I have great respect for entrepreneurs who have the courage and persistence to innovate.
And that’s exactly what Orpailleur staff did 40 years ago when they opened a winery in Dunham to tourists.
“We were considered original when we said at the Department of Tourism that we wanted to attract city dwellers to Dunham. It seemed like a lost corner at the time and there was a lot of skepticism,” recalls Charles-Henri de Coussergues, who immigrated from France to experience the winemaking profession with more freedom than his father.
In Provence, the latter sold his production to dealers who did not take into account the improvements made. It was hard work, done without recognition. Young Charles-Henri would invent another way and sell directly to consumers to introduce them to the world of wine!
Grape vines facing the cold
The first task was to grow vines in Québec, which the colonists and monks had already tried in vain to do. The Orpailleurs first attempts in 1983: cutting the vines very close to the ground and burying them to protect them from the cold. A successful attempt, the plantations were expanded to yield a first harvest in 1985. There was no way to sell wine to the SAQ or to restaurants as it was forbidden by law. Mr. de Coussergues and his staff set up a small garage in mid-December and invited people to the tasting and against all odds they came in such numbers that help was needed to welcome them.
Even if it hasn’t stopped since then, don’t think the path has been easy. It took ten years to convince legislators to change the spirits law and get permission to sell wine outside the estate, so it was quite difficult financially in the early years. But that’s not all ! Remember what we thought of Quebec wines in the beginning…
“In the 1980s, restaurateurs considered it to be on call. Nobody believed it! the winemaker remembers.
Restaurant after restaurant, grocery by grocery, l’Orpailleur has the skeptics confused. And today about 150 winemakers are working in Quebec to build a wine culture. The demand for products is currently greater than the supply because everything has improved and Quebecers have discovered wines they like from here, at great value for money.
tough competition
Charles-Henri de Coussergues never viewed Quebec winemakers as his competitors. Active in their association, he reminds us that the participants are from other countries, not ours. With his employees, two Quebecers and one Frenchman, he has done a lot to impart know-how on Québec soil.
L’Orpailleur, a name coined by Gilles Vigneault in reference to the gold miners who lived in this part of the country, sees a bright future for Quebec winemaking. He has just bought the neighboring Union Libre winery, which has a different terroir. Two daughters of Charles-Henri de Coussergues joined him in this adventure. Celebrating 40 years of “marriage” with your employees and knowing that a successor is on the way is a pleasure. But be careful, there is no pension for the father! “My wish is to die in my vines! »
The gold digger
founding year
founder
- Hervé Durand, Charles-Henri de Coussergues, Frank Furtado, and Pierre Rodrigue
place of the headquarters
activity area
- Agritourism, Vineyard
number of employees
Profile of Charles-Henri de Coussergues
- Work : co-owner
- Age : 62 years old
