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By
Rick VanSickle
O'LEARY,
Prince Edward Island — The winds
are brisk on the north-west corner of this
idyllic "gentle island", home
to picture-perfect golf, peaceful summer
days and enough fresh lobster to make you
think you've died and gone to heaven.
Golf,
lobster, fresh local wines. Repeat. It's
a winning recipe that only this province
can deliver. It's what makes a vacation
here so special.
For
a wine lover, PEI provides the backdrop
for what just might be the world's most
perfect combination — a one and a quarter
pound lobster, fresh from the Atlantic Ocean,
to go with a beautiful chardonnay, lightly
spiced with oak, and brimming with citrus
and tropical fruit flavours. There is nothing
on this earth quite like lobster and chardonnay.
You can even pair it with a local wine such
as Isle Saint Jean from the only winery
on the island, Rossignol Estate, in Little
Sands, along the picturesque south shore.
Sprinkle
in a little island golf, the kind that's
not crowded but always serviced by friendly
local staff under (usually) sunny skies,
and an ordinary vacation just became an
epic culinary-sports adventure.
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The
Mill River Golf Course, part of the
Rodd Mill River resort located west
of Summerside, which played host to
the Golf Channel's popular reality
TV show Big Break in 2008, is a ideal
way to start a day on the island.
The
well-forested course serves both the
low and high handicap player with
wide, rolling fairways, plenty of
lakes and streams in a parkland setting.
It's a gorgeous track, rated one of
the finest in Eastern Canada.
After
the round, you may choose to relax
at the resort, located within Mill
River Provincial Park along the North
Cape Coastal Drive, or freshen up
for some down-home island cooking.
For
an authentic experience, and the finest,
freshest lobster, take in any of the
local "church lobster suppers"
that are held in nearly every community
on the island. These suppers originally
began at Saint Ann's Church in Hope
River in the early 60s as fundraiser
to help pay the mortgage. It's since
become one of the most popular and
genuine ways to enjoy lobster and
mussels, another island specialty.
A
typical church lobster supper consists
of mussels, seafood chowder, fresh
lobster, potato salad, homemade pie,
ice cream and tea – with a side
of local colour — all for a set
price. It's served without much fanfare,
usually banquet style in a crowded
church hall, but it's about as delicious
as you can imagine. The one big drawback
is the lack of a good bottle of wine
to go with the lobster. For that,
you'll have to set your sights on
the more traditional, licensed restaurants
on the island.
Once
you've found a perfect little eatery,
there are many different ways to order
your lobster. But the most traditional
method, steamed and served with garlic-laced
butter, is still the most popular.
Add a fine chardonnay that's been
aged in oak barrels, and you have
a perfect meal. Make sure your chardonnay
has some amount of oak in it to give
it that "buttery" taste
and mouth feel. It should complement
the tender, succulent and subtle taste
of the lobster soaked in butter. Yet
it shouldn't overpower it.
The
popular crustacean is made in dozens
of styles in PEI culinary circles.
From lobster frittata (eggs baked
with herbs and lobster with a layer
of Gouda cheese) to lobster sandwiches
(even McDonald's has one on the menu),
to butter-poached claws, grilled lobster
tails and sautéed knuckles
of lobster.
Back
at the Rodd Mill River resort they'll
even pack you up four chilled lobsters
with all the fixings in a nice picnic
basket to enjoy at any of the hundreds
of beaches in the area. And to think,
not so long ago, that lobster was
so common and plentiful that they
were sold as fertilizer for farmers'
fields. Now lobster is one of the
finest gourmet foods at top dining
establishments around the world.
Another
way to enjoy lobster is with one of
the wines from the only winery on
the entire island — Rossignol
Winery, which overlooks the Northumberland
Strait on the south shore.
John
Rossignol has built a truly unique
wine experience in PEI with his winery
and craft boutique. Many of his table
and fruit wines — including barrel-aged
Pinot Cabernet and the truly unique
Strawberry Rhubarb aperitif —
have won international awards.
You
can sample all of Rossignol's wines
while browsing through a selection
of crafts, paintings and folk art
all while enjoying a panoramic view
of their ocean front farm.
Surrounded by rolling fields of sheep,
a vineyard, and the Northumberland
Strait, PEI's first and only commercial
winery is a popular destination for
islanders and visitors searching for
a relaxing wine experience.
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Mussels
and PEI wine
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Rossignol
Strawberry Rhubarb
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Rossignol
Isle Saint-Jean
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Rossignol
High Bank Red
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Rossignol
Ortega Chardonnay
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Rossignol
Blackberry Mead
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All
of the winery's wine labels are replicated
from original PEI artwork painted by Rossignol's
neighbour and Island folk artist Nancy Perkins
and the winery owner himself. "Our
retail shop and vineyard (as well as my
home) are on a piece of beautiful ocean
front property which visitors seem to enjoy
as part of their maritime experience,"
Rossignol says.
He
highly recommends his "Isle Saint Jean"
white which he says "has a soft, friendly
mouthfeel and a nice clean bouquet that
matches well with lobster."
Other
popular wines include:
•
Little Sands White, which Rossignol says
is a fresh, light, off-dry wine showing
crisp acidity and delicate flavours perfect
for Malpeque Bay oysters or steamed lobster.
•
Ortega Chardonnay, a unique wine with a
complex bouquet and "exceptional flavours
developed while aging in toasted oak barrels."
It matches well with grilled seafood.
•
High Bank Red, a medium-bodied red created
from a blend of hardy Marechal Foch grapes,
is an "earthy, peppery" wine perfect
for the summer BBQ.
Rossignol
also suggests trying one of his unique dessert
wines, Blackberry Mead, which won best fruit
wine in Canada at last year's All Canadian
Championships.
04/09
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Links:
www.rossignolwinery.com
Some
lobster facts:
•
PEI is famous for its lobsters with bright red shells and
juicy tender meat. Once so common that they were used as fertilizer,
lobsters have now become a gourmet delicacy. Lobsters have
ten legs, beady eyes, long antennae and a crust-like shell.
The bright red colour characteristic of the lobster is only
achieved by cooking. When alive, lobsters are usually greenish-blue
and speckled with dark spots. The meat, when cooked, is a
delicate white tinged with red.
•
Lobsters may be purchased live in the shell, or freshly cooked
in the shell. When purchased live, lobsters should show some
movement and the tail should spring back when straightened
out. Lobsters that show no movement when handled and whose
tail hangs down straight are dead and should be discarded.
When buying cooked lobster, check that they are a bright "red-orange"
colour, have a fresh aroma and that the tail section will
spring back into a curled position after being straightened
out.
•
Lobsters should be cooked either in clean seawater or salted
fresh water (add 2 tbsp./25 ml of salt to each quart/litre
of fresh water). Fill a large pot with enough water to cover
the lobster and bring it to a boil. Grasp the lobster firmly
by the back just behind the claws and plunge it head first
into the boiling water. Cover, return the water to a boil
and then lower the heat to a bubbly simmer. Lobster will cook
in 12-20 minutes depending on the size. Once cooked, the lobster
should be drained immediately. They can now be served hot
or chilled quickly by being dipped in cold water.
•
There are two methods for serving lobster in the shell. The
shell can be broken apart using lobster crackers and the meat
then picked out, or the lobster can be cut in half down the
centre and the claws cut open with a large heavy knife. All
of the lobster is edible except for the shell, the small stomach
(hard sac) behind the head and the dark vein, running down
the back of the tail. The green material in the body is the
liver or tomally. This is excellent eating, as is the red
material, or roe, which is found in the body of the female
lobster.
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