Created in 2006, the Domaine des Salamandres is located in Hemmingford in the Montérégie region of southern Quebec, a few kilometers from the American border. A family business run according to the principles of sustainable agriculture, the vineyard has 8,000 vines of hybrid grape varieties such as Vidal, Geisenheim, Seyval white and Frontenac red and grey. There are also nearly 300 pear trees on the estate (of the varieties beauté flamande, bosc and bartlett), intended for the manufacture of ice pears.
The owners of the estate learned everything on the job. They certainly enlisted the help of consulting oenologists to make their products, but it’s amazing to see the level of quality achieved after only a few years. The youngest daughter, Camylle, is currently training as a winemaker with Christian Barthomeuf, who is none other than the creator of ice cider in Quebec. The succession and the pursuit of quality seem assured!
If the production of ice cider is now widespread in Quebec, there are still very few wineries that apply the same process using pears. The Domaine des Salamandres is one of the few wineries in the province to use pears.
Ice pears are produced using two techniques: cryoconcentration and cryoextraction. All the pears are picked in the fall when they are ripe, then they are kept in a cool place. Cryo-concentration involves pressing the pears in early winter and then placing the juice in containers stored outside. After several weeks, the juices, whose sugars have concentrated naturally due to the effect of the winter cold, are collected and then put into fermentation. Cryoextraction consists in placing the whole pears on crates left outside. As they freeze and thaw, the sugars concentrate and the pears are then slowly pressed and their juice fermented.
Domaine des Salamandres markets about ten products and I had the chance to taste almost all of them during a recent visit. The range of products is the following: 3 ice perries, 2 dry white wines, a sweet white wine, a late harvest wine, an ice wine, a passerillé wine and a frozen pear mistelle. Here are my impressions written on a piece of paper during the tasting:
– Classic Poiré de glace: tasted the 2011 and 2012. Produced by cryoconcentration. In 2012, the domain changed its philosophy and vinified its perry in a 100% natural way. What a success that this perry 2012. Superb honey nose, very good acidity and what a freshness! My favorite! 18$ for 200 ml, 29$ for 375 ml, and some 500 ml bottles for 49$. Buy with your eyes closed!
– Poiré de glace, limited edition: also produced by cryoconcentration, but aged for two months in used oak barrels. 24$ per 200 ml.
– Poiré de glace, cuvée Tabarnak: produced by cryoextraction and fermented with indigenous yeasts. Beautiful copper color, nose of candied fruits, orange peel. Very nice balance. A success. 29$ per 200 ml bottle.
– Dry white wine 100% vidal: nose on tropical fruits, good little wine that is very easy to drink. 18$ the bottle.
– Dry white wine 100% geisenheim (not tasted)
– Late harvest wine (100% vidal): very nice nose on pineapple and passion fruit. Quite sweet, but nice acidity. 29$ per 375 ml bottle.
– Natural sweet wine: 100% geisenheim (not tasted)
– Ice wine (100% vidal): I found it sweeter than the other wines. Nice acidity though. My taste buds must have started to saturate…
– Passerillé wine (red and grey frontenac): passerillage consists in letting the grapes dry on crates. The dehydrated grapes are then pressed and the juice is fermented for 6 months, then aged for 4 months in barrels. For wine lovers with oxidative registers. 21$ per 200 ml.
– Mistelle de poires gelées: fermented pear juice with apple brandy added. Aged 4 years in oak barrels. For lovers of Pineau des Charentes. 25$ per 200 ml.
I really enjoyed my visit to the Domaine des Salamandres. Do not hesitate to visit it if you are in the Montérégie region. The domain is located only one hour south of Montreal. You will be received with kindness and the quality of the products is to be underlined. A real favorite is the ice perry, which is a nice alternative to dessert wines!
To visit the estate:
196, ch. Covey Hill
Hemmingford (Québec) J0L 1H0
Phone: 450-247-9000
www.salamandres.ca
info@salamandres.ca
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