Wines of Portugal 2016

Wines of Portugal
Grande Dégustation des vins du Portugal

June 22, 2016

The Portuguese wine tasting took place at the Société des Arts Technologiques [SAT], in Montreal. 43 wine produces were participating with about 350 different wine products which ranged from numerous and very distinct bubbly, white, rosé, and red wines, and even Porto, some of them 40 years old. 

The professional wine tasters had quite a job to focus on the wines of their specific interest, choosing among the great variety of speciality wines from different Portuguese regional vineyards. One could get easily overwhelmed with the seemingly endless gamuts of wine tastes, bouquets, aromas, and even colours.  

Portugal has a great pride in their native grape varieties used to produce the multitudes of their wines. Also, their distinct soils and regional geographical differences offer not only challenges but also great opportunities to the local wine producers, making their wines one of the kind.

This Portuguese wine tasting was a great success, with many people attending and participating in bringing the wines of Portugal to the attention of the local wine distributors, Quebec and Canadian wine buyers, and even private wine collectors and connoisseurs.

Click on images to enlarge them.

For more information on Portugal Wines production Regions and special Events, visit the Wines of Portugal website.

Urban Gardening

Urban Apartment - Balcony Gardening
Le potager urbain

June 16, 2016

In conjunction with the Public Market that opened on June 9, 2016 at the Esplanade Place Ville Marie, Les Urbanculteurs presented a series of three workshops on how to create a small herb and even tomatoes and strawberries growing experience right in one's apartment, on a window seal or a balcony, for those who are not lucky enough to have a big backyard to exercise their gardeners' green thumbs.

The first workshop consisted of planting three different herbs in a durable, plastic container. It was explained how to treat vegetable and herb roots with Mycorrhizae before planting in order to promote better growth and assure the health of the earth and the absence of undesirable fungi, parasites, and fruit flies. It was also explained how to take care of the plants so they would grow healthy. The participants were very pleased with their newly acquired small little garden they planted themselves and were allowed to bring home with them.

The second workshop given by Les Urbanculteurs was about how to grow one's own seed germinations in a glass jar, kept in a dark kitchen cupboard while waiting for the tiny seeds to turn into germ shoots filling the entire jar. The participants walked away with the jar, the seeds, and the printed germination instructions.

And the third workshop produced the most dramatic visual results. A small Smart Pot was distributed to each participant to plant four herbs on its sides and a tomato plant on the top of the pot.

This planted pot is going to become a herbal ball with tomatoes growing in the middle. One can grow herbs and veggies this way very comfortably on a balcony, on a rooftop, or in a garden. All participants were pleased with the final result which they were given to bring home with them.

These three workshops were a great success. The people from the Les Urbanculteurs are real connoisseurs of urban planting methods and ways to keep one's urban garden healthy and vigorous. People should not hesitate to contact them for question or instructions how to grown various plants in their apartment, on their balcony, or in their backyard. They have all the necessary tools and know-how for a successful urban gardening experience.

Visit the Les Urbanculteurs website.

Check the schedule for the upcoming events and conferences at Ville Marie Public Market at this website.

Read more about Place Ville Marie Public Market here.

Place Ville Marie Public Market 2016

Place Ville Marie Public Market

June 9 - 15 September, 2016

This year, for the second time, Place Ville Marie is hosting a Public Market right at its Esplanade. Fresh local produce as well as some speciality products are offered to the public. In addition, the program includes weekly yoga breaks at the public market, as well as various cooking and gardening workshops, demonstrations and presentations. Not to be missed by anyone who enjoys yoga, gourmet cuisine, or simply getting outside for a breath of fresh air in downtown at lunchtime.

The market will be open once per week, every Thursday (15 Thursdays in all).

Opening hours: 11:30 - 14:30.

Additional activities are also offered to the public:

WORKSHOPs (Reservation required)

Nine Thursdays at lunchtime, between 20 and 45 minutes per workshop, in groups of 12 pre-registered people (the conference will be held in French). Cost of $5/person to register for each workshop (includes ingredients, materials, participating in the activity, making the final product, recipe cards, etc.)

• June 16 - Le potager urbain
• June 23 - Sculpture sur fruits
• July 7 - Les fromages en trois temps
• July 21 - Rouleaux de printemps
• July 28 - Composition de vinaigrettes
• August 11 - Brochette de crevettes
• August 25 - Atelier floral
• September 1 - Création de cocktails
• September 15 - Dessert à l’érable

COOKING PRESENTATIONS

Two Thursdays, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m.

• June 9 - L’alimentation vivante hosted by Crudessence
• August 18 - 5 clés pour survivre aux soirs de semaine (“Five tips for surviving weeknights”) hosted by Alexandra Diaz and Geneviève O’Gleman

COOKING DEMONSTRATION AND TASTING

One demonstration only, from 12:05 to 1:35 p.m.

• July 14 - with Jonathan Garnier

MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT

Three Thursdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• June 30 - Pop Rock
• August 4 - World Music
• September 8 - Jazz

This is the list of the exhibitor booths:

EXHIBITOR BOOTHS 

(click to go to the website)

• Bar Beurre 
• Bleu & Persillé / fromagerie de quartier
• Dans les petits pots
• David’s Tea
• Domaine des 15 lots
• Evive Smoothie
• Henri Sodas 
• La Station Organique 
• Le Lab
• Lemo Lemonade
• Les confitures de Jeanette
• Les Co’pains d’abord Rachel
• Les Minettes
• Marché ELM
• Miss Fresh
• Mixit
• Olio & Cie 
• Olive Pressée
• Origine Fleurs
• Pousse l’ananas
• Produits Cafiti
• Saint-Germain Bistro-Traiteur
• Van Houtte

For more information, visit the the Place Ville Marie Public market website.

You can read about first conferences offered at the Place Ville Marie here.

Loto-Québec Sponsored Festivals 2016

Launch of the festival season sponsored by Loto-Québec

June 16, 2016

Loto-Québec is one of the main sponsors offestivals and events in Québec. The Corporation supports some 80 events all across the province. This summer, it is investing close to $10 million in the community.

Loto-Québec offers a new entertainment experience 2.0 It will  be deployed and available to festival-goers starting July 7, 2016:

#InTheCloud will be launched at the Festival d’été de Québec. Then it will go to other festival sites: Just for Laughs, Osheaga, ÎleSoniq, Heavy MTL and Festival Mode & Design. The “memory catcher” will be taking pictures and videos, and festival-goers will be invited to share them on their social media using a tablet. It will be Selfie time.

“Loto-Québec offers a world of entertainment. Our partnership with unifying events is part of the concrete actions we take to be among people. The public can therefore take part in high-quality festivities, at little to no cost”, stated Lucie Lamoureux, Director of Social Commitment at Loto-Québec.

Loto-Québec sponsors 80 festivals across Quebec and a few other regions. This is the list of the Loto-Québec sponsored festivals in greater Montreal araea:

LES FRANCOFOLIES DE MONTRÉAL
9 - 18 June, 2016 
FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTRÉAL
29 June - 9 July, 2016
L'INTERNATIONAL DES FEUX LOTO-QUÉBEC, MONTRÉAL
2, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30 July, 2016
FESTIVAL MODE ET DESIGN DE MONTRÉAL
15 - 20 August, 2016
MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CIRQUE
7 0 17 July, 2016
LES WEEK-ENDS DU MONDE AU PARC JEAN-DRAPEAU, MONTRÉAL
9 - 17 July, 2016
FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL NUITS D'AFRIQUE, MONTRÉAL
12 - 17 July, 2016 
FESTIVAL JUSTE POUR RIRE, MONTRÉAL
16 - 30 July, 2016
MONDIAL DES JEUX LOTO-QUÉBEC, MONTRÉAL
16 - 30 July, 2016
COUPE ROGERS, MONTRÉAL
22 - 31 July, 2016
HEAVY MONTRÉAL
5 -7 August, 2016
FESTIVAL DE THÉÂTRE DE RUE DE LACHINE
11 - 13 August, 2016
FESTIBLUES INTERNATIONAL DE MONTRÉAL
11 - 14 August, 2016
SOMMET DES ARTS ET DE LA MUSIQUE DE LONGUEUIL
1 - 5 September, 2016
IMPACT DE MONTRÉAL
6 March - 23 October, 2016
MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE
16 February - 4 March, 2017
FONDATION DE L'ATHLÈTE D'EXCELLENCE SAISON 2016-2017
CANADIENS DE MONTRÉAL SAISON 2016-2017

On the photo above, from left to right: Jacques-André Dupont, président-directeur général de L'Équipe Spectra, Sylvain Parent-Bédard, président-directeur général et fondateur de QuébéComm et du festival ComediHa!, Anick Dumontet, Lucie Lamoureux, directrice de l'engagement sociétal de Loto-Québec, Pierre-Luc Boisvert, cofondateur du Festival de la poutine de Drummondville et bassiste du groupe Les Trois Accords, et Martin Roy, président-directeur général du RÉMI

Prosecco DOCG et le Valpolicella Wines

Mini Salon Prosecco DOCG et le Valpolicella Wines

June 15, 2016

The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada honoured the Prosecco DOCG and Valpolicella wines. Wine producers from the Veneto presented a variety of their wines, many of them not yet available in Quebec or Canada. The event was held in Montreal, at the ITHQ -  Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec. Finger foods at the event's buffet were prepared by the Institute's students.

The wine tasting started with the bubbly wines, with four producers displaying their best sparkling wines at the first four tables at the Salon. This assured a very refreshing wine tasting experience on the hot summer day. It was quite an excellent representation of the white sparkling wines from the Italy's North-East wine growing region.

Other tables displayed a great variety of red vintages, many of them presenting a great opportunity for the attending wine professionals to discover and maybe even to promote these wines in Quebec and North America.

There were also two wine seminars presented at the event:

Seminar on the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, presented by Guénaël Revel says Mr. Bubbles, historian and author specializing in sparkling wines.

Seminar on the Consorzio per la tutela dei Vini Valpolicella, presented by Jacky Blisson, wine journalist.

Click on images to enlarge them.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG                                     

Sorelle Bronca Srl                                   
Terre di San Venanzio Fortunato           
                                                                        
Consorzio per la tutela dei Vini Valpolicella

Cantina Valpantena Verona

Corte Scaletta

Tenuta Santa Maria                                 

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG           
Biancavigna                     
Bisol                                   
Villa Sandi 
                         
Consorzio per la tutela dei Vini Valpolicella

Cantina Valpolicella Negrar

Casa Vitivinicola Tinazzi

Domenico Fraccarol 

Sud-Ouest Wines

French South-West Wines Tasting

June 14, 2016

Wines from the South-West of France were brought to the attention of Montreal and Quebec wine professionals today. There were 21 wine producers and distributors representing mostly red but also some white and rose wines. A number of them are already available at the SAQ, but there were many that were quite new to those who attended the event.  

The South West vineyards are situated between the reliefs of the Massif Central to the north-east, the Pyrenees in the south, and the Atlantic to the west. The geographical location strongly influences the growth of the vines and seal their aromatic and taste characteristics. This also applies to the soil, the composition of which varies according to different locations, contributing to the specificity of the South-West wines. The climate also varies across the territory, ensuring a wide variety of the regional wines.

Grape vines strive in the South-West of France. Their diversity reflects their acclimatisation comfort in that region. There are 300 grape varieties, including 120 indigenous grape vines, which assures very interesting and unique tasting vintages.

Generous food was served at this tasting event, assuring that those attending were able to taste many different wine varieties without any unpleasant consequences.

The event was a great success.

Click on images to enlarge them.

To find more about the the French South-West wines, visit this website.