are plenty of variations, but the basic form is quite satisfying.

Adam had never had poutine before so this was his opportunity to taste this decadent and fattening dish. A Poutine Virgin. We all, including Adam, enjoyed the poutine, while sitting looking out over the St. Lawrence River and you can see our view at the top of this post. A perfect way to start the morning.

Our hotel was on the border of Chinatown and I spent some time exploring the streets of this small neighborhood. There were dozens of restaurants, bakeries, tea shops, souvenir stores, and more, ranging from Chinese to Vietnamese, Japanese to Thai. One of my first stops was to My Cup Of Tea, a bit of a high end tea shop, selling tea, cups, kettles and other tea-related items. It has a great collection of different teas, mostly loose leaf teas, and the quality seems high. I bought some Silver Needle White tea.

There was a tiny stall selling Dragon Beard Candy, a candy supposedly once reserved for only the Emperor. It is essentially strands of sugar surrounding a mixture of nuts, sesame seeds, coconut, chocolate, and sugar. The candy is made by hand, where a disk of corn starch and sugar is pulled continually until you get many thin strands. When completed, the candy resembles an insect cocoon and has some of the stickiness and texture of cotton candy. The inner mixture is very pleasant, a melange of sweet flavors and textures. A must stop in Chinatown for this unique treat.

One evening, we sought out a place for a late dinner and we were nearly overwhelmed by the myriad choices. We sought a place that wasn't a tourist trap, a place where locals dined. After some consideration, we selected Keung Kee Restaurant, which was hidden away on a second floor and it turned out to be a winner.

It is a medium-sized spot, with plenty of large round tables, with lazy susans, for big parties. It isn't fancy or elegant, more just a serviceable restaurant. The menu, which is in both Chinese and English, is lengthy and the dishes are reasonably priced, nearly everything under $15. The choices include Thai, Chinese and Americanized-Chinese dishes, a variety from Chow Mein to Jellyfish, from Thai Style Fried Shrimp to Pork Chop with Peking Sauce.

The Deep Fried Wontons ($4.25) were crunchy, filled with shrimp and quite tasty with a sweet sauce for dipping. A nice way to start our meal. The Fried Rice Noodles with Beef ($8.95) consisted of a large dish of flat noodles, with lots of tender beef and veggies, topped by a delicious brown gravy. The Half Crispy Chicken ($10.95) was exactly that, with moist meat covered by crisp and tasty skin. That skin was addictive! The BBQ Pork ($9.95) was a large dish of thin sliced BBQ pork, tender and tasty. The dishes seemed fresher than you get at some places, and the flavors were balanced. Definitely a place food lovers should check out.

Another evening, we went to Chinatown just for soup dumplings! While driving through Chinatown, I saw a large sign for the soup dumplings and knew I had to check it out. We went to Qing Hua Dumpling and were almost disappointed. They were preparing to close for the evening, but we convinced them to stay open for just a bit longer so we could have some soup dumplings. We didn't even really get to peruse the menu. We ordered a couple of basic pork soup dumplings, and our server recommended we also order lamb and coriander soup dumplings.

It seems their menu doesn't offer much beyond dumplings, though they have several varieties, including chicken, lamb, and uni. The dumplings were excellent, with a savory broth and plenty of nicely spiced meat. The lamb dumplings were a different style than the pork, but it seemed more a cosmetic issue than anything else. They filled my need and I would return again another time to try more of their soup dumplings. An uni soup dumpling sounds intriguing.

One of the afternoons, we decided to stop at the Jean-Talon Market, one of the largest and most popular food markets in Montreal. Within the main building, you will find a huge amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as plenty of plants. You will also find on the outskirts, and on the streets surrounding the market, a diverse amount of food & drink stalls and shops. Meat, seafood, cheese, mushrooms, wine, olive oils, spices, bread, bakeries, crepes, chocolate, ice cream and more. What a superb collection of shops that will appeal to any food lover.

I had a great time in the La Fromagerie Hamel, a cheese and gourmet food shop, and I purchased numerous local Quebec cheeses. In other shops, I bought wine to take home and a crusty baguette to eat while walking around. I probably could have spent much more money here and filled my trunk with plenty of foods to take home. A must visit for any food and wine lover.

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