Saucette Caviste hits the road with Quebec wine-growers for a summer of tastings and vineyard trips

If you’re like us and love wines with a story to tell, the ones you discover with curiosity and share around a table, Saucette is set to fill your summer nicely.

Marie-Ève Collin and Catherine Denault opened Saucette nearly three years ago on rue Green, in Saint-Lambert, with a simple idea: build a place that puts artisanal wine in the spotlight. You come with friends, and you often leave with a few bottles under your arm. Saucette has since become one of the South Shore’s go-to wine shops, with around a hundred grower wines that rotate each week as new arrivals come in, and a market-driven kitchen that champions local producers.

This summer, the team steps outside its usual frame to take you onto the road toward Quebec’s vineyards: a wine-grower evening, vineyard road trips, a mini fair of artisanal wines on the South Shore and intimate encounters with the growers themselves. The idea behind it all has been the same since day one: bring people together and demystify grower wine.

Saucette’s summer lineup

June 17: Wine-grower evening with Geneviève Thisdel, free entry

Things kick off on an emotional note. On June 17, Saucette welcomes wine-grower Geneviève Thisdel for the launch of the latest vintage of her project En Roue Libre, five years of solo work after she left Beaujolais to come back and tend vines in her native Quebec. The evening marks the close of that chapter: Geneviève is now teaming up with Matthieu Beauchemin, of Domaine du Nival, for what comes next. Free entry, open to all.

July 5: La petite virée vinicole, Domaine l’Espiègle × Domaine La Bauge

Sunday, July 5 | Departure 9 a.m., return around 5 p.m. | 38 rue Green, Saint-Lambert

The season’s first road trip takes a small group to the Eastern Townships, around Dunham and Brigham. On the itinerary: Domaine l’Espiègle, with Zaché Hall, in a spot usually closed to the public, and Domaine La Bauge, with Simon Naud, where lunch is served, a big convivial table with several dishes to share, right among the vines.

The ticket includes round-trip bus transport from Saucette, all the tastings, the shared meal and a Saucette glass to take home. Bottles will be available to buy on site. Spots are limited; all the details and tickets are here.

July 11: La petite Saucette, a mini fair of artisanal wines

Saturday, July 11 | 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. | 38 rue Green, Saint-Lambert

One of the first events of its kind on the South Shore: Saucette opens its doors to 13 Quebec wineries it genuinely loves for an afternoon of tasting. More than 60 wines to try, growers on hand to talk shop, and bottles for sale on site at friendly prices.

On the roster: L’Ardennais, La Bauge, Bergeville, Clos des Cigales, Clos Sur-Vivant, Les Cuvées de Véronique, L’Espiègle, Grand Saint-Charles, L’Heure Juste, Mâsson-Villages, Les Ouches, Projet Chalifoux and Très-Précieux-Sang. The ticket covers all the tastings and a Saucette glass to take home. The number of spots is deliberately capped to keep things intimate; all the details and tickets are here.

September 13: La petite virée vinicole, Domaine du Nival × Domaine Le Grand Saint-Charles

Sunday, September 13 | Departure 9 a.m., return around 5 p.m. | 38 rue Green, Saint-Lambert

The season’s second road trip lands just before the harvest, the ideal moment to see the vines at their fullest. On the itinerary: Domaine Le Grand Saint-Charles, with Martin Laroche, where the shared meal takes place between the rows, and Domaine du Nival, with Matthieu Beauchemin, another spot usually closed to the public.

Same formula as the July trip: round-trip transport, tastings, a convivial meal and a Saucette glass included. The same mood too, we imagine: one of those days you come home from with a heart full of good memories. Spots are limited; all the details and tickets are here.

Happy tasting and, above all, happy summer!


Photography by Alison Slattery

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