How to organize a memorable wine tasting at your vineyard?

Wine tourism: a comprehensive sensory experience that needs to be prepared in advance

Wine tasting at the vineyard brings together the fields of agriculture, hospitality and gastronomy. Canada’s vineyards have developed a wealth of agritourism expertise in welcoming culinary enthusiasts.

Their reputation is still growing, and this relies on the quality of the wines produced on site as much as on successful, bespoke organization. 

Wine culture: a key tourist attraction in Canada

Born from French gastronomy and popularised worldwide, the chocolate fondant has earned its place on restaurant, café, and hotel menus across the globe. Its success lies in an irresistible balance: a soft, delicate exterior hiding a warm, molten heart.

Clients, always seeking desserts that combine a “wow” effect with authenticity, have embraced it wholeheartedly. For professionals, it delivers on two essentials: simplicity in execution and guaranteed pleasure. 

Advantages for Foodservice Professionals

Canada has nearly 700 wine producers, making it a wine destination for both domestic and international tourism.

The best-known regions include:  

• The Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, with over 100 vineyards  
• The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, a well-established wine region with around 275 wineries 
• The Quebec Wine Route, a growing industry with nearly 170 artisanal vineyards 
• And the Nova Scotia Wine Route, characterised by more intimate productions.

Wine production in Canada continues to evolve towards specialty, high-quality wines, supported by access to training in viticulture and oenology for this demanding profession.

A fully immersive experience

To help your visitors step into your world as a winemaker, start by sharing your daily life, close to the land, the grapevines, and the climate.  

Ideally, offer a tour of the vineyards:

• Outdoors, during the season from May to October 
• Through promotional videos, to offer and appealing glimpse of your bucolic surroundings. 

Travellers are increasingly planning their summer vacations earlier, especially as domestic tourism continues to rise. Inspire them to visit by giving them a preview of your estate.

Aerial footage captured by drones is now a must for vineyards. They offer a combination of aerial shots that highlight the rows and topography of your production site, alongside close-ups from the ground that showcase the complexity of the vineyard layout and the beautiful colours of the grapes.

Visits to the winery offer an opportunity not only to learn about the work involved but also to discover your unique world:  

• The processing areas (vats and presses) 
• The aging and bottling areas 
• The tasting room 

Secrets to a successful wine tasting

Every vineyard showcases its own unique characteristics. However, there are a few steps and techniques, born from centuries of experience in vineyards around the world, that can help you get the most out of your wines: 

1. Serve the wines from lightest to fullest-bodied 
2. Variety and themes, reinforced by the choice of glasses and decanters to highlight their differences 
3. A guided and comprehensive sensory experience (colour, aromas, texture on the glass walls, taste on the palate), with tasting notes 
4. Recommendations on food and wine pairings 
5. Consumption of ‘neutral’ foods to allow the palate to enjoy each tasting in an unbiased and honest manner 
6. And, of course, moderate consumption 

Food pairings for a vineyard tasting

The food served should be presented as bite-sized portions, quick and easy to prepare, with mild, balanced flavours: 

• Garnish ready-to-fill plain mini rounds with local productions in a variety of colours (plain, black or black sesame), without clashing with the colours of the wine 
• Serve plain white bread or lightly garnished if using sandwich bread (white or coloured), cut into bite-sized pieces 
• Heat-up our Comté gougère bites, easy to prepare and ready to serve in no time  
• Serve pre-topped savoury bites at the end of the tasting, such as mini deli sandwiches with smoked salmon (with white wine), or mini deli sandwiches with tomato, pesto and ricotta.  

Why is the gougère so popular with winemakers in Burgundy?

In the vineyards of Burgundy, France, gougères are traditionally served during tastings. A gougère is a small cheese-based savoury choux. Ours is richly filled with Comté cheese, which reveals its rich umami flavour and brings out the best of both varietals and blends. 

Another benefit is that gougères dry out less quickly than bread. Once they have been warmed up late in the morning, they can be served right through to the evening.

Since then, gougères (a local recipe) have been associated with wine, as a discreet yet distinguished ally thanks to their delicate flavour. 

The perfect partner for wine tastings

The gougère, which is quick and easy to prepare (taking just 14 minutes to bake), showcases your wine while reinforcing your professional expertise.