82 » OpenRoad Driver
Lauren Kramer
On Île d ' Orléans , Geneviève Noël crafts artisan chocolate in a 260-year-old farmhouse . Her store , La Chocolaterie , is a favourite destination for visitors to the island . feeds us nougat saturated with cranberries , maple syrup , lavender , cherries , black currants , and orange confit . Québec ’ s first and only nougat producer , he lovingly whips up nougat batches in fourteen different flavours , each one a blissful treat that makes it impossible to leave emptyhanded .
At Vignoble Île de Bacchus , an 11-acre winery , we sip island-made ice wine in the cellar of a 300-year-old farmhouse overlooking the vineyards . It ’ s spring , and the hybrid vines , bred to withstand the -40 ° C winters , are just beginning to emerge from their winter slumber . Then it ’ s off to La Chocolaterie de l ’ Île d ’ Orléans , a chocolate and ice cream shop packed with artfully crafted chocolate . Owner Geneviève Noël walks us through the 260-year-old farmhouse that houses her business , insisting we try ice cream dipped in salted caramel chocolate . “ I love the pure joy and excitement of selling chocolate ,” she admits , watching our faces light up at the first taste of sweet , rich caramel .
CHARLEVOIX CULINARY ROUTE
The next day we head an hour north into the Charlevoix , a region known for its 143-kilometre food trail and its picturesque small towns flanking the St . Lawrence River , each with a striking , grand church .
At Azulée , a small organic lavender farm , Louise Vidricaire crafts culinary lavender and leads small tours through her field . Later , she feeds us lavenderinfused brownies oozing with chocolate as we browse through her selection of soaps , candles , scone mixes and dried herbal teas . “ I chose English lavender , a plant that doesn ’ t ask anything from the environment ,” she explains , looking out over the river where snow geese are feeding on the marshy banks . It ’ s May , and her lavender is still in its winter dormancy , but the spring blooms are imminent and the landscape will burst into colour in a matter of a few short weeks .
We spend the night in Baie-Saint-Paul , a town of 5,000 whose scenery and quality of light has inspired many prominent Canadian artists over the years , among them Alexander Young Jackson , founder of the Group of Seven . Today , 25 art galleries are clustered along Saint-Jean-Baptiste Street , and for those who know art , this is a playground for serious buyers .
An interesting assortment of innovative artists have had their start in Baie- Saint-Paul over the years , each of them differently inspired . Some , like Gilles Ste-Croix , who assembled a troupe of street performers called the Stiltwalkers of Baie-Saint-Paul in the early 1980s , have achieved worldwide fame . By 1984 , Ste- Croix collaborated with Guy Laliberté to create Cirque du Soleil , now a household name in entertainment .
Others toil with equal passion but less acclaim . At the Hydromel Charlevoix , Anthony Dufour makes seductively sweet mead and eau de vie from the honey he collects from apiaries spread around the Charlevoix . “ Honey is the best expression of terroir because it ’ s made from the flavours of a five-kilometre radius ,” he explains as he pours samples , noting the fruity , floral tones of some meads and the caramel tones of others .