About 10 kilometres from the Wood Islands Ferry Terminal, at Little Sands on the road to Murray Harbour, is the picture postcard Rossignol Estate Winery. The creation of John Rossignol, a transplanted Ontarian, this small but well-conceived winery is quite an achievement. The setting is spectacular. Occupying a gentle south-facing slope running down to the sea, the property looks out over the Northumberland Strait towards Pictou Island, and the more distant Nova Scotia.

John is a multi-talented individualist who loves to experiment. Like the pioneer wine makers of Nova Scotia who have faced similar challenges, he has learned a great deal by trial and error. In Ontario, he was a contractor working with food and beverage processing equipment. This gave him a head start in knowing how to set up an efficient winery with the necessary sterile conditions. He is also a sailor and built his own 4-foot ketch. It was this interest in sailing that first drew the Rossignols to this part of the world. In fact, they sailed their boat down the St. Lawrence to their new home on Prince Edward Island. John is a talented artist, and his own paintings adorn the labels of several Rossignol wines.

The Rossignol philosophy is to build on locally available resources and talents, and the winery shop is also a showcase for local arts and crafts.

A large proportion of the winery's production is made up of fruit wines using Island fruit, including apples, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and rhubarb. Bringing a vineyard into production takes three to four years. Making fruit wine from the harvest already at hand made sense, providing revenue until the vineyard came on stream. John Rossignol also believes, though, that high quality fruit wines are equally worthy as those made from the grape, and have their place complementing fine food. The widely acclaimed Island restaurants, Seasons in Thyme and The Inn at Bay Fortune, serve Rossignol fruit wines as appropriate matches for their cuisine.

The first planting of vines was in 1993. The winery received its licence in 1993. Rossignol now has seven acres under cultivation, 25% planted with the white, Seyval Blanc, with the larger proportion devoted to the red varieties, Marechal Foch (25%), and a similar hardy variety, Valiant (50%).

These French/American hybrids have thrived in local conditions. So far, there has been little problem overwintering the vines. Rossignol's most interesting experiment, however, is using greenhouses to grow the more tender vinifera vines. A few years ago the Island tobacco industry became defunct, making greenhouse space available. Rossignol is growing the equivalent of two acres of vines under glass. Vineferas such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir are intensively cultivated, and yield much higher quantities than the open air vineyards.

The winery has aged these wines in a combination of new, and one-year-old American oak barrels. At present, they are being made in very small quantities. I did not have the opportunity to taste the Chardonnay which, unfortunately, is sold out. Also unavailable is the '96 Pinot Noir although I was able to taste one of the last few bottles. I found it to be a very credible attractively perfumed wine, well balanced and with good varietal character.

Nova Scotia's Port of Wines has recently listed three Rossignol fruit wines together with the Seyval Blanc. The '97 Seyval $14.40 (462366) is made in a distinctive, medium dry style, particularly suited to this grape. The nose shows grassy, almost Sauvignon-like fruit. On the palate, sweetness is balanced by crisp, lively acidity and a clean fruity finish. I would drink it as an aperitif.

Although I do not usually drink fruit wines, I think Rossignol makes some of the better ones I have tasted. They are very clean and evoke the authentic appeal of fresh fruit. Among these wines, the Strawberry, $8.84 (373894) is a medium dry rose style that the winemaker recommends as an aperitif or to accompany cheese. The Raspberry, $12.29 (373902) will appeal to those who like the intense, concentrated flavor of this fruit, which certainly comes across in the wine. It is quite sweet and can be drunk on its own or with dessert. The most interesting of the three is the Strawberry Rhubarb $9.99 (373928). Aged for 1 year, and finished very sweet, this amber colored wine shows a touch of complexity. The tartness of rhubarb provides a good counter- poise to the sweetness of the strawberry. Although this one is made in the style of a dessert wine, the chef at the Inn on Bay Fortune has served it as a successful match for smoked salmon.

Rossignol wines will be on hand at The Port of Wines Festival later this fall. Watch out for the interesting and unusual Pinot Cabernet. A blend of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, this is well made wine worth trying.