June 2026 Wine Club
Warmer Days and Wine Friends From Across The border
I don’t have to tell you that summer hits different in Vermont, and it’s finally here! We earned these longer days and warmer nights, like a pension after a hard winter. This is our reward for living here and we plan to take full advantage. When you’re not trolling the farmers market for another bouquet of flowers you may or may not need, or reacquainting yourself with every sunlit patio in town might I recommend enjoying some very special wines from our friends across the border?
June's club comes from Lieux Communs, a natural winery just over the border in Montréal, run by a friend whose work we've been not so quietly obsessed with for a while. They'll actually be here in person on June 27th — wine club members get exclusive access from 4:00–5:30 PM for a private in-store tasting, then it opens to the public for the rest of the evening. More on that below. For now, let's talk about what's in your bottles.
1) LIEUX COMMUNS THÈME 2023, BEAMSVILLE, ONTARIO
WINE: RED // GRAPES: GAMAY // CLUB: VIN DE SOIF & CORK DORK
About the Producer: Lieux Communs is an urban winery operating out of a former textile factory at Marché Central in Montréal, sommeliers turned farmers, working with cold-climate hybrid varieties that the wine world largely ignored until producers like them started taking them seriously. They grow their own vines in Oka using regenerative principles and source from small farms across Québec and Ontario, fermenting with native yeasts and minimal intervention. The name itself is a joke at their own expense: lieux communs means "commonplace" in French, a nod to the grapes nobody wanted. Except for us, of course.
About the Wine: Their first-ever Gamay is a statement. Half carbonic maceration, half whole-cluster fermentation, aged nine months in large neutral barrels, this is a precise, peppery red with the energy of that first 80 degree day. Cherry fruit and spice on the nose, a juicy mid-palate, and a finish that keeps going. Chill it slightly, open it outside, share it with someone.
2) LIEUX COMMUNS RIVES 2023, LANORAIE, QUÉBEC
WINE: ROSÉ // GRAPES: FRONTENAC GRIS // CLUB: VIN DE SOIF & CORK DORK
About the Wine: Made from Frontenac Gris (a cold-climate hybrid you won't find in most cellars) this is a skin-contact rosé with half a day of cold maceration, then fermented and aged in oak. The result is something between a rosé and an orange wine, yes you read that right. It's savory and surprising and completely summer-approved. If you haven’t dusted off the grill yet, now might be the time.
3) LIEUX COMMUNS SAINT-EUGÈNE BLANC 2024, SAINT-EUGÈNE-DE-GRANTHAM, QUÉBEC
WINE: ORANGE // GRAPES: ES-10-18-14, ITASCA, ROLAND, LA CRESCENT // CLUB: CORK DORK ONLY
About the Wine: This one is a genuine experiment in the best possible sense. Planted on rich soils in Saint-Eugène-de-Grantham, these are newly developed hybrid varieties, early-ripening, semi-aromatic, that Lieux Communs is among the first to vinify (seriously!) La Crescent and Roland bring the floral lift; Itasca and ES-10-18-14 (yes that is a grape) bring the citrus and savory. Partial carbonic maceration, fermented in barrel, bottled in February 2025. At 10%, it's bright, aromatic, and a little wild.
Not a Cork Dork yet? Upgrade your membership for ~$20/month and this bottle is yours going forward.
