Out Exploring

When you work as a writer, editor or journalist, the job pushes you to explore new places and meet people from all walks of life. This week, I made new acquaintances and crossed paths with people from entirely different worlds.

Rediscovering the story of my favourite champagne

Early in the week, I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Morgane Renaud, Business Manager International Americas at Bollinger. Having written about this champagne on Gentologie on several occasions, I wanted to deepen my knowledge of the house in order to share even more with you, which I will do over the coming weeks. The conversation showed that the brand, one of the rare independent champagne houses, continues to evolve and grow around the globe.

For the love of music

At the launch of the International Bach Festival Montréal, held at the Vogue Hôtel Montréal, a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, I had the chance to speak with Christophe Plantiveau, the Festival’s General Manager, Finance and Operations. He told me about the challenges he faces and about his passion for music and for Montréal, which led him to leave Toronto for Quebec’s metropolis a few years ago.

Travelling the world in a weekend

As I mentioned in the newsletter « The Discovery by Gentologie — Weekend Edition » last week, in the “9 questions, 1 gentleman” section with Jean-Michel Dufaux, spokesperson for the International Travel and Tourism Fair , the event is taking place at the Palais des congrès de Montréal this weekend (October 30 to November 1). I was there on Friday and met passionate people (representing Emilia-Romagna in Italy, Tunisia and Louisiana) who will certainly open a few doors for us to visit destinations in every corner of the world over the coming months, and I will tell you about them at greater length.

Savouring Québec’s exceptional terroir

On a more personal note, since it was my birthday, I was lucky enough to be invited to share a meal at the renowned restaurant Toqué. The place lives up to its reputation. The service and the food are both exceptional, not to mention the wines, which are at times bold pairings, but always expertly considered and very well executed. If you haven’t yet had the chance, I hope you will one day find yourself at the magisterial table of the restaurant of the legendary Normand Laprise.

This column is a little shorter this week, as it is my birthday weekend, as I mentioned above, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint my guest (my mother). I’ll be back with more comprehensive content next week.