Djeneba Dosso

LJI Reporter

Champagne, wines, ciders, beers, spirits or even tea; Soif’s tasting event had a little bit of whatever one’s heart desires. The fifth edition of the Salon des Assoiffés gathered brewers, vintners and distillers from far and near at the Canevas Space on July 6. Equipped with a complimentary wine glass in hand, event goers were able to try over 300 products from 50 different producers and importers with the purchase of tickets ranging from $75 to $95. The event, which only featured winemakers and agencies who partner with Soif, offered the opportunity to taste their products and order them to drink at home. 

This year saw the biggest turnout thus far, with over 700 people and producers in attendance. Among those partners was Selection Caviste, a wine agency based in Laval that focuses on French and Italian wines. Philippe Pearsall-Vézina, their sales development manager, was approached to participate in the Salon back in October. 

“We said ‘why not!’ Ottawa and Gatineau is a super nice market, we get to speak to people from both places which is great,” he said.

For him and many of the producers and importers present on Saturday, events like these are not about making sales, but instead, networking. 

“It’s a nice clientele, there’s a lot of people here,” he said, “however, we do it more for the name, we don’t come here expecting to do a bunch of sales. If we can meet a couple of restaurants and private clients, why not, it’s great, but we come here to put our names out there and show our wines.”

A new addition was made this year with the intention of making the tasting easy and stress-free for each attendee. This was done through the creation of an app called “Le Salon des Assoiffés”, available on the App store, which doubled as a guide for those who may not know much about wines. On the app, event goers can find a list of all the vendors present, along with descriptions of each of their products and their social media and websites. 

Attendees were advised to eat beforehand and drink cautiously as food was not sold on site. However, fresh oysters from Prince Edward Island were available for the price of $20 for six. 

Pearsall-Vézina, who attended the event for the first time this year, says that besides the long hours standing, his experience exceeded his expectations, adding; “If they’ll have us, you can expect us to be back next year.” 

Photo caption

Photo #1: Local wine bar Soif hosted the fifth edition of their tasting event, Le Salon des Assoiffés, at Cavenas Space on July 6. The event, which saw a turnout of around 700 people, was a chance for brewers, vintners and distillers from across Quebec to share their products with Gatineau residents. (DD) Photo: Courtesy of Soif Bar à Vin