No, these are not wines designed specifically to accompany turkey! But the militant Cuvées of Wines and Poultry arrived in Quebec just in time for the Holidays and to get people talking at the table.
Last June, the SAQ refused the (private) importation of “Putes feministes”, one of the militant Cuvées represented here by the Le vin dans les voiles agency. On the other hand, six other wines have managed to make their way to Quebec and are now on the menus of our restaurants. They can also be purchased by private order.
Militant Cuvées were born in Paris thanks to Vins et Volailles, a wholesaler of “pure juice” (read: natural) wines and peasant poultry. Let us remember that the project was born from a certain fed up among women in the wine industry with the prevailing sexism, sexism often disguised as cheerfulness.
“For a long time we were content to thank the wine industry for tolerating our presence. Today we are tired of working in an environment that is still too masculine and sexist (they say “rude”), very white, very bourgeois, very heteronormative…”, we can read on the Vins et Volailles website.
Each wine comes from an exclusive collaboration between the agency and winegrowers who are not afraid to take a stand, such as 2Naturkinder (Germany), Domaine Goepp (France) and Mathieu Coste (France).
The six labels currently circulating in Quebec mostly bear names referring to certain recent commonplaces: All the same, We can no longer say anything, Amazons, Where do you come from, Male Tears and You haven’t yet met good. Each original work was drawn by a person who was touched by the situation exposed.
Vins et Volailles pays 7% of the profits from each vintage to associations working in the field. For its part, Le vin dans les voiles has also chosen to make a donation of $1 per bottle to the local organization SOS Domestic Violence. Since the birth of Cuvées Militants on the French market in 2021, more than 18,000 euros (approximately $26,000 CAD) have reportedly been raised.
If, in France, the six wines sell for between 24 and 27 euros per bottle (or between $35 and $40 CAN), you should know that the cost is much higher here, around $65 for individuals. The commission that the representation agency must naturally apply and, above all, the significant margin that the SAQ takes (transport, taxes, etc.) are responsible for this large increase. What’s more, you have to buy in boxes of six. All the more reason to share and, above all, to start the discussion around the tree!
