Québec Winemaker Stéphane Lamarre
By John Lee
Published Sep 18, 2018
4 min read
When Stéphane Lamarre bought an orchard in the historic Québec village of Dunham in 2006, he was on the way to realizing a dream he’d had since childhood. Fast-forward more than a decade and the old farm has since been transformed into a family-run vineyard, winery and cider-making operation.
Although the past 12 years have been a steep learning curve – for both Stéphane and his business-partner wife Anik – Château de Cartes is now a popular destination for visitors exploring the province’s bucolic Eastern Townships. And with 14 small-batch wines and ciders on their menu, production has also expanded to a very tasty 20,000 bottles a year.
Despite his busy schedule, we sat Stéphane down for a chat about Château de Cartes.
Stéphane Lamarre: Wine has been part of my dreams for as long as I can remember. But my first contact with alcohol was around the age of 14 when I noticed my grandfather was fermenting beets to make vodka. It tasted horrible – but it was also cool enough to give me the will to learn more. Since then, I’ve never stopped learning.
Stéphane Lamarre: To me the name Château de Cartes means that you must be really attentive to your cards to build a great château. Everyone knows how to make a house of cards but growing grapes in Québec is not an easy game – it’s one card at a time!
Stéphane Lamarre: Farming was the biggest challenge for me. I am a wine technician so pumps, hoses and tanks were easy but handling a tractor, hedge pruner or digging holes was another story. But I made my way through it and I’ve never looked back!
Stéphane Lamarre: It seems to work perfectly. Apples are easy to grow and there are no bad years with this crop. But growing grapes in Dunham is another story. So our cider is like an insurance policy – if there’s a bad grape year, there will still be cider to make us a living.
Stéphane Lamarre: We produce a wide variety of wines and ciders but our Vin Gris [a pearl-pink rosé inspired by the wines of southern France] goes like a rocket. I can certainly say that 100% of our clients love it – and they keep asking for more every year.
Stéphane Lamarre: Yes, our St-Pépin [a Burgundy-style dry white] is my favorite at the moment. It’s one of the harder wines to make but the result suits my personal taste very nicely – it’s crisp, buttery and fresh.
Stéphane Lamarre: My wife Anik takes care of most of the administrative issues. She’s an HR specialist – exactly what I am not! – so this is the perfect combination. Visitors might also bump into our daughter Aurélie here. We are hoping she will be interested in taking over one day but if she wants to do something different, that will be fine as well – it was my dream after all.
Stéphane Lamarre: I think they like the close contact with the winemaker as well as the ambiance of a family farm. We also sell a wide array of produce here. And I think the terrace and wood oven pizza helps, too!
Stéphane Lamarre: We are actually working through some growing pains at the moment. Expecting 30% more business year after year is challenging but so far it has worked out well. Looking back, I think my dream was smaller than where we are now – and Château de Cartes is better than I dreamed it would be!
Ask your Fresh Tracks Canada Vacation Advisor about adding a visit to the Château de Cartes on your next adventure to Québec.
Find out more about Château de Cartes by visiting their site.
What favourite winery experiences have you had in Canada? Share your memories, photos and videos via Facebook, or Twitter or tag us on Instagram.
Useful Links
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© 2025 Fresh Tracks Canada
When Stéphane Lamarre bought an orchard in the historic Québec village of Dunham in 2006, he was on the way to realizing a dream he’d had since childhood. Fast-forward more than a decade and the old farm has since been transformed into a family-run vineyard, winery and cider-making operation.
Although the past 12 years have been a steep learning curve – for both Stéphane and his business-partner wife Anik – Château de Cartes is now a popular destination for visitors exploring the province’s bucolic Eastern Townships. And with 14 small-batch wines and ciders on their menu, production has also expanded to a very tasty 20,000 bottles a year.
Despite his busy schedule, we sat Stéphane down for a chat about Château de Cartes.
Stéphane Lamarre: Wine has been part of my dreams for as long as I can remember. But my first contact with alcohol was around the age of 14 when I noticed my grandfather was fermenting beets to make vodka. It tasted horrible – but it was also cool enough to give me the will to learn more. Since then, I’ve never stopped learning.
Stéphane Lamarre: To me the name Château de Cartes means that you must be really attentive to your cards to build a great château. Everyone knows how to make a house of cards but growing grapes in Québec is not an easy game – it’s one card at a time!
Stéphane Lamarre: Farming was the biggest challenge for me. I am a wine technician so pumps, hoses and tanks were easy but handling a tractor, hedge pruner or digging holes was another story. But I made my way through it and I’ve never looked back!
Stéphane Lamarre: It seems to work perfectly. Apples are easy to grow and there are no bad years with this crop. But growing grapes in Dunham is another story. So our cider is like an insurance policy – if there’s a bad grape year, there will still be cider to make us a living.
Stéphane Lamarre: We produce a wide variety of wines and ciders but our Vin Gris [a pearl-pink rosé inspired by the wines of southern France] goes like a rocket. I can certainly say that 100% of our clients love it – and they keep asking for more every year.
Stéphane Lamarre: Yes, our St-Pépin [a Burgundy-style dry white] is my favorite at the moment. It’s one of the harder wines to make but the result suits my personal taste very nicely – it’s crisp, buttery and fresh.
Stéphane Lamarre: My wife Anik takes care of most of the administrative issues. She’s an HR specialist – exactly what I am not! – so this is the perfect combination. Visitors might also bump into our daughter Aurélie here. We are hoping she will be interested in taking over one day but if she wants to do something different, that will be fine as well – it was my dream after all.
Stéphane Lamarre: I think they like the close contact with the winemaker as well as the ambiance of a family farm. We also sell a wide array of produce here. And I think the terrace and wood oven pizza helps, too!
Stéphane Lamarre: We are actually working through some growing pains at the moment. Expecting 30% more business year after year is challenging but so far it has worked out well. Looking back, I think my dream was smaller than where we are now – and Château de Cartes is better than I dreamed it would be!
Ask your Fresh Tracks Canada Vacation Advisor about adding a visit to the Château de Cartes on your next adventure to Québec.
Find out more about Château de Cartes by visiting their site.
What favourite winery experiences have you had in Canada? Share your memories, photos and videos via Facebook, or Twitter or tag us on Instagram.
Useful Links
Train Trip FinderWhere to go in CanadaJourneys Across CanadaCanadian Rockies and West CoastEastern Canada and The MaritimesCanadian North and ArcticSummer Train TripsWinter Train TripsFall Color Train TripsTours for SeniorsRoad Trips and Self DrivesFamily AdventuresVacations for Active SeniorsHistory and Culture TripsWildlife Viewing TripsExplore Canada
The Canadian TrainTrain Across CanadaCanadian Sleeper TrainLuxury Trains Across CanadaVIA Rail VacationsRocky Mountaineer Train ToursCanadian Rockies Train ToursTrain Tours for SeniorsCanadian Pacific RailwayBest Train Trips in CanadaNational Park Train ToursTrain Tours from VancouverCanadian Snow TrainAlaska Cruise and Train ToursCanadian East Coast Train ToursCanadian West Coast Train ToursPopular Train Trips
Vancouver to Toronto Train JourneyAcross Canada by TrainComplete Canadian Rockies by TrainCanadian Cross-Country JourneyClassic Eastern Canada by TrainTrans Canada Rainforest RouteCanadian Rockies Voyage by TrainCanada Coast to Coast by TrainRockies Winter Wonderland by TrainDiscover Whistler and the Canadian Rockies by TrainMontreal and Quebec City Getaway by TrainCanadian Cross-Country Journey in WinterLords of the Wilderness Bear ViewingTrans Canada by Train in WinterEssential Rockies with Alaska CruiseCanadian Train Vacations
© 2025 Fresh Tracks Canada
