Isle Saint Jean White
A soft, semi-dry wine with floral, peach and apricot on the nose, with similar flavors and a slight touch of sweetness. Very good on its own and pairs well with spicy food. Island mussels finished in a curry broth or curry seafood pasta would be wonderful with this wine.
The Secret Life of Grapes
Words by Linda Schipper
Have you ever wondered where your wine has been? What journey has this lovely fermented grape juice traveled before it found its way to you?
W ine is a wonderfully diverse beverage enjoyed the world over, but there’s more to wine than what’s in the bottle. In a recent conversation with John Rossignol of Rossignol Estate Winery, found right on the ocean in Little Sands, PEI, we discussed the life-cycle of a wine. In particular we looked at – Isle Saint Jean white and Isle Saint Jean Red. At this time of year things are quietly aging in the winery and bud break is still a couple of months away. Bud break is that special time of year where the vine comes to life and growth begins. John is hoping for stable weather as it doesn’t take much to ruin a crop — a touch of frost or high winds and salt spray are always threatening. Once the vine is through that early period, little clusters of grapes start to form and are vulnerable to either a cool, wet summer with little time to ripen, or worse, a hot wet season with mildew problems. John explains that no chemicals are used on his ten acres of fruit, so crop size varies with the overall PEI summer conditions. Rossignol Saint Jean white is made with two grape varietals, L’Acadie Blanc and Muscat. L’Acadie Blanc is a very distinct grape variety that grows well in cooler climates and produces crisp, clean wine. Grapes are harvested by hand over a month-long period and each evening the grapes are de-stemmed and left to soak in their own skins. After a day or two the fruit is poured into
basket presses and crushed, releasing the fresh juice, which is pumped into stainless steel tanks. It’s at this time the yeast and nutrients are added and John patiently awaits the fermentation process to begin. Once this starts, John closely monitors the nutrition and bouquet. Multiple tanks will be fermenting at the same time: reds, whites, blueberry, strawberry, meads and so on. All needing the attentive wine-maker to be close at hand. This years (2017) vintage of Isle Saint Jean White is still in the tank and tasting good. The Muscat adds a nice hint of pink and a fresh fruit bouquet. Rossignol Isle Saint Jean Red is a meritage of Marechal Foch and Joffre grapes, which are harvested, de-stemmed and left to soak in their skins for a week or two, allowing for the dark red colour and flavour to be drawn from the grape skins. Crushing and fermentation of these grapes follows the same cycle as the whites. Once fermented, this red wine is aged in American oak barrels for up to two years adding flavour and character to the Saint Jean Red. Each vintage is as unique as the Rossignol labels. The Isle Saint Jean White label is based on a painting done by John’s wife, Dagny, picturing two deck chairs sitting on their porch overlooking the beautiful Northumberland Strait. A great place to enjoy a glass of this wine don’t you think? The Isle Saint Jean Red wine label shows an illustration of an old PEI Clipper Ship that was painted by John himself on a blanket box roughly 25 years ago.
Isle Saint Jean Red
Nice warm flavours of ripe fruits, food friendly acidty and soft tannins. Very good on its own! But its hearty profile and soft tannins pair well with local braised beef, pork, or lamb. I suggest trying with some PEI Burger Love this April!
Certified Sommelier and owner of Wine Not consulting, Linda was one the first to become a Sommelier on PEI,
receiving her certification in 2003. The food and beverage industry has been Linda’s life long passion, working as Sommelier at Off Broadway Restaurant, later as Food and Beverage Director at the Confederation Centre of the Arts, and as an instructor with Holland College. Linda believes wine needn’t be intimidating ―a corkscrew and a little basic knowledge are all you need to enjoy the fruit of the vine — fermented grape juice.
► Linda Schipper (LaVie in Pictures)
SPRING 2018 www.pei-living.ca
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