Island made wine
South shore winery celebrating 10 years by bringing back medals
There was a lot of toasting going on here after P.E.I.’s first commercial winery earned four top medals at the Canadian wine championships.
And considering it was up against at least 1,500 other bottled challengers from across the nation, the victory was sweet for Rossignol Wineries.
Especially since the south shore operation east of the Wood Islands ferry terminal is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
“Very nice to have our varieties recognized for sure,’’ says owner John Rossignol from his 30-acre south-facing site on the Northumberland Strait.
The All Canadian winners included Cassis, Blueberry, Blackberry Mead and Liberty Blossom, just some of the 16 varieties produced here. Liberty Blossom actually earned a double gold and was considered best in category.
Winning medals is no surprise for the Little Sands winery which has routed a total of 56 over the years.
The operation employs 12 Islanders seasonally and uses only Island grown fruit.
From bus tours to convertibles, wine lovers flock to the winery during the fine weather to observe the process and taste test the product that is sold as far as China.
This year the winery has teamed up with Jeff McCourt and Glasgow Glen cheese to expand the product line.
“Nothing like wine and cheese,’’ says the homegrown winemaker. “Our visitors all enjoy the pairings.”
In the recent Atlantic wine finals, Rossignol won medals for Marechal Foche, L’Acadie Blanc, and Cassis as well.
The winery has a cellar capacity about 60,000 bottles and sells about half that plus annually.