Cost of Purchasing Wine in Quebec City / Canada

[SueOverend]

Hi, do any Canadian residents know how much we should expect to pay for a few bottles of Sauvignon Blanc in Quebec City to take on the Eurodam in October. I've done a search for wine stores and can't seem to find anything with on line pricing. We're from the UK and have no idea what to expect, but would certainly not like to carry it all the way from home. Thanks. Sue

[Twickenham]

http://www.saq.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/GeneralContentView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&page=%2fnh%2fHome

 

The official site of the SAQ, the provincial liquor stores. Grocery and convenience stores will also sell wine, but this at least gives you an idea of pricing.

[Ephraim]

According to the government website at SAQ.COM the CHEAPEST bottle of 750ml Sauvignon Blanc is a bottle of Sauvignon blanc Astica Trapiche Cuyo 2007 for CAD$8.20, which is Argentinian. Expect to pay somewhere between CAD$12 to CAD$18 for a nice botle of French Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Try this list to see the Sauvignon Blancs from France that are available from the SAQ.

 

Quebec has the largest inventory of French wine available in North America. Unforunately alcohol is highly taxed in Canada. All wine in the province is either sold by the SAQ (the provincial liquour commission) or corner stores. Those bottles sold in corner stores (we call them deps, short for depanneur) cannot identify the grape and are therefore always a "vin de cepage" or varietal wine if you prefer.

[Sandyrella]

As a fan of Sauvignon Blanc and also a resident of Quebec, I am a big fan of the California wines. Here is what I recommend from the SAQ depending on your budget....

 

Gallo - approx. $10.00

Woodbridge - approx $14.00

Kim Crawford - approx $30.00

 

Monkey Bay from New Zealand is also very good at about $16.00

 

You can't go wrong with a good Australian Sauvignon Blanc but the prices start at about $16.00.

 

As Ephraim mentioned, we are taxed very heavily on alcohol.

 

I have tried the Astica and even tho the price is good, I personally would not buy it again. I would go up a few $$ to the Gallo for a much more refreshing drink....JMHO :)

 

Have a great cruise!

[SueOverend]

Thanks guys. Really useful info and recommendations.

 

How much are the taxes on the wine? Sue

[Sandyrella]

It's all included in the price so I'm not really sure but the prices that I gave you include the tax. You may not find the prices to be so bad since your Euro is worth just about 2 to our 1 :p

[TULIP9]

Is it possible to get 3 litre boxes of wine in Quebec City? What are costs like? Is there a shop or store for wine near Quay for cruise ships?

[Ephraim]

Wine in Quebec is available through either the government agency (SAQ) or the local convenience stores (Depanneaurs, called deps in English vernacular). The main difference is that deps are only allowed to sell varietal wines ("vin de cepage") which don't identify the grape or region. They start from about CAD30 a box and go quickly up toward the CAD40 range.

 

If you go to http://www.saq.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/AdvancedSearchView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001 you can choose "meal wine" under Category and Subcategory and then choose the size. Most boxes are actually 4 litres in Quebec, but you can choose the 2 to 3.9 liter if you please. You can then click on price to sort by price if you want to see them from least expensive. On the right hand side it will tell you if it's SAQ only or if it's availale at deps and some supermarkets. Prices for alcohol include all applicable taxes in Quebec.

 

Many of the wines have detail cards that include information from the tasters including suggested pairings, temperature for serving and other important information.

[TULIP9]

Thanks Ephraim for info ,seems I should have no problem in purchase of box wine prior to our cruise in September. Looking forward to seeing Quebec.

[Ephraim]

In spite of the high price of alcohol in Quebec, I think we are per capita the second largest consumers of French wine. Joie de vivre!