Robert K Stephen (CSW)

RKS Wine: Wildass Red: Can the Sum Total Overcome Certain Individual Varietals?

Ontario produces some superb Cabernet Francs. One might say it is Ontario’s red wine strength. There is Cabernet Franc in this obnoxiously named wine perhaps better suited to the rodeo circuit in Florida. But there is also Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah none of which individually craft remarkable wines in Ontario. However in the blendingContinue reading “RKS Wine: Wildass Red: Can the Sum Total Overcome Certain Individual Varietals?”

On the Ledge Part Three: Infiltration into Canada: Is There a Future in East German Riesling?

So how did I end up in Canada? It was before our beloved Berlin Wall fell that I was transferred by the Stasi to a post at the Canadian German Friendship League headquartered in Toronto. The goal was to ferret out and neutralize hostile elements to the East German Democratic Republic. I was based inContinue reading “On the Ledge Part Three: Infiltration into Canada: Is There a Future in East German Riesling?”

RKS Wine: Croatia’s Dalmatian Dog

I enjoyed Plavac Mali which is the king of red wine in Croatia with much of the grape being grown on the Dalmatian Coast. The Dalmatian Dog is from the Babić grape also grown on the Dalmatian coast. It is known under more than 30 different names. We get so little Croatian wine due toContinue reading “RKS Wine: Croatia’s Dalmatian Dog”

“Travels to a Different Time” : September 1989: Cancun, Mexico: Trip to Tulum

Tulum is a must if one is in Cancun. Booked a tour. Continental breakfast was provided for on board. The Mayan village stopped at was squalid in comparison to the ones near Chicen Itza. Beer and cakes were provided as a snack but given the overcast weather no one seemed to be in a partyContinue reading ““Travels to a Different Time” : September 1989: Cancun, Mexico: Trip to Tulum”

RKS Film: “Lovely Jackson”: A Horrific Miscarriage of Justice

I encountered a slight feeling of guilt watching what was perhaps a documentary I should not be watching. As a wee lad we had a cottage in Vermont which was just over an hour from our home in Montreal. Inevitably there would be some horrific car accident on the road to or from our cottageContinue reading “RKS Film: “Lovely Jackson”: A Horrific Miscarriage of Justice”

RKS Wine: 2014 Memories of the Douro: Exhaustion Mitigated by the Thrill

My media trip to the Douro in 2014 was memorable. It was early November and a chill had descended upon the Douro which can be furnace like in the summer. 5 days starting at 9 and ending around 5 hopping around from winery to winery in a Mercedes van with a guide. But that wasContinue reading “RKS Wine: 2014 Memories of the Douro: Exhaustion Mitigated by the Thrill”

Golf and Your Mental Game: The Destructive Power of Improvement

After working as a golf Marshall I finally accepted a chunk of reality after playing 45 games. I am stuck in a range of 80-95 for 18 holes. In and out. Up and down. I am prisoner of a range and after 50 years of golf the time has come to accept that reality. TheContinue reading “Golf and Your Mental Game: The Destructive Power of Improvement“

“Travels to a Different Time” : September 1989: Cancun, Mexico: Drinking Tequila from Baby Bottles and Now is Not the Time for a Shark Attack!

Off to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) just off Cancun. It has some incredible beaches and there is the Cave of The Sleeping Sharks made famous by Jacques Cousteau. $30 USD on the “Festival Cancun”. Beautiful turquoise water! Buffet continental breakfast was served. Lots of juices and pastry. Mostly young American couples in their twenties.Continue reading ““Travels to a Different Time” : September 1989: Cancun, Mexico: Drinking Tequila from Baby Bottles and Now is Not the Time for a Shark Attack!”

RKS Wine: Confidencial Reserve Rosé from Lisbon

Confidencial is a label of Casa Santos Lima. They make a low-priced red that is a real winner and one of those old-style red wines that needs some serious ageing to flourish. This rosé is from “more than 10 grapes” and the winery considers the types as “confidential”. I suspect that with so many varietiesContinue reading “RKS Wine: Confidencial Reserve Rosé from Lisbon”

Part 2: Postcards from the Edge: A Bit About Me; Vlad the Rat

I was born in Dresden in the DDR otherwise known as East Germany on August 12, 1955. My father was a colonel in the East German Patriotic Army in the intelligence unit. We travelled around Eastern Europe as father was assigned as a “friendly attaché” to various People’s Army bases in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria andContinue reading “Part 2: Postcards from the Edge: A Bit About Me; Vlad the Rat”