Producing single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon in Ontario is a risky business as far as I can see. Most often it is a bland experience but jazzed up with generous oak it just may surprise you. Shale Ridge is located in Thedford, Ontario proximate to the shores of Lake Huron in Southwest Ontario. Their 2023 CabernetContinue reading “RKS 2025 Canadian Wine: Shale Ridge 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon: Gutsy and/or Suicidal”
Author Archives: Robert K Stephen (CSW)
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Film: “Loathe Thy Neighbor”
“Loathe Thy Neighbor” is a low budget Canadian indie film shot in Bruce County, Ontario. One can’t deny certain of its comedic elements but it is more of a character study than a comedy. Deeply unhappy characters seldom craft a comedy. City slicker Will Larkfield (Brennan Clost) inherits a farm from his father who hadContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Film: “Loathe Thy Neighbor””
RKS Literature: The Never-Ending Soviet Gulag Sentence (Vladimir Rott)
“Of course this is a very important year 1948. In this year, in the middle of it, I’ll also become a free man. And here, there are two points, listen carefully. Those who are released after their terms inside the USSR can go home on the next train. But here, in the Far East, theContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Never-Ending Soviet Gulag Sentence (Vladimir Rott)”
RKS Literature: Treacherous at the Top with Stalin (Vladimir Rott)
“The men who surrounded Stalin quickly figured out the rules of the chief’s game and started playing up to him in every way they could, sniffing out suitable “enemies” in their own midst and helping destroy them. Under such arrangement, those who witnessed and participated in the “purges” at the top could not stay aliveContinue reading “RKS Literature: Treacherous at the Top with Stalin (Vladimir Rott)”
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: A Battersea Wines White Blend
Battersea Wines is a virtual winery operating in the Collab Wine & Beverage collective based in Ontario’s Niagara-on-the-Lake. Currently comprising 12 virtual wineries using shared production facilities and staff. Battersea Weiss is a blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Pinot Gris. Aroma: Lemon, Niagara peach, tangerine, pineapple and guava. Palate: Dry but not bone dry. ApproachesContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: A Battersea Wines White Blend”
RKS Literature: The Bolsheviks Desperation to Maintain Power (Vladimir Rott)
“Once they had seized power in Russia, the Bolsheviks began to direct all of their energy and all of the country’s wealth toward a single goal: to stay in power, to keep power in their hands. Hence the instant rise of the Great Terror, the suppression and destruction of not only actual but even potential,Continue reading “RKS Literature: The Bolsheviks Desperation to Maintain Power (Vladimir Rott)”
RKS 2025 Wine: A Reliable Red from Greece?
Is there such a thing as a reliable wine? If there was it would have to be a wine that continually delivers in quality and sensory satisfaction irrespective of price. From a Niagara, Ontario perspective we might suggest Cabernet Franc as a reliable wine. In British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley we might say Pinot Noir. FromContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: A Reliable Red from Greece?”
RKS Literature: Ignorant, Greedy and Brutal Bolsheviks (Vladimir Rott)
Russia-a wealthy country with a highly educated population, a country that had peacefully gotten rid of serfdom and was on a path of rapid, successful industrial development-was handed over to the Bolsheviks without a real struggle. The Russian intelligentsia, the nation’s brain, underestimated the danger and allowed a great country which had been drawn intoContinue reading “RKS Literature: Ignorant, Greedy and Brutal Bolsheviks (Vladimir Rott)”
RKS 2025 Film: “A Soil A Culture A River A People”: Ignoring the Director’s Statement or at Least Some of It
“A Soil A Culture A River A People” is in the abstract museum-art galley genre. I watched this 15-minute short three times arriving at three different interpretations of its purpose. Perplexing, challenging and fun! As a film critic I receive films to review from production companies or public relations firms attaching a viewing link forContinue reading “RKS 2025 Film: “A Soil A Culture A River A People”: Ignoring the Director’s Statement or at Least Some of It”
RKS 2025 Wine: Spanish Hécula Monastrell
What the heck try some Hécula Monastrell from the Yecla region of Spain! It’s organic! Monastrell is the Spanish name for Mourvèdre. The grapes were grown at an altitude of 750 m in limestone soil. It has resided 6 months in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels. Aroma: Raspberry galore. Black cherry and plum.Continue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Spanish Hécula Monastrell”
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