There’s a brand-new kid on the scenic route block: the Pontiac and Ottawa Valley’s Tap and Cork Route, featuring microbreweries, wineries and cider houses. By exploring it, you’ll discover exciting new tastes of le terroir—the land of our region.
Because Quebec’s Pontiac is my home ‘hood, I’m going to highlight its destinations. I’m proud of the entrepreneurs here who are welcoming visitors to sample, taste, linger and experience this spectacularly beautiful region of the Outaouais.
Everywhere, you can count on a warm Pontiac welcome and explanations of the products, so come on out and explore the Tap and Cork Route!
Domaine de Pontiac Village: Wines and vintage cars
Just a six-minute (4.9 kilometre) drive west of the Quyon Ferry docks, you’ll discover Domaine de Pontiac Village, a winery run by Pavel Khol and his partner, Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. Not only do they have a tasting room in their wine boutique, where you can sample their reds, whites and rosés; because of his longstanding passion for antique cars, Khol also invites visitors to enjoy his Antique Car Museum, located in the heritage barn-boutique.
During a backpacking trip to the south of France in autumn 2002, the couple fell in love with wineries. “In 2005, we bought a 50-acres farm in the Pontiac and we decided to give it a new vocation,” says Khol. “We planted our first grapes in 2007 and produced our first vintage in 2015. In 2016, we opened our doors to the public.”
Many people are astonished that grapes are thriving here in the Pontiac. Lambert explains that a number of people started planing grapes around 2006 and 2007. “At that time, none of us knew each other, but [it] seems everyone was equally inspired by the warm and sunny weather of the region,” she says, noting that the Eardley Escarpment (the southernmost boundary of the western sector of Gatineau Park) protects the northern edge of her Quyon location, which also benefits from the humidity of the Ottawa Valley to the south.
“The vintner community keeps growing, helping each other and sharing experiences,” Lambert adds. “And of course, a big plus is the rural and heritage landscape of Pontiac, which is both amazing and well worth the road trip.”
Now, what about that car museum—and Khol’s passion for antique European vehicles? Here’s how he explains it.
“Our car collection started with the Czechoslovakian Tatra 603 that I bought in 1997 when studying in Germany,” he says, noting that its rear mounted air-cooled engine has made it a curiosity everywhere he’s taken it. The car has even appeared in a few movies, providing rides to Christopher Plummer and Sharon Stone.
The couple has continued to buy pre-Second World War European cars, aiming to assemble a collection of vehicles rarely seen in our region. “In 2015, we were lucky to acquire a 1906 Renault and a 1905 Minerva from a Swedish museum. Both are unique and demonstrate the early years of the car industry, where technical development was largely through trial and error,” Khol says.
“Our collection has now some 20 cars, with half of them being either restored or in original condition, and the other half at various stages of restoration or just waiting for their turn.”
So, when can you taste Domaine de Pontiac Village’s wines during the holiday season? The winery will have a booth at the Aylmer Christmas Market (Marché de Noël du Vieux-Aylmer) on November 30, December 1 and 2, and December 6, 7 and 8.
Until Christmas, Domaine de Pontiac Village is open by appointment only. However, during high season (from the May 24 long weekend until Thanksgiving), it is open on Fridays (2 to 6 pm), Saturdays (10am to 5pm) and Sundays (10am to 5pm).
Call this enthusiastic, well-informed couple to arrange your visit to taste the Domaine’s wines—and to discover their unique collection of cars before deciding which wine to purchase.
If you go: 1259, chemin du Cimetière, Quyon, Quebec.
Little Red Wagon Winery: Wines and music
Immediately west of Shawville, you’ll find another stop on the Tap and Cork Route: Jennifer Dale Judd and her husband Scott Judd’s Little Red Wagon Winery. Again, it’s a very pretty drive along Highway 148, where you’ll travel through undulating countryside, with farms and woodlands.
Building on what Khol and Lambert say about the microclimate of West Quebec, Jennifer explains even more about the grapes of the Pontiac region.
“We have 5,400 vines on our 5-acre property. We grow cold-climate varietals that are safe to minus 30 to 40 for a few weeks each winter—three types of Frontenac: Marquette, Louise Swenson and Petit Perle (noir, blanc and gris, respectively). These are the only grapes we use in our wines, which are exclusively made onsite in our wine cellar.”
As well as tasting and buying red, white and rosé wines, you can have a meal or catch a show at this winery (more on that below).
As for the wines…
The red? “P’tit Rouge is a blend of Frontenac, Marquette and Petit Perle. The Frontenac grapes are fairly sharp and acidic, so the other varietals blend well with them to reduce acidity and create a smoother wine,” Jennifer says. “This richly coloured red is medium dry, with strong hints of berry where we lightly oak it to round out the edges. So it feels rich without being overly heavy. P’tit Rouge pairs well with red meats, hard cheeses and pastas.”
The white? “Our P’tit Blanc is a blend of Louise Swenson and Frontenac. There are pear and green apple notes in this lively, fruit-forward white. Again, the softness of the Louise tones down the acidity of the Frontenac. Great with white meats, soft cheeses, cream sauces.”
The rosé? “Finally, P’tit Rosé is a blend of only our Frontenac grapes, where the result is a lively and festive wine,” Jennifer explains. “Best served very cold and refreshing on a hot summer day or as a celebratory wine through the holiday festivities. Notes of strawberry wash the palate. Pairs with poultry, seafood—and sugar cookies!”
Whereas Domaine de Pontiac Village’s wine labels feature fascinating heritage photos of the Ottawa River at Chats Falls (in the Quyon area), Little Red Wagon Winery’s showcase Jennifer Dale Judd’s artwork. “They depict animals which live in harmony with our family and our vineyard,” she says.
Both the Judds agree with Lambert and Khol when they say, “We are extremely proud of our beautiful region and created this new venture to showcase just this!”
Tip: Little Red Wagon Winery also hosts live music concerts. Come for dinner at 5:30 for a 7:30pm start to the music. Here’s the upcoming schedule: November 23, Ian Tamblyn; November 30, Red Dirt Skinners; and December 14, Ray Harris. (Check the winery’s website for additions.)
See you at the winery for dinner and a fabulously intimate music show? I sure hope so!
If you go: C-165 Calumet Road West, Clarendon, Quebec.
Brauwerk Hoffman: Beer on tap
Todd Hoffman’s exciting microbrewery, Brauwerk Hoffman, opened in December 2018. He describes his establishment on the Tap and Cork Route as “Pontiac’s first microbrewery specializing in traditional German-style lagers and ales.”
Sure, you can purchase Hoffman’s exquisitely crafted beers at local dépanneurs, such as Dubeau’s Grocery on Allumettes Island; at Bryson’s Bistro du Bucheron (the restaurant at Fort Coulonge’s Spruceholme Inn); or at Shawville’s grocery store, Valu-mart. But why not go to the source itself?
Hoffman is always delighted to chat about all things beer, so ask for a tour of the beer-making premises. The beer malts are brought in from Germany, then transformed through the expertise of both Hoffman and Eric Mainville, another brewer. The hops, however, are Pontiac-grown.
The two brewers make several beers on the premises, including an unusual Schwartz (a dark beer), as well as IPAs, Hefeweizen (a wheat beer, in season), Helles (a pale lager) and Pilsener. Last summer, a seasonal sour raspberry beer was available.
My personal favourite? I enjoy the crisp, grapefruity taste of 1989, a superb IPA. Mainville explained the very special origins of its German name to Canadian Beer News.
“Sticking to the German theme of the brewery, we decided to pay homage to some German history. In 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall was a monumental moment in time. A country no longer divided could finally prosper and allow the best of the West and East to achieve new heights. This hazy hybrid IPA looks to do the same. Blending the tropical fruit flavours and aromas of the West Coast IPAs with the soft and full mouthfeel of the East Coast IPAs, this hopfen nectar is sure to please all hop lovers!”
But wait! Feeling hungry? This autumn, Hoffman opened his onsite restaurant, so now you can have eat here (reservations recommended) and quaff a pint of these oh-so-local Pontiac brewers’ tasty beers. My husband Eric and I paired a pint of 1989 with homemade flammkuchen (German pizza), completing our dinner with German cheesecake with lemon and organic raspberry coulis. Delicious.
If you go: 1298 Highway 148, Campbell’s Bay, Quebec; reservations are recommended for meals. Open Fridays from 4pm to 8pm for dinner only; Saturdays from 11am to 8pm for lunch and dinner; and Sundays for lunch from 11pm to 8pm. Says Hoffman, “These days and times are good from now to December 21, when we close for a couple months on the off season. Then we re-open in late winter.” Consult the website for the latest information!
More Pontiac Tap and Cork Route locations
I couldn’t agree more with Maude Lambert’s comment about the Pontiac being an amazing road trip. Come on out and explore Pontiac’s true nature. You won’t be disappointed.
So far, two other Pontiac-area entrepreneurs are participating in the Tap and Cork Route:
Coronation Hall Cider Mills, 206 Chemin River, Bristol: Traditional West Quebec-style cider and heritage foods, particularly “all things apple”!
L’Ancienne Banque, 76 Rue Saint-Jacques, Chapeau, Allumettes Island: Restaurant and microbrewery, with good hearty food and deliciously crisp beers.
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