TOMATO WINE GOES INTERNATIONAL

YES, THAT’S RIGHT: tomato wine. Against all odds, vino made from tomatoes is making it big. A small wine producer near Quebec City is planning to expand production of his one-of-a-kind wine recipe that is made with tomatoes. After four years of production, Pascal Miche, the president of Domaine de la Vallée Bras, says he sells thousands of bottles in 22 different counties, and now cannot keep up with demand. Miche’s tomato wine was first created 1938 by his great-grandfather in Belgium. After moving to Quebec 15 years ago, Miche says he adapted his recipe using a blend of heirloom tomatoes from the Baie-St-Paul region. After 1O years of research, he created a clear, organic wine with 16 percent alcohol, and describes it as a surprising taste. “Does a wine made from grapes taste like grapes? Most people would tell me no. For the tomato, it’s the same,” said Miche. His wife, Lucie Hotte, says getting this far hasn’t been easy, as the they had to convince Quebec’s liquor board that the wine was following the regulations for what are considered approved ingredients. “You have to know that you can’t produce wine from vegetables, so it has to be a fruit. So it took us 1O years to make them understand that [tomato] was a fruit,” she said. Now that the beverage has gained popularity, Miche says he plans to apply for an industrial license to expand production.