Breweries, wineries and cideries in La Petite-Nation

La Petite-Nation isn't the first place you think of for wine. Maybe it should be. Between Côte Saint-Charles in Papineauville and the slopes of Ripon, there are vines growing in a climate that doesn't do them any favours. Add two cideries that do things their own way and a brewery with a stage, and you've got a weekend.

Quick reminder before you go: these are small producers. Shop and tasting hours shift with the season. Check their website or call.

The wineries

Ripon, at the foot of the mountain

Domaine Mont-Vézeau. A 75-acre vineyard at the foot of Mont Vézeau with more than 14,500 cold-hardy vines. In summer there's pick-your-own strawberries and raspberries too, so the kids have something to do while the grown-ups taste.

Fragments. A small family making natural wine from cold-hardy vines planted on a south-facing slope in the Petite Nation valley. Wild yeast, nothing added, no filtering. If you like wine with personality, this is your stop.

Papineauville: Côte Saint-Charles

Côte Saint-Charles is Papineauville's little wine road. Two estates share it.

Vignoble Sainte-Angélique. Founded in 2008, with about 9,000 cold-hardy vines, all harvested by hand. By hand. Remember that next time a bottle seems pricey.

Domaine de l'Heure Juste. A small estate making its wine the natural way, on the same road.

The cideries

Les Pommes perdues, Chénéville. We love the idea behind this one. The cider is made from wild apples picked along back roads and in abandoned fields around La Petite-Nation. Trees nobody paid attention to anymore, ending up in a bottle.

Verger Croque-Pomme, Lochaber-Partie-Ouest. A certified organic (Ecocert) orchard with about thirty apple varieties. Pick-your-own is in the fall, so right now. The cider is made on site. Leave with a bag of apples and a bottle and call it a good day.

The breweries

Montebello

Les Brasseurs de Montebello. The village brewery, with beer to take home.

Le Bankeur. Brewmaster Alain Larivière's microbrewery, in an old bank. The beers take their cue from the old Petite-Nation seigneury, and there's a stage for rock shows and tribute acts. A beer and a band, no drive to Gatineau required.

Papineauville: call ahead

Microbrasserie Uncle Broue advertises house beer and a bistro menu built on local products. The original location is in Mirabel. For Papineauville, call before you go.

Buying local without the full tour

No time to visit every producer? A few shops stock local bottles and cans.

• Le Brasse Camarade, Saint-André-Avellin. Véro and Fred run a specialty shop with a big, ever-changing craft beer selection, much of it from the Outaouais.
• Dépanneur Bowman. Craft beer, wine and local products, open seven days.
• Café des Orties, Ripon. The community café in the Manoir de Ripon pours wine, beer, cider and cocktails, with organic, local food.
• Marché Faubert, Montpellier. The SAQ outlet is under the same roof as the grocery. We shop there, so we'd know.

Drinking local at the table

Plenty of restaurants pour local. In Chénéville, Chez Seb builds around local products and serious cocktails, and La Villa du Bifteck serves craft beer on its 40-seat terrace. In Montebello, Resto-Pub Le Zouk has local beer, and Nymark at the Château goes for Canadian organic wines. Ask what's local on the list. It helps everybody.

Mark your calendar

On September 26 and 27, Boileau holds its very first Oktoberfest: beer with a beer expert, a mechanical bull, tug-of-war and a singer, under the tent by the Maskinongé.

At the end of October, the Château Montebello hosts its Autumn Harvest night: wines from five Canadian producers and a cocktail dinner from the chefs. Spots are limited.

Doing the winery rounds? Pick a designated driver or stay the night. The back roads are beautiful, and unforgiving.

On the map

Did we miss a producer? Let us know and we'll go taste. In moderation, promise.

MontebelloRiponPapineauvilleChénévilleLochaber-Partie-OuestSaint-André-AvellinBowmanBoileau

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