Wine and Food of Formula 1: 8th Race – Montreal, Canada

Canadian GP 2010 Practice_Courtesy of Force India

This is the eighth in the series of articles to help provide a taste of the world of Formula One for those new to it and for those that have been fans all their lives.  It is about the racing venue cities, in this case Montreal, Canada, and travel info, a bit of history, culture, and its wine and food to wet your appetite to travel to the regions of the world covered. Perhaps take a liking to Formula One racing, pick up some knowledge of the area’s wine and food, and hopefully learn something new. All articles are in the same order: (1) recap and stats of prior race, (2) opinion and news on upcoming race, (3) overview of history, culture, economy, and travel information of region the racing venue is in, (4) the wine of the region where the race is held, (5) the food of the region the race is held. There will also be links to other websites of interest and video playlists.

What I mainly write about is wine and food and as this article is an overview of several topics around the Formula One racing circuit, including the wine and food, I will come back with more extensive articles on wine and food regions of the world over time.

Recap and Thoughts of Last Race: Istanbul, Turkey 

1st Place – Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) for McLaren Mercedes. This is Hamilton’s first win of the season and his third podium finish.

 2nd – Jenson Button (Great Britain) for McLaren Mercedes. This is Button’s third podium finish.

3rd Place – Mark Webber (Australia) for Red Bull Renault. This was Webber’s 4^th podium finish, his 4^th start from pole, and his 6^th start from 1^st row – more than any other driver.

This was a bad day for Mark Webber and Red Bull Renault. None of us, including him, could say that he would have won for sure, but his teammate Sebastian Vettel tried to pass him mid race and crashed into Webber. Webber maintained composure, but was then put into third. Vettel “retired” from the race. As mentioned above, Webber has started from pole this season four times, he has started from 1st row six times (out of seven races to date), and has had four podium finishes, proving that this 33 year old driver is showing his mettle. I have mentioned in past articles how frustrated Vettel must be at how things are going and was backing him up quite a bit as most of his woes have been mechanical. However, with this race the damage caused was because of driver error and impatience in my opinion, not anything else.

Race car drivers are not like the rest of us. They risk their lives for a sport and they do so because they love it, every part of it. This makes them who they are, the good, the bad and the ugly. There are some egos, of course, and it is when this gets in the way is when racing accidents caused by driver error can happen. Vettel is not egotistic, in my opinion, instead he was going into this season as the golden boy of Red Bull Renault because of his crafty and speed oriented driving from past seasons that many were comparing him to Michael Schumacher. For Webber’s part, many thought he was the man on the bubble at risk of not returning to Red Bull next season despite the fact that he was doing well. So when Vettel started this season taking pole position three times it was expected that he was going to win these races. When this failed to happen, Vettel no doubt became very agitated at this turn of events and on top of this, the Red Bull Renault team had the fastest cars on the circuit.

So far, Vettel has had only one win, one second, and one third place out of seven races this season. All drivers want to win, but when a driver tries to overtake his teammate leading the race that wants to win as well, most often it will end badly without team cooperation and approval. Webber could have won his third straight win putting him way ahead in championship points over the other drivers (he now has a slim lead of 5 points). With a win by Webber and a second (or even a third) by Vettel this would have secured an advantage for Red Bull Racing Renault in Constructor’s Championship points as well. Plus if Vettel came in 2^nd or 3^rd he would have gained championship points and perhaps would have been the second highest in points after Webber. However, tomorrow is just another day and in racing things can change quickly with twelve more races to go. Hope Vettel can recoup and move forward, he certainly has the skills to do so.

While Red Bull Renault was having a soap opera of a day, the McLaren team benefited. With two World Driver’s Champions as teammates, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, these drivers drove with a lot of skill and speed. Next to the Red Bull Renault team, McLaren has the fastest cars on the circuit right now, much to the angst of the other teams and drivers, including Ferrari. Hamilton came out in second position at the start of the race, but Vettel caught him early and there was a race for second between these two drivers for most of the race up to when Vettel crashed into his teammate. Hamilton lucked out when this happened and from third place, he was now the new leader. Prior to this, there was another battle between Button and Michael Schumacher for fourth place but Button was finally able to pass Schumacher with a faster car. So when the Vettel/Webber incident happened, Button went from fourth to second. Webber maintained his composure was able to keep his car on the road despite the accident, but was now in third place ahead of Schumacher.

Even after the Vettel accident, you would think that another team would not want to make a similar mistake. WRONG! Button from second was challenging his own teammate, Hamilton, who was now leading the race and in fact clipped one another. Button was able to pass Hamilton briefly, but Hamilton wanted no part of that and fought back, won the challenge, and retook first place. This gave Hamilton his first win and third podium finish of the season and gave Button his third podium finish (including two prior wins this season). This was also McLaren’s second 1-2 finish of the season so far.

NOTES:

1. It is interesting that Button and Hamilton have not had a 1st row start all season.

2. Even though McLaren has had two 1-2 two finishes this season to date, Red Bull Renault with Webber and Vettel have had two 1-2 finishes to date this season as well (could have been three perhaps?).

3. Red Bull Renault has had a front row start in all seven races so far.

4. Do not think that this is the way Ferrari wanted to celebrate their glorious history’s 800th racing start. They have not been doing very well this season. Only one start from 1st row at the first race in Bahrain with Felipe Massa, one win in that race with Fernando Alonso, and only three team podium finishes so far. Is this a pattern? Started out well, but something is happening with the fierce stallion. Both drivers and the team need to get it together, there is still time. Hopefully, they will solve their problems or is this why they are looking into other drivers? Something amiss that is for sure.

The Driver’s Championship after six races (the highest point leader at the end of the season wins the FIA World Driver’s Championship):

Mark Webber leading with – 93 points, Jenson Button – 88 points, Lewis Hamilton – 84, Fernando Alonso – 79 points,  Sebastian Vettel – 78 points,  Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa (tied) with 67 points each, Nico Rosberg – 66 points, Michael Schumacher – 34 points, Adrian Sutil – 22 points, Vitantonio Liuzzi – 10 points, Rubens Barrichello – 7 points, Vitaly Petrov – 6 points, Jamie Alguersuari – 3 points, and Sebastien Buemi, Nico Hulkenberg, Kamui Kobayashi all tied with 1 point each.

For the Constructor’s Championship after six races (same as drivers most points at end of season wins):

McLaren Mercedes now leads with 172 points, Red Bull Racing Renault – 171 points, Ferrari – 146 points, Mercedes Benz GP Limited – 100 points, Renault – 73 points, Force India Mercedes – 32 points, Williams Cosworth – 8 points, and Scuderia Torro Rosso (STR) Ferrari – 4 points, and BMW Sauber-Ferrari – 1 point.

Please note that I have changed the above format from my other articles to reflect the names of the constructors, not the full team names. I have provided what the differences are in the special Introduction page I set up in April, please click link if interested in learning a bit more about this and other facets of Formula 1 racing.

MONTREAL, CANADA  

The Biosphere

The Race

The Canadian Grand Prix will be held at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, located in Montreal, in the province of Quebec, Canada after a year off the circuit last season. The race will be a 70 lap race running around the Ile Notre Dame at the St. Lawrence Seaway that also over looks the rowing lake used in the 1976 Olympics and the Biosphere left from Expo ’67 that served as the United States Pavilion. The 13 turn course has several straights which should benefit the faster cars such as Red Bull Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari. However, there are also some short and twisty turns that will be tricky and will be beneficial to the more experienced drivers that know cornering well. Michael Schumacher has a record seven wins in the Canadian Grand Prix. The lap record is held by Rubens Barrichello in 2004 when he was with Ferrari, who now races for Williams, and says “I’ve raced there 16 times so I have a lot of experience, which should be an advantage because it is not the easiest of circuits to get right.”

This circuit is one the highest attended races with a loyal and wild fan base, numbers coming in have the race sold out with requests already being made for next year. This circuit holds a lot of emotion for Canadians as it is named after their beloved Formula 1 Grand Prix champion driver Gilles Villeneuve who died tragically in a race in Belgium in 1982 in his early 30s. For many years in the 1960s the Canadian Grand Prix was raced each year between Mosport Park on the British Columbian side of Canada and the French side at Mont Tremblant. However, after a series of dangerous incidents at Mont Tremblant, it was taken off the F1 circuit leaving the French Canadians without their own Grand Prix race until 1977 when they decided to build their own circuit along the Ile Notre-Dame that housed Expo ’67. After upgrading the roads for racing, the first race was held in 1978 and guess what, Gilles Villeneuve took his Ferrari and went on to win the race. After he died, the track was renamed in his honor. Many Americans will remember his son, Jacques Villeneuve, who won the Indy 500 in 1995 and won both CART and Formula One driver’s championships, something only a few other drivers in the world have been able to accomplish. Jacques is still racing and just signed with Braun Racing to drive the No. 32 Dollar General Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide series that will take him to this course named after his father and a new event at Road America in Wisconsin.  

This is still a tight championship race, there are 25 championship points to be had for the winning driver and the constructor’s championship points can once again change too.

NOTES:

1. As I reported in the last article, there will be a new tire supplier next season and the winner is Pirelli Tires. Congrats!

2. Rumors are circulating that ex BMW Sauber F1 driver Nick Heidfeld could be going back to Sauber next season. Heidfeld was rumored to be going to Mercedes GP for the 2010 season, but they decided instead to go with Michael Schumacher. Heidfeld is currently the test car driver for Mercedes GP. Interestingly enough, Heidfeld while racing with the Sauber team came in second at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix in a 1-2 sweep with his then teammate Robert Kubica coming in 1^st.

3. Mark Webber will return to Red Bull Renault in 2011 on a one year contract. So it appears that we will see more of the Webber/Vettel duo (duel?) next year.

4. As reported in earlier articles, it was rumored that Robert Kubica (POL) now racing for Renault, signed an option with Ferrari. There have now been reports that this will not be happening. I think if Renault made their cars faster and fine tuned them a bit more to what Kubica likes, my opinion is that this great driver would have more podium finishes and even more wins. If he stays with Renault, he should demand everything he will need to make himself and his team world champions.

Friday, June 11, 2010 – Practice. Practice runs are mainly to fine tune the cars and drivers by testing the track, crew, and the cars. If in the United States, this will be live on Speed Channel at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET. 

Saturday, June 12, 2010 – Qualifying. This will determine the starting grid for the race and will determine pole position (inside 1st row) in the final round. The starting grid this year will have twelve rows of two cars each. There are three qualifying rounds. The first round eliminates seven drivers/teams from moving forward to the next round. The second qualifying round will do the same, taking out the bottom seven drivers/teams, leaving the fastest ten. The third and final qualifying round will take the final ten drivers/teams and will determine the first five rows of the starting grid. It is a little more complicated than just fastest lap speed and there are situations where it is possible that a driver with a faster lap could end up in the back seven rows. In the United States, this will be live on Speed Channel at 1:30 pm PST/4:30 pm ET.

STARTING GRID – 1st Five Rows Only

1st Row: Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain), Pole Position, Fastest Lap 1:15.105 racing for McLaren; and  Mark Webber (Australia), for Red Bull Racing , Fastest Lap 1:15.373

2nd Row: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Fastest Lap 1:15.420 for Red Bull Renault; and Fernando Alonso (Spain) for Ferrari, Fastest Lap 1:15.435

3rd Row: Jenson Button (Great Britain) Fastest Lap 1:5.520 for McLaren; and Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) for Force India, Fastest Lap: 1:15.648

4th Row: Felipe Massa (Brazil) for Ferrari, Fastest Lap 1:15.688; and Robert Kubica (POL) for Renault, Fastest Lap 1:15.715

5th Row: Adrain Sutil (Germany) for Force India, Fastest Lap 1:15.881; and Nico Rosberg (Germany) for Mercedes GP, Fastest Lap 1:16.071

NOTES:

1. Michael Schumacher had a terrible second cut in qualifying and did not make it to the finals. He will start in 7th position.

2. This is Hamilton’s first Pole position of this season, his 18th career pole. This after I said in my recap of the last race that Hamilton and Button have not yet scored a pole or first row start all season. Well, good going!

3. With Webber inched out of pole position, he will start in second place. Because of this, it will also mark one of Red Bull Renault’s drivers with an 8th straight start from the first row. REVISED 6/13/10. The Red Bull Team had to replace the gearbox overnight, as this was a change to the car that qualified, Webber was penalized 5 positions and started instead in 7th position in the fourth row. However, all drivers now that were from 6th row on were moved up in starting position, this included Webber’s Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel that was in in third starting position in the 2nd row, and was now moved to the 2nd position in the 1st row, unchanging Red Bull’s consectutive 1st row starts for every race this season so far.

Should be an exciting race tomorrow morning.  

Sunday, June 13, 2010 – RACE DAY. In the US, Speed Channel will not be covering this live at 9:00 am PT/12:00 pm ET, it will be aired instead on the Fox Broadcast networks.

Times are subject to change and you should check your local listings.

Updated 6/13/2010 12:14 p.m. Race Results:

1st Place – Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) for McLaren Mercedes. This is Hamilton’s second win of the season, his second consecutive win, and his fourth podium finish.

 2nd – Jenson Button (Great Britain) for McLaren Mercedes. This is Button’s fourth podium finish.

3rd Place – Fernando Alonso (Spain) for Ferrari. This was Alonso’s 3^rd podium finish.

You should go to the special page I set up called Formula 1: Intro, Wine, and Food for more detailed information on F1, race schedule, Race Stats and Opinion for F1 2010 Season (updated 6/13/10),  2010 Formula 1 World Championship Standings (updated 6/13/10), links to all teams, drivers, racing circuits, and organizations that have websites to further your knowledge and enjoyment of the sport. You will also find a real-time television schedule of air time for the races on Speed Channel. This page will supplement the individual articles that I write and will also serve as an archive when the racing season ends and for the series of articles.

NEXT UP: European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain on June 27, 2010 (race day). My article will be published on or before June 26, 2010. 

Below please find a playlist of four videos found on YouTube that I though you would enjoy on the Canadian Grand Prix: Course Simulator with Red Bull Renault Driver Mark Webber, Highlights of the last Canadian Grand Prix in 2008, and tributes to Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve.

A Brief Background on History, Culture, Customs

Canada, Quebec, and Montreal

Like most countries covered over this series of articles, pre-history is subjective. Many historians agree that the first humans of North America came from what is now known as Asia, migrating to what is now Alaska during the last Ice Age about 12,000 years ago, on the other hand many historians believe that the migration started well before that, like some 60,000 years ago. As what is now known as Canada was covered in ice at the time, migration to Canada was sometime after these two conflicting time periods with the last of the aboriginal people to migrate being the Eskimos (Inuit) that still live in the arctic regions of Canada today.

When the Europeans began to make settlements in what is now known as Canada in the 16^th Century, there were an estimated couple hundred thousand First Nations (Indians) and Inuit (Eskimos) already living there. The early explorers to North America going back to at least a known 1,000 C.E. were the Scandinavian Norsemen, reaching what is now known as Newfoundland. Explorers from Spain, Portugal, France, and England in the 1500s followed. Over one million Canadians now are either Metis (of Indian and European decent), Indian (the largest group being the Cree), or Inuit with nearly half of this population living in the Northwest and the new Nunavut regions. There are treaties that give protection status to the Indian population for land/reserves and other things making them wards of the state under the original and revised provisions of the Indian Act of 1876. The Inuit have no such protection status.

The European settlers migrated mainly for fur, fishing, forestry, and minerals although many of these trades, except for the fur trade, were short lived. The French made their claim to what would become Canada, then calling it New France, in 1534 when Jacques Cartier representing the royal crown of France, was the first from Europe to enter Canada via what is now known as the Saint Lawrence River. He would later explore more of the river bank and visited Quebec City (then known as Stadacona) and Montreal (then known as Hochelaga) and reported back to France that they would make perfect French acquisitions, so the King of France decided to protect them from Spain at the time and set them up as fortified settlements. Samuel de Champlain then continued the expeditions and discovered, in the early 1600s, what is now known as Nova Scotia (Arcadia) and Quebec.

In the 1620s the French government became more involved after Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal et duc de Richelieu endeavored to make policy more like England and the Netherlands that were enforcing their trade policies and raising needed capital through a stock company held jointly between the two at the time. Richelieu created his version called the Company of France (Hundred Associates) and held a lot of power holding a monopoly on trade in New France, Acadia, and other areas now known as Canada. He had the authorization in keeping New France under the Roman Catholic faith, had governmental powers, and deciding who would become settlers or not. After this, war broke out between France and England (mainly in support of Protestants) of which also saw Champlain taken prisoner and a war with Scotland that took over Nova Scotia, calling it New Scotland, that Canada eventually won back.

The Hundred Associates failed and was later taken over by a group of then Canadians as the Community of Habitants in 1645. By 1648, the Europeans made the beaver hat very popular and the fur trade was a booming trade to be in. The fur trade was New France’s main source of income, carrying their furs on canoes and taking territories along those trade routes from the Great Lakes and Ottawa regions. During this time, the French were making inroads into America to give them a strategic edge over the British. In 1670 the British, fearful of New France’s trade routes formed the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) through British merchants. HBC played an integral role in the British takeover of Canada and still exists today as stores throughout Canada. It gave them the trading rights and ownership of the land outright that controlled all the territory draining into Hudson Bay.  

While New France grew steadily in the 18^th century, many wars broke out from 1648 to 1763, challenging its balance of power was England primarily. However, many challenges were not only coming from the British or the Indians in Canada, but from the British, French, and Canadian colonists in America while seeking expansion and independence of trade routes and territory claimed by both England and the French. America landed right in the middle of many of these wars and formed strange alliances in later wars with France or England depending on territory or trade routes. Complicating this further, were obligations of the British and French solders stationed in America and their obligations to fight for their respective countries. The battle between France and Britain for upper North America continued for more than a century. The French would lose many battles and land to the British, with the first loss being Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in 1713. In 1763 the French were expelled from continental North America after the French and Indian Wars (aka: The Seven Year’s War).

The British, now in complete control of Canada, had problems with an expansion in population when loyalists to the British and French were fleeing America after the American Revolution with most ending up in Quebec. The British had no choice but to implement their first division of Canada between northern (Upper Canada) and southern (Lower Canada) provinces in 1791. In 1841 they were reunited, but renamed Canada East and Canada West. There was a confederation movement in the 1800s which led to the Dominion of Canada in 1867 providing Canada self governance while still maintaining ties to Britain. This Act included the colonies of New Brunswick, Canada, and Nova Scotia, but then divided up the colony Canada into separate provinces of Quebec and Ontario. By the late 1800s gold was found in the Yukon, called the Klondike gold rush (ice cream is popping in my head for some reason) and often referred to as the Yukon gold rush. Like the California gold rush, it brought miners, fortune seekers, and those in the sub trades from throughout the world seeking gold and most eventually settling there.

In 1982 The British gave Canada complete control and ceased all legal ties between the two countries. However, conflicts between the French and British communities lasted through much of the early 20^th Century leading to a movement for Quebec to separate from Canada, but never gained enough momentum. Canada did gain a new territory in 1999, Nunavut.

Canada is the second largest country in the world in land size after Russia. Its natural resources are: timber, wildlife, fish, hydropower, natural gas, petroleum, coal, silver, diamonds, gold, copper, nickel, iron, ore, zinc, lead, potash, and molybdenum. The population is 33,759,742 (est. for 2010), median age is 41.7. The ethnic groups of Canada are British Isles 28%, French 23%, mixed background 26%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, Other (Asian, Arab, African mostly) 6%. Religions followed are Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3%, other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, unspecified and other 11.8%, and none 16% all based on the 2001 census data. Languages spoken are English (official) 58.8%, French (official) 21.6%, other 19.6% based on the 2006 Census.

The United States is the main trading partner with Canada that takes in nearly 80% of its exports annually and shares in a hefty trade surplus. Canada is the United States’ largest suppler of oil, gas, electric power, uranium. Canada, like other countries throughout the world, has been hit by bad economic times. However, they have weathered past storms nicely and seem to be weathering the current global economic crises better than most. Its GDP (in purchasing parity) is estimated, per 2009 figures, at $1.285 trillion. Its unemployment rate, as of May 2010, was at 8.1%, this number would be a lot higher if it relied heavily on the construction trades, but the majority of their labor force is in services.

Canada also has one the most well known law enforcement agencies in the world, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. These men, women, and horses are fearless and quite powerful in their jurisdiction. 

Today Canada is a very popular tourist destination in that many will find themselves experiencing the lifestyles, food, and culture of both Great Britain and France without having to cross a channel. This makes it unique in that people travelling there, as well as its own population, benefit from its multiculturalism. Its open door policy also led many Americans in the 60s easy access across their border protesting the Vietnam War and/or avoiding the draft to seek refuge there. It is also a socially liberal country in its acceptance of all people, lifestyles, and religions.

Modern Montreal 

In 1642 Lord Paul de Chomedey founded today’s Montreal (called then Ville-Marie de Montreal) that Cartier discovered over a hundred years before. Chomeday became Montreal’s first governor after King Louis XIV granted Montreal its first civic charter in 1644. The fur trade there escalated and it expanded quickly and beyond its walls. In 1760 it surrendered to the British, as did all of New France, and in 1763 joined the new British North American Empire. Montreal is in the French speaking province of Quebec and is considered an island at the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers, built on the slopes of Mont-Royal. Montreal is said to be the second largest French speaking city in the world, after Paris. It also has a strict language policy in place, so you will not often see English on signs, menus, and other things, unless in the tourist areas and hotels, even though both English and French are its official languages.

Montreal is Quebec’s largest city and is Canada’s second largest city, with an estimated metropolitan population in 2010 of 3,635,571. When most people think of Montreal, New York City and San Francisco come to mind. It is cosmopolitan, has restaurants to kill for, nightclubs and a very active nightlife scene, historical landmarks, cafés, parks, entertainment, ballet and symphony, art museums and art galleries galore, it is home to both the French speaking University de Montreal and University du Quebec a Montreal plus the English speaking McGill University and Concordia University. 

Plateau Mount Royal Neighborhood

The many regions and neighborhoods of Montreal (all having unique villages and towns):

1. Downtown. This of course the hub of the city of Montreal with its business centers and commerce, arts, parks, entertainment, great restaurants and cafes, shopping, and hotels and is where the majority of tourists stay.

2. Old Montreal & Old Port. Here you will find cobblestone streets, buildings and architecture going back to the 18^th century. It is also home to some of the city’s most notable religious landmarks such as the Notre-Dame Basilica. Small hotels, cafes and restaurants, boutiques, town squares, and other charming sites such as the Lachine Canal with its small boats taking visitors through the paths that once linked the Atlantic Ocean to North America are here, along with other notable historic sites. 

3. Parc Jean-Drapeau. This is the borough where the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix is being held and was a man made area built around the 1967 World Expo. This is a place to also come and relax, go to the beach, have fun with some water sports, hike through one of the many trials, bring the family to La Ronde a huge amusement park filled with rides and attractions and fireworks displays in the evening. For the adults there is the Casino de Montréal with its over 100 gaming tables and an astounding 3,000+ slot machines, houses cafes and restaurants including one that is world class called Nuances located on the top floor, bars, and entertainment.

4. Mount Royal and its Surrounding Area. This is one of the more vast areas, on one hand it has Mont (Mount)-Royal Park and its skiing in the winter and hiking and bird-watching, picnics, and cycling in the summer. And, on the other hand has such things such as the Holoucast Museum, restaurants and cafes, is the location of the Saint-Joseph’s Oratory pilgrimage site on the summit, and much more.  

5. Plateau Mont-Royal. Is a trendy neighborhood where you will find many cafes and restaurants, bed and breakfast inns, art galleries, and boutiques along the Du Mont-Royal Avenue. Many artists, poets, and so called intellectuals call this borough their home.

6. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. This is an area where many tourist attractions are located. Many churches, Beaux Art’s buildings, charming streets of boutiques and small businesses, Maisonneuve Market filled with fresh produce, fish, wonderful cheese, vegetables, pastries, among other things. This area also has a zoo, an aquarium, a botanical garden, and museums. It hosts many festivals, sporting events, and has tours of Olympic Park, of which one of the highlights is a climb to the top of the highest inclined tower in the world. The Maisonneuve Park, like Mont-Royal, is for winter sports and summer outings.

7. Little Italy. Located on the north side of the island, this borough, much like Little Italy in New York and North Beach in San Francisco, is where most of the Italian immigrants congregated and settled. Many of the quaint houses have backyards filled with flowers and have wrought iron gates and staircases. You will find a lot of Italian culture, including Italian restaurants and cafes, parks, markets, museums, Visitation Church, coffee houses, boutiques, small bars and clubs, Montreal’s Italian Week takes place there and they also host an international blues festival.

8. Quartier Latin. Is home to universities, museums, boutiques, cinemas, cafes, fine restaurants, park squares and the famous St Jacques church tower.

9. Pole des Rapides. Located on the southwestern part of the island, it is yet another area where residents and tourists alike find refuge from the city. It is filled with cycling paths, picnic areas, bird sanctuaries, museums, water sports, canoeing and sailing along the many waterways and canals, cultural and historic sites, many cafes and restaurants.  

10. West Island. Is twenty minutes from downtown Montreal and is another oasis filled with water sports, an eco-museum, and art galleries. The historical site of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal shows its over 150 years of history in unique ways with passenger boats through the canal and waterways, it has many cafes and restaurants that line the canal and areas to picnic and relax.

They have an interesting charity event, this year on June 19^th, called the Duck Race with proceeds going to the Lakeshore General Hospital Foundation. They capture ducks, I would assume, and are then given numbers corresponding to the ticket numbers held by the entrants. The ducks are then released into the lock and the first one crossing the finish line wins. The price of entry only $10 and get this, this year’s first prize –full ownership of a 2001 Ferrari Maranello!! You have to wonder though, how much they make in tickets when they could just sell the Maranello!

11. East End. Has the two separate 18 hole golf courses located in the same location called the Club de Golf de l’lle de Montreal, regional and seasonal parks, wildlife observations, restaurants, smaller hotels and B&Bs. 

Did I mention sports? Montreal sports fans have a lot on their plate with the famous and beloved Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team that was founded in 1909 and has more NHL championships than any other team in history. They also have the Alouettes, a gridiron football team. Up to 2004 it had the first non-US baseball team in the Montreal Expos that started in 1969 before they became the Nationals in Washington, D.C., and of course the Canadian Grand Prix.

There are many ski slopes and areas for cross country skiing. Montreal is also a haven for cycling enthusiasts, even has a festival every June called The Montreal Bike Fest. Montreal is consistently named among the top cycling cities in the world.

Did I mention shopping? Montreal is world class in designer fashions and has a semi-annual Fashion Week that is covered by the fashion media. There is also the Montreal Fashion Mart located in the heart of the fashion district on Chabanel Street West that serves wholesalers, designers, manufacturers, importers, and others. Fashion boutiques and shopping districts line most neighborhood boroughs from Le Quartier du Musee, Sherbrooke Street from Guy to Montagne, Les Ailes de la Mode on St. Catherine, Saint-Laurent Street, among others and the always present shopping centers and malls.

There is also what is called the Underground City housing the Metro system that spans 15-18 miles of restaurants and boutiques through well lit tunnels. It is divided into four sections: Atwater Metro (Alexis Nihon), Place des Arts Metro (Place des Arts), McGill and Bonaventure Metro (McGill/Place Ville Marie) that has the most stores and restaurants, and Berri-Uqam Metro (UQAM). There is a chance you will never brave the elements of a cold winter day in Montreal as it links underground to most hotels, buildings, restaurants within its span. Not all is inside as there will be areas open, especially at some tunnel openings from the street, but the underground city is just that and will still provide a lot of coverage and the metro will take you anywhere you want to go if you rather not walk the whole thing, good exercise though! 

Canadian Wine Industry

Although Canada had a history of sorts for not producing the best wines in its early years, this has changed completely now, even for the Canadians that have preferred beer and high spirits over their own wine in the past. Canadians still like beer and spirits, but they are also becoming wine enthusiasts, and until recently that meant imported wines, now this is changing too. Thanks to the Canadian wine industry turning to marketing itself well and producing some very nice wine to drive the message home. Because of it cool climate, the wines produced all have distinctive character to their respective regions. And like most wine regions of the world, it is an art with a lot of science, which means that one bottle of the same wine by one producer, can be completely different from another. This makes things a bit difficult for those new to wine, as they could have a bad experience with a certain varietal and then label all this particular wine bad, never to be tried again. Because of this, the wine industry is making inroads in combating this with marketing wines through tastings, wine bars, restaurants, and other means to get the consumer to try their wines over the imports and it appears to be working as consumption is increasing year by year.

Because of governmental trade restrictions, Canada is a bit at a disadvantage to some other wine producing countries. Although the United States is among only a handful receiving wines from Canada, and even this has restrictions, most wine consumers in the United States have limited choices to mainly the larger mass produced wineries rather than the small and boutiques wines that can often be better and more unique. So, when given the opportunity to try Canadian wine, including their flagship Icewines, do so. However, do not let one bad wine discourage you from trying others and if you visit Canada, go to the wineries and taste for yourself, you will be glad you did. I personally think that there are several Canadian wineries that are diamonds in the rough, waiting to be made into that polished and rare gem.

VQA. Canadian wines have a quality standard designation, like other wine regions of the world. The Canadian version is the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA), and they alone issue the “VQA” stamp of approval on wines meeting their standards. A wine in order to qualify for the VQA must be made from the wine region’s grapes only and the grapes used must meet standards as well, wines must never be “watered down” and water is never permitted in wine processing, they must provide the vintage date and meet specified requirements for this, labeling on wine bottles must be specific and not misleading, including accuracy of alcohol content, among other guidelines. However, the VQA designation itself can be misleading, in my own opinion. As mentioned, most of the Canadian wine industry is located in British Columbia and Ontario, the VQA is currently government sanctioned only in these two regions. Therefore, the only wines that carry this stamp of approval are the wines of BC and Ontario so far. There are other wineries and regions of Canada that are deserving of this designation, but do not have it. The VQA can also designate icewines meeting their specific standards.

I pulled the VQA guidelines from the VQA Ontario website which is the VQA headquarters, please click the link if you want more information on these standards.

Quebec Wine Industry

Wine grapes have been around since Jacques Cartier first discovered what is now Quebec and Montreal itself. The first grapes he discovered were Vitis Riparia and in fact renamed the island for a time Isle of Bacchus. Despite the abundance of grapes, Quebec has only been producing wine for a short period of time of less than thirty years. There are over 50 wineries in Quebec, with new ones trying to start up. Quebec has seven wine regions producing a small quantity of wines per year commercially and almost all wineries of Quebec are small and family owned. There are production numbers averring 20,000-25,000 bottles per year from the small wineries and larger production coming from the few wineries that can produce an average of 80,000-90,000 bottles per year. Quebec has only an estimated 350 acres of vines and is not quite in competition with the other wine provinces of Canada. Instead, Quebec has its own unique corner of the market and that is in tasty cider and ice cider because of their production of apples and other fruits that have a unique taste as well. These are not your everyday ciders either; they carry a punch in alcohol content that tends to be a bit on the high side because of the sugars.  Besides the cider though, the Quebec province is also known for its late harvest wines, icewines, sparkling wines, and fortified wines. White wines produced are over 50%, while red wines are slightly over 20% because of Quebec’s rough and cold climate. Some grapes in this region tend to be hybrids, but you will also find Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, Muscat, Vidal (a leading grape in making Icewines), Saint- Pepin, Cabernet Franc, Saint-Criox, Gamay, among others.

Despite their limited production, number of wineries, lack of VQA designation, and being the new kids on the block in winemaking, Quebec has walked away with more than 300 wine awards and medals – this is impressive to say the least.

The wine regions of Quebec are:

1. Eastern Township (with 17 known wineries)
2. Centre-du Quebec (with 2 known wineries)
3. Quebec (with 10 known wineries)
4. Bas-St-Laurent (with 1 known winery)
5. Lanaudiere (with 6 known wineries)
6. Basses Laurentides (with 4 known wineries)
7. Monteregie (with 15 known wineries)

As I am writing about Montreal where the Canadian Grand Prix is, there are a lot of regions near this great city. However, the closest and the one that surrounds the city is Monteregie with its fifteen known wineries and all within an easy drive from Montreal. Below you will find the 15 wineries of Monteregie, a link to their websites are provided if they have one. In many cases, they do not have an English version, but I wanted to add them anyway, use Google translates or other translation tool and you will be set to go! Also, many of these wineries are also farms, so you will see other products such as maple syrup, preserves, vegetables, fruits, gourmet products, and other items for sale. Some even have dining and picnic facilities.

Monteregie Wineries:

1. Vignoble Artisans du Terroir.  In St-Paul-d’Abbotsford, which is south of Montreal by Mount Yamaska.

2. Vignoble Coteau St-Paul. Also in St-Paul-d’Abbotsford.

3. Vignoble Les Petits Cailloux. In St-Paul-d’Abbotsford as well.

4. Vignoble des Pins. In Sabrevois, could not locate a website.

5. Vignoble Le Royer St-Pierre. In Napierville.

6. Vignoble Morou. Also in Napierville

7. Vignoble les Murmures. In Saint-Jean Baptiste.

8. Vignoble du Marathonien. In Havelock. This winery is very close to the US border in far south Quebec.

9. Vignoble de Lavoie. In Rougemont.

10. Vignoble J.O. Montpetit & Fils. In St-Etienne de Beauharnois. 

11. Vignoble du Domaine Saint-Jacques. In Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur. 

12. Vignoble Domaine Bouchard-Champagne. In Saint-Basile-le-Grand. 

13. Vignoble Côte de Vaudreuil. In Vaudreuil-Dorion. 

14. Vignoble Clos Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu. 

15. Vignoble Clos Mont-Saint-Hilaire. In Mont-Saint-Hilaire. Could not find a website. 

There is also one known vineyard called Vignobles Saint-Remi, in Saint-Remi. I could not find a website.

The Food

What can I say about the dining choices in Montreal without going on for 10 pages? Well, I will provide an overview and some links for you to look through at your leisure, rather than take this task on for this article that is mainly an overview of all topics covered.

Please note, like in France, dinner is not always dinner like we know it in the United States. Traditionally Dinner (Diner in Quebec) is actually lunch and it is Supper (or Souper in Quebec) that is dinner. The main course/entrée as we know it is called Plat Principal with the Appetizer being called the Entrée. However, please keep in mind that if a restaurant caters predominately to non-resident and American and British Isle patrons, and this is in the majority, you will more than likely see and hear the terminology described the way we are accustomed. Also, restaurants are often referred to as Restos in Quebec.

The restaurants throughout Canada are among the best in the world with so many choices and cuisines it makes your head spin. Any type of cuisine will be found there and at most price ranges. As each region of Canada has its own cultures and nationalities that live there, it is possible to feel that you are in different parts of the world all under one roof, so to speak. As I will am writing about Montreal though, I will stay within the confines of this great city, but if you are into fine dining most Canadian restaurants from small shops and cafes serving their famous bagels and poutine to restaurants serving nine course pairings of the finest cuisine and wine, it is worth booking a flight today. Montreal is an estimated six hours or so from New York and about fours hours from Toronto (depending on how one drives). Montreal, like most of Quebec, has fairly strict no smoking laws in restaurants, cafes, bars, and most other inside establishments and office buildings.

As I cannot begin to mention all of the top restaurants in this article, I will provide direct links to a few that I think would be favorites for most foodies wanting higher end and traditional French dining experiences: Toque!, Chez L’Epicier, Europa, L’Eau à la Bouche, Aix Cuisine de Terrior, and Le Local.  There are also numerous bistros that are to die for as well. This article is mainly to wet your appetite and provide an overview, so I will reserve more extensive picks for a later time. I have provided a few websites for you instead, with some providing website links back to individual restaurants. You will find family style to gourmet restaurants throughout Montreal and its ethnic neighborhoods such as Little Italy, the Latin Quarter, Chinatown, and so on. Some websites state their “Apportez votre vin” policy mentioned above under the Wine section.

RestoMontreal. This will provide info on restaurants and have specifically linked to their “Apportez votre vin” page. You can also make reservations.

Question De Gout. This is very similar to the above website.

Tourisme Montréal. This has an extensive listing of restaurants with their websites to view menus and other information.

Montreal and Quebec Cuisine

The province of Quebec has so much diversity in its cuisine that it really is hard to state specific dishes that can clearly be called their own, but there are some that I will touch on below. In Montreal, you will find so many French dishes that you will think you are in France.  Then, depending on chef, cook, or culture you can have traditional French, fusion based French, bistro fare, Asian inspired French, and anything in between, and find some creative chefs putting their own spin on French cuisine.  

Quebec and Montreal’s traditional food staples are wild game and vegetables, trout, salmon, lobster, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and maple syrup. You will find a lot of smoked meat (especially pork) dishes. Maple syrup is used a lot on bacon, baked beans, candy, and even mixed with butter (Mrs. Butterworth is coming to mind!), also cider is used in some dishes.

Besides the ever present French cuisine, there are some favorite “comfort” foods in Montreal and Quebec (again, I am providing basics here and each and every dish will vary in region, chef, and culture):

Poutine. This is absolutely the favorite for quick comfort food and you will find poutine almost everywhere in several variations. Some places stay open 24/7 serving it. This dish is French Fries drenched in gravy (gravy can vary) then topped with cheese curds (a number of different cheeses can be used), and often meat.

Tourtiere: This is a flour crusted meat pie and has various versions per region in Quebec and in Canada as a whole. Its roots are from the British influence. In asking around, all I got were conflicting recipes on what was a uniquely Montreal’s version. The one that came up more than once was a version with beans, pork, cooked in maple syrup, then topped with a sweet and sour marmalade type topping. Other variations can include duck, potatoes, additions of onion and or cognac, and other ingredients. There are more elaborate versions served over the holidays in Montreal as well and there are deep dish versions, along with dense crust or flaky crust. Sometimes ketchup is served on top, like the meat pie I covered in my article in this series on Australia. Regardless of what version you have, these pies are really good!

NOTE: A lot of confusion could be that there is also a dish called Cipaille (aka: cipâtes and six-pâtes variations), that is also a flour crusted meat pie dish served in Montreal and Quebec. It tends to be heartier with multiple layers made with chicken, beef, pork, wild game, or mixed meats. It can have potatoes in it and/or other vegetables. Tourtiere and Cipaille can often be intertwined and called the other.

Smoked Meat Sandwich. This comes from the Jewish immigrates to Montreal and seems to have its roots where they settled in the Rue St-Laurent area. The meat used most often is brisket, and although this can be a tough meat generally speaking, it is brined and slow cooked until tender, then smoked for several days in various spices such as: mustard, celery seeds, garlic, salt, paprika, peppercorn, cumin, among others depending on recipe. This citywide favorite is at several delis (such as Schwartz’s, Snowdon, Lester’s, Myer Dunn, among others), and you will find them in some restaurants. You will even be given a choice of having it lean, fat, or half and half. Served like a good old pastrami sandwich, it is traditionally served on rye (or any bread will do) with mustard, and yes, most people take fries with it, along with a juicy pickle.

Pâté Chinois (Shepherd’s Pie). This is also a layered meat pie, but is different in many ways to the Cipaille and Tourtiere. It is layered with mashed potatoes, corn, and meat and is a very multicultural dish with roots in Ireland, Britain and France, with many claiming influences of the First Nations. It is a very hearty dish, while tasting incredibly light, if done right. Instead of flour baked on the top, like the other meat pies, mashed potatoes are layered on top then baked.

Bagels. Yes, bagels. Again, the Jewish community has had its influence. In Montreal, they tend to be a bit smaller, sweeter, and chewier than let’s say, a New York bagel.

Queues de Castor. This is a pastry that is deep fried and served with cinnamon or melted chocolate.

Tarte au sucre. Is a maple and sugar pie.

Cretons. This is a pork pate with allspice and parsley for most part, although there are liberties taken with the basic recipe. This is actually served frequently as a breakfast spread on toast, breads, rolls, or pastries with jam or mustard.

Pate is also great as an appetizer or snack. In Montreal you will see the same varieties you will find in France. Canada also has wonderful artisan cheese to choose from.

Below please find a video play list about Montreal, cuisine, culture, food, and wine that I pulled together from YouTube: 

Cheers then Enjoy!

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