Everywhere I go, I love to collect tourism brochures. Last Friday evening I was looking for a place to visit and I was going through my box, dedicated to activities in Quebec. I found a brochure about this place. After a search online, we decided to visit it the next day! We decided to combine a visit to the winery with wine tasting, a visit to a super nice antique tractor museum (ideal for tractor fans) and do a 4.5km hike (one way) which starts from the vineyards.
Address: Vignoble Saint-Gabriel, 2190 rang St-David, St-Gabriel-de-Brandon, J0K 2N0, QC
Region: Lanaudiere
Drive: about 1h25 north east from Montreal
Opening time: May to December (check website for exact dates and hours)
Free parking
Hike is suitable for all terrain stroller, few parts can be a bit tough; first km was very muddy and last km had high vegetation.
Saint-Gabriel winery is located near Lake Maskinongé in the Lanaudiere region. It was built in the recent years and it offers organic wine which is aged in French Oak barrels. The place is offering wine tasting (Price for July 2018), $5 for 7 wine tasting included the wine glass. it features lots of grass to run around and walk near the vineyards. The staff was super friendly and we received a detailed explanation about the type of grapes they grow and why it fits best to the weather.
There is a nice boutique in the main building which offers lavender products. The lavender field has been recently replaced by grape harvest due to winter frost a few years ago. They still use dried lavender from previous years for current production.
Once we finished the tasting, we visited the two barns nearby dedicated to antique tractors (120 tractors), year ranging from the 30’s to the 50’s.
I will start from the end. The walk is 4.5 km one way. We completed the walk at Saint-Didace. My husband and a friend decided to walk the way back (4.5km) to reach the car (at Saint-Gabriel winery) in order to pick us up. With young kids, 9km walk was just too much, with the heat and the mosquitoes.
Once you visit the second barn with the tractor museum, you will reach the entry point of the trail. See map on the image below (or on the link above). The trail is easy, possible with an all-terrain stroller but can be tricky, see comment above.
The trail was marked well on the way with blue/pink ribbons hanging from the trees so it was easy to follow. There are different stations along the way with signs about different subjects and an indication of the km walked.
Only towards the last km, the forest is opening to lots of high grass and flowers (depending on the season) with a nice view of the surrounding hills and church.
Waiting for daddy to pick us up! 🙂
If you are in the area, consider visiting Les Jardins du Grand-Potage which is located about 10km from the winery. The staff at the winery highly recommend this garden. It is on our to-do list…..Website: Les Jardins du Grand-Potage. The garden is open from July 7th to August 26th (2018).
Quebec Family Hikes 