Thinks happen

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

How to buy a bottle of wine in Quebec.

It is important to know what to look for. The name of the liquor stores in Quebec is SAQ. That stands for Societe Alcohol Quebec. There are no other liquor stores in Quebec, only government-operated stores.

The signs are in French. The prices are in French. The clerks are in French.

But the most confusing element is trying to catch the SAQ open. The sign on the door tells me “du lundi au mercredi de10h00 a 19h00, jeudi et vendredi de 10h00 a 21h00, samedi de 9h30 a 18H00, Dimanche de 10h00 a 17h00”

Well, not only are the store hours posted in French, the times are based on the 24 hour clock. And there is no English version in smaller letters just below as is allowed but certainly not required.

Roughly, except for Jeudi and Vendredi, you have to get your wine before 19h00 or 7 o’clock.

There are no other liquor stores except these Province operated stores but grocery stores and convenience stores are allowed to carry limited stocks of beer and wine.

But in the long grocery store aisles devoted to spirits, the choice is limited to what is termed Country Wine or Table Wine. There are no “Vintage” wines or dated wines. All of the grocery store wines are blends and batches so common they are not identified by year. Here you can find the wines that come in sealed 3 Liter bags with the convenient dispenser spout.

But the grocery stores in Quebec commonly close at very early hours. Some close as early as 6 o’clock. There is one large chain store in St. Sauveur that closes at nine on weekdays. Earlier on week ends.

I probably couldn’t afford a “Vintage” wine anyway. I’ll never know. The signs are all in French.