Robert K Stephen (CSW)

RKS 2024 Wine: Meyer Family Vineyards Has Benched Me!

In most sports being “benched” is indicative of poor performance or naughty manners. So when I received from Meyer Family Vineyards in British Columbia a Chardonnay from their Old Main Road Vineyard located on the Naramata Bench I raised no objection. I deserve no penalty for misconduct in reviewing MFV wines or at least theyContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Meyer Family Vineyards Has Benched Me!”

Man With “Men in Tights Syndrome” Receives The Nutcracker Protocol Therapy

I recently spoke with renowned psychiatrist Dr. Kainik Zlatco of Zagreb University currently heading an international consortium of behavioural psychiatrists preparing a major study of men suffering from “men in tights syndrome”. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness “men in tights syndrome” (MITS) is defined as follows: “An irrational fear ofContinue reading “Man With “Men in Tights Syndrome” Receives The Nutcracker Protocol Therapy”

RKS Literature: Crafty Scoundrels and Heaven (Dickens)

“Some of the craftiest scoundrels that ever walked this earth, or rather – for walking implies, at least, an erect position and the bearing of a man – that ever crawled and crept through life by its dirtiest and narrow ways, will gravely jot down in diaries the events of the day, and keep aContinue reading “RKS Literature: Crafty Scoundrels and Heaven (Dickens)”

RKS 2024 Wine: The Great McLean Creek Road Vineyard Challenge at Meyer Family Vineyards

The 2022 Meyer Family Vineyards’ Pinot Noir from the McLean Creek Road Vineyard was exceptional, at least in my humble opinion, with a score of 94. So how does its Chardonnay counterpart fare. Do grapes challenge each other or are they simply unfeeling grape juice? Only the finest, purest juice from the early stages ofContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: The Great McLean Creek Road Vineyard Challenge at Meyer Family Vineyards”

RKS 2024 Wine: Riding the Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Merry Go Round: No Follies in its Youth!

For a few years I have been riding the Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir merry go round. Like a child I don’t want to hop off because I am having so much fun. Quality consistency even in the face of challenging growing seasons. The winery says, “The 2022 vintage was a classic Okanagan growing season….”Continue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Riding the Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Merry Go Round: No Follies in its Youth!”

RKS 2024 Film: “Oasis”: Quebec Filmmaker Justine Martin’s Film Shortlisted at Upcoming OSCARS

“Oasis”, a short documentary film, by 24-year-old Justine Martin is now shortlisted for the upcoming Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Short Film Category. Shot in the Quebec Laurentians the 14-minute short documentary film tells the story of two twins at the dawn of their teenage years. Raphäel is suffering from a developmental handicap. RémiContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Oasis”: Quebec Filmmaker Justine Martin’s Film Shortlisted at Upcoming OSCARS”

RKS 2024 Entertainment: Maoist Guerilla Opera!

I attended a Christmas Special presented by the Opera Revue at the Granite Tied House and Brewery in Toronto on 20December2023.Take away from this performance is that they are somewhat akin to Maoist rebels in the Peruvian jungle. Can you imagine these upstarts attacking traditional opera? I can as I saw them. In fact canContinue reading “RKS 2024 Entertainment: Maoist Guerilla Opera!”

RKS Literature: Love and The Imagination: Charles Dickens

“Love, however, is very materially assisted by a warm and active imagination, which has a long memory, and will survive for a considerable amount of time on very slight and sparing food. Thus, it is, that it often attains its most luxuriant growth in separation and under circumstances of the utmost difficulty; and thus itContinue reading “RKS Literature: Love and The Imagination: Charles Dickens”

RKS 2024 Wine: Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir “B” Field Blend Okanagan Valley 2022

The 2022” B” Field Blend Pinot Noir from Meyer Family Vineyards in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley is from three Dijon clones (115/667/777) and a cutting taken from Old Block on McLean Creek Road. The four clones were picked on the same day and co-fermented. As common with Meyer Family Vineyards the Pinot Noir was agedContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir “B” Field Blend Okanagan Valley 2022”

RKS 2024 Film: “Fallen Leaves”: Awkwardness, Alienation and Depression Perfected

Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) are two lonely souls portrayed in a gloomy, stark and industrialized Helsinki. Ansa meets Holappa at a karaoke bar full of strange “out of the ordinary” people. In fact the film is full of distracted out of place people in equally stark and bizarre settings. The music throughoutContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Fallen Leaves”: Awkwardness, Alienation and Depression Perfected”