Its spacious interior is filled with organic, biodynamic, and low-intervention wines and ciders, some local and some imported. Music from a deck-side public piano enlivened the streets as we walked to dinner at Réserve Naturelle Caviste, a wine shop combined with a counter-service restaurant. I picked up some thinly sliced coppa and lonza from organic producer Les Viandes Bio de Charlevoix, along with a slab of rabbit terrine with blueberries from another Québec producer. The charcuterie selection was formidable, with numerous varieties of saucisson sec, foie gras, mousse and pâté, many from Québec and some imported. Many of the prices seemed comparable to or lower than those of similar-quality items in Vermont, even before the conversion rate.
Matchbook winery full#
We left the park in time to check out La Rumeur Affamée, a well-established gourmet market in downtown Sutton that was full of culinary delights: fir-infused honey baked goods fish from Québec high-quality, frozen meals made in-house local wines and ciders and artisanal pies and quiches, some of which were made with lard. We drove a couple of miles to Parc d'environnement naturel de Sutton, where we hiked to a small waterfall and lounged in the shaded waters, grateful for the right and means to travel and experience this respite from the quotidian.
Next, we popped into an art opening at Galerie Art Plus, housed in a converted church. The artist working the counter said the gallery's name means "harebrained" and encouraged Simone to take home a complimentary branded matchbook "for your daughter." It seemed like a strange suggestion for a child until we realized that the inside of the matchbook contained not matches but tiny slips of paper for drawing or taking notes. At farfelu, an artists' cooperative and gallery, I bought pretty hand-poured concrete coasters and a candleholder for a song. More impressive was Simone's chilled cucumber soup, puréed with yogurt and topped with cherry tomatoes and chopped basil.įeeling an openness and heightened curiosity in this new environment, we continued to explore the town's offerings. My lightly smoked mackerel rillettes came with a sesame bagel and a pickle spear, making for an enjoyable lunch, if an unexceptionally presented one. Iced nettle and lemon balm tea helped us keep the heat in check.
Matchbook winery free#
On Thursday evenings, Mollies offers barbecue and hosts a jazz musician as part of Sutton Jazz, which holds free concerts into September. The dog-friendly, shaded terrace was busy, and service was quick. We walked from the market to Sutton's happening main drag, where no businesses appeared to be vacant, and found a table for lunch at Mollies. I wished I'd brought a cooler to take home a few handfuls of chanterelles. I bought locally harvested sweetgrass that had been braided into a doll shape, and fleur de sel with crushed calendula. For other Americans feeling that financial vigilance, an upside of visiting Canada is that our dollar is strong, with the Canadian dollar at about 80 American cents.įood vendors, furniture makers, booksellers and artisans made our visit to the Sutton market memorable. Walking through Sutton's lively Saturday market on a hot August morning, I noticed how my own habits have changed: I go out less frequently and buy less. "It's still a lot of people, but these have been years that habits have changed a lot," she said. She said neighboring shop owners agree that this year's sales numbers are on the low end, compared with pre-pandemic figures.
While the number of Americans driving into Canada has increased tenfold from 2021, according to Statistics Canada, it's only reached about half the level of 2019, according to Reuters - and that includes daytrips.Īdèle Prud'homme, who co-owns the new restaurant and wine shop Réserve Naturelle Caviste in Sutton, said most of her customers are from Québec, though she's seen a few folks from across the border. Yet the relaxation of border restrictions since the early pandemic hasn't resulted in an influx of tourists heading north. Perhaps I'm just neighborly, but going abroad tends to make me appreciate both my native country and the one I'm exploring - bonus when it's less than an hour's drive from my home. A dual citizen, Simone recently agreed to accompany me on an international excursion with much lower stakes: a food-centered daytrip to Sutton, a bustling small town near the border in Québec's Eastern Townships. My friend Simone, who now lives in Vermont, was a baby when her parents immigrated to British Columbia in the 1980s as political dissidents. Sometimes people cross borders for freedom.