The holiday season comes with countless festive dinner invitations. And when you’re being hosted by family and friends, you need a hostess gift! Follow our guide to be the just perfect guest at all of your holiday celebrations.

Body care

You know your hosts will be giving you the royal treatment, so why not spoil them too with some just perfect body care products?

Soins Corporels l’Herbier offers all-natural and eco-friendly handmade products that are sure to delight. Their wide selection includes sumptuous soaps, creams, lotions, bath bombs, aromatic candles and more—what better excuse for some “me” time? Visit their boutique in Mont-Saint-Grégoire or order your favourite products online.

Alpaca wool products

It’s easy to see why alpaca wool products are so well loved! Soft, eco-friendly and above all unique, your hosts will be wild about them.

The handmade products from Alpagas du Domaine Poissant in Mont-Saint-Hilaire are especially irresistible. We’re big fans of their felted soaps (French only), made from 100% alpaca fibres. Not only is this a two-in-one product (combining soap and washcloth), the fibres also gently exfoliate your skin. And one bar lasts two to three times longer than regular soap. We’re into it!

Their dryer balls (French only) made from alpaca fibres are also a must for your holiday shopping list. Meant to replace traditional dryer sheets, dryer balls are a hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly way to reduce drying time and static electricity (containing no chemicals or dyes). Just throw them in the dryer and you’re all set!

Local alcoholic beverages

Home to both Montérégie’s Wine Route and the Cider Route, the region is overflowing with exceptional alcoholic beverages created by innovative and passionate artisans. We’ve taken note!

Wines and ciders

  • Domaine St-Jacques: Thanks to a unique microclimate comparable to the terroirs of Burgundy and New Zealand, Domaine St-Jacques produces a wide variety of high-quality wines. We’ll mention their two delectable ice wines: a red and a white. You’ll certainly pique your host’s curiosity!
  • Les Artisans du Terroir: In addition to their reds, whites and rosés, Les Artisans du Terroir offers a selection of speciality wines, including a chocolate winter wine and their 36 frissons de pommes cider. Discoveries to share!
  • Domaine Cartier-Potelle: With over 15,000 vine plants and 14,000 apple trees, this vineyard and orchard produces a lovely selection of wines and ciders each year. We love Le Fortifié, a fortified cider aged in French oak barrels for over 24 months.
  • Vignoble et Cidrerie Coteau Rougemont: The producers behind this company have surprises in store with their original products. In addition to red and white wine, they produce ice wine and ciders as well. Their products include fruity beverages like a sparkling raspberry rosé and ice perry.
  • Cidrerie Michel Jodoin: We don’t need to tell you how great Michel Jodoin ciders are. Want to make an impression? Check out their apple vermouth and apple brandy. And if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic beverage, their apple juices come in a variety of unique flavours (litchi, pear, ginger, rosé, etc.) that your hosts will love.
  • Vergers Écologiques Philion: The team behind this orchard boasting panoramic views of the countryside have concocted two alcoholic beverages to treat your hosts: the Friga ice cider and Gaia ice perry. To be shared with good company!
  • Cidrerie et Distillerie C.E. Petch: Among the many ciders offered by Cidrerie et Distillerie C.E. Petch, the Illicit Moonshine in particular has caught our attention. It’s an apple pie-flavoured beverage that will turn heads at your next Christmas dinner.
  • Vignoble Coteau des Artisans: A new player on the Québec winemaking scene that opened just last summer, the Coteau des Artisans vineyard ages its wine in sandstone and clay amphoras—a first in Québec! The winery’s boutique sells lovely gift sets that are perfect for hostess gifts, which include bottles of wine of the latest vintage, wine glasses, serving platters, wine bags and more. One-stop shopping!

Beer

Your host is a beer drinker? Let them discover some new brews with a selection you put together yourself. Microbreweries have been all the rage for awhile, and Montérégie’s local brewers are no exception.

Honey wine and mead

Sweet tooth? Discover the products of Miel Nature, including a selection of honey wines and meads. The Impérial, a honey wine fortified with Canadian whisky, and the Miel Érable are especially intriguing.

Gift baskets

Gift baskets are perfect if you’re being hosted by the foodie in your family or you’ve been invited to contribute to a potluck. Here are a few great spots to shop for delicious local products:

  • La Cabosse d’Or, Otterburn Park: You’ll find a selection of some 100 Belgian chocolates (including more than 50 made by hand), cakes, pastries, candies, and more. Yum!
  • La Petite Grange, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield: Discover a wide selection of chocolates, cheeses, charcuteries, wines and ciders as well as the candy wall. This spot even makes its own gift baskets.
  • Ferme Guyon, Chambly: At this farmer’s market you’ll find a cheese shop, bakery, butcher, florist and grocery store selling gourmet local products. Plenty to get inspired by!
  • 1555 Marché public, Saint-Hyacinthe: A treasure trove of gourmet vendors including a cheese shop, sausage shop, fish shop, butcher, bakery and pastry shop.
  • To shop for sea buckthorn products: Ferme Les Petites Écores, Pointe-Fortune (also honey) and Argouseraie Quénébro, Roxton Pond (40 sea buckthorn food products)
  • Fromagerie Au Gré des Champs, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu: This cheese dairy specializes in certified organic artisanal raw milk cheeses. Named Producer of the Year at the Les Lauriers de la gastronomie québécoise 2019 gala.
  • Fromagerie Ruban Bleu, Mercier: Cheese dairy that specializes in goat cheese. In addition to their cheeses, you can shop for a variety of local products at the boutique.
  • La Ferme d’Alex/B’œuf & Cie, Marieville: In addition to local meat and eggs raised right on the farm, La Ferme d’Alex sells cheese, wine, cider and craft beer.
  • Les Trouvailles Gourmandes du Canton, Roxton Falls: Specializing in lamb products, this farm offers terrines, cretons and smoked meat as well as all of the typical cuts.
  • La Rabouillère, Saint-Valérien-de-Milton: La Rabouillère’s boutique is jam-packed with the farm’s own products: terrines, headcheese, rillettes, liver mousse, pickled vegetables, jellies, caramels—you won’t be short on options!
  • Au Gîte des Oies, Roxton Falls: This goose farm’s rillettes and liver mousse are worth the trip.

Gift cards

Short on time or don’t know your host very well? A gift card is always a solid choice. A few classic ideas to make them smile:

Mia - Tourist Agent

Tourisme Montérégie