RKS 2023 Wine: Teroldego an Italian Grape Refugee Adopted by Stag’s Hollow in the Okanagan of British Columbia

Even in its home country of Italy this north-eastern Italian grape is not exactly huge. But almost like a grape refugee Stag’s Hollow Winery in Okanagan Falls, British Columbia has given it safe haven where it can and does flourish. A gutsy move wouldn’t you say? The late Jim Clendenen (1953-2021) of Au Bon Climat Winery in California once said that California should have planted Teroldego instead of Merlot. Did Paul Giamatti have it right in the film “Sideways” when he said to his pal Thomas Hayden Church he’s not drinking any fucking Merlot!

The late Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat Winery in California

What about the 2020 Teroldego from Stag’s Hollow Winery in British Columbia’s Okanagan Falls? It was made from grapes grown at the Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard.

Aroma: Jam packed with black fruit particularly blackberry. Stag’s Hollow can always be counted on to make stellar if not stunning full bodied red wines. Just a hint of lavender.

Palate: Black fruit raises a victory flag in the palate with a nod to the mighty blueberry. The tannins are calm. The acidity discrete. The length is moderate. It reminds me of some Azorean red wine from Pico Island made from the Isabella grape due to its smoothness.

Personality: I am a bit schizophrenic in that I have a very unique and unusual character melding the power of my fruit to both elegance of a vitis vinifera and utilitarianism of a vitis labrusca.

Food Match: While a great sipping wine this would be a killer with an Azorean fish stew. Or as Thanksgiving will be upon us soon in Canada with roast turkey with cranberry sauce. The winery suggests classic Italian pasta dishes featuring rich tomato sauces or Middle Eastern spiced grilled meats and vegetables. I’d agree with that!

Azorean Fish Stew on Pico Island or how I came to love Conger eel! Photo Robert K. Stephen

Cellarbility: This wine is drinking beautifully now and consume by the end 2025.

Price: $35 (British Columbia). Available for sale on Stag’s Hollow website, at the winery and in various stores and restaurants in British Columbia. Only 96 cases produced!

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 90/100.

The grapes were destemmed prior to the crush thereby reducing the tannic impact of the wine. Fermentation was in both oak (one 2nd fill and one neutral barrel) and stainless steel.

(Stag’s Hollow 2020 Teroldego, Okanagan Falls, British Columbia VQA, Stag’s Hollow Winery, Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, 750 mL, 12.5%).

Memories of Dylan Stephen: A Westie Now in the Land Beyond: The Follies of Puppy School!

As a West Highland Terrier I do have some formal education. Puppy School!  I have diplomas from Pup Eez Dog Training. I have a beginners AND a intermediate certificate! According to my certificate I demonstrated “an outstanding level of performance, intelligence and willing companionship”. Way to go West Highland Terriers!

I am uncertain why I was enrolled. I learnt hand signals to stop, lie down and come and seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time walking in circles guided by Master Robert. Of course it was more fun sniffing and kibitzing with my fellow classmates. I think it was a technique to have me obey the commands of The Stephen Family. If that was the case I already understood at an early age Master Robert was the “leader of the pack” and instinctually I was to follow his commands….well at least most of the time as we Westies can be a bit independent and stubborn! In any case it was good to get out and meet all sorts of dogs including Hazel a neighbourhood poodle who I loved having playfights with as a youngster. Hazel only made to 7 years of age succumbing to cancer but yes we continue our playfights here in The Land Beyond.

Memories of Dylan Stephen: A Westie Now in the Land Beyond: Walking Such a Great Joy!

I am running with a pack of West Highland Terriers in The Land Beyond. We chase mechanical rats and a whole host of rodents up big hills, in gullies and forests. Mechanical as no creature here can be hurt. We usually run after our breakfast. It takes my mind off what I left behind before I died.

A puppy named Angus was run over by a car and not having much life experience asked me why I loved my walks so much. The whole gang here knows how much I loved to walk. In fact while I had at least twenty nicknames in The Land Beyond” my nickname is “The Walker”. The poor pup asked me why I loved walking. It isn’t that easy. Perhaps it is instinctual? It is part of a Westie soul?

Now on the practical level it is exercise and good for our health. Our “bodily excretions” act as messages to other dogs that we have “been here”. Again I think it is instinctual. And yes we do the same thing here in The Land Beyond.

I loved walking in our neighbourhood as it was my community of brothers and sisters. Not that all was in harmony. I hated that Golden Lab Tanner and he hated me. He smelt aggressive and mean.

But my all-time favourite was the Don Valley Golf Course in Toronto of course when it was closed to golfers. I loved walking in a snowstorm and in the late fall and spring. There were dogs but only a handful. There were ducks, turtles, foxes, deer, snakes, falcons and coyotes (stay away!). And off went my leash. FREEDOM!

I also loved the Belt Line Trail in Toronto. A beautiful shaded trail in the heart of Toronto. The crazy law-breaking cyclists really aggravated all us dogs. Lucky I was not run over by those crazy speedsters. Again it was an all season walk unless it became too icy in the winter.

Sherwood Park in Toronto was also a favourite of mine and I loved the off-leash trail in the forest with ups and downs and nice benches to relax. Three months prior to my death it was the site of my last long walk.

The Stephen Family will be spreading my ashes in these three favourite haunts of mine.

I dearly loved Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake. The roar of the Falls and the mist on my face was unforgettable.

Master Robert was adamant about ensuring frequent walks which I was always up to except in those “last days”. As he used to say, “A tired dog is a happy dog!”. No truer words were spoken!

RKS 2023 Wine: More To Mendoza Than Malbec: A Kimmy K Wine?

Poor Argentina pigeonholed with being a Malbec producer. As far as reds go there is also Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that is top quality. And yes there is Chardonnay in a world mad for Chardonnay. To extend our learning curve we try a 2021 Catena Chardonnay from Mendoza.

A blend of Chardonnay from 4 vineyards all above 3,000 feet. Whole cluster pressed. Fermented in barrels and stainless steel. Eight months ageing in French oak with first, second and third use barrels used.

Aroma: Apple, pear, cantaloupe, peach, tangerine and wet stone.

Palate: Wet slate, apricot, guava, soft mango with a bit of ginger all perhaps a bit reticent on the palate. Short finish.

Cellarbility: Drink in 2023.

Personality: Like Kimmy Kardashian I have the Catena name and reputation behind me but in terms of complexity and depth I might be a bit lacking.

Food Match: Grilled chicken or rabbit in foil with yogurt and tarragon.

Price: $22.95 (Ontario).

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 85/100. Jamessuckling.com 92.

(Catena High Mountain Vines 2021 Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina, Bodega y Viñedos Catena, Mendoza Argentina, 750 mL, 13.5%)

Memories of Dylan Stephen: A Westie Now in the Land Beyond: My Exciting Trip to Niagara Falls!

Master Robert and Mistress Fotini have told stories of their meeting of West Highland Terriers in the United States, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Greece and a couple other of destinations but they have never seen Westies in transit at airports. I enjoyed hearing these stories of meeting West Highland Terriers but I am a homebody. I hate car trips but I love hopping in a car when I know I am going on a walk to a park or my absolute favourite place Don Valley Golf Course in Toronto when it closed to golfers. I think a plane trip would cause me a nervous breakdown. I was between 20-22 pounds so under the seat rules for dogs in airplanes was 20 pounds so Master Robert and Mistress Fotini were reluctant to chance me being moved to cargo. I have no regrets except I had heard so many fantastic things about Central Park in New York I would have liked to have had a few walks there. Do they grow strawberries there in Strawberry Field?

I did take trips to the outskirts of Toronto and I loved going to a farm on Weston Road. There were free range chickens running around in a big pen and I loved having a good bark or two but that’s all as the poor chickens really don’t need any stress! I loved walking on the Toronto Islands all the way from Hanlon’s to Ward stopping for a picnic and a nap. I thought Kensington Market was cool with all those strange smells and people. That punk bar was weird and those people with strange haircuts and tattoos and all sorts of body piercings! Interesting to say the least!

But near the end of my life I had a couple trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We stayed at the Oban Inn and also Harbour House where a nice bed, fancy bowls and treats awaited me. I even ate at a restaurant The Treadwell lying under a patio table and Master Robert gave me a big piece of chicken and some sweet potato fries. I love sweet potatoes with a passion. I was a bit nervous being left in a hotel room a couple of times but I was a good Westie and Master Robert had said to me absolutely no barking!

I saw the Butterfly Conservatory, Niagara Falls, the Botanical Gardens, an historical fort, watched a Canada Day Parade and had walks along the Niagara River. In my last trip there Master Robert and Mistress Fotini took a fancy dog stroller for me when I got a bit too tired to walk. It was like I was a movie star. Tourists from all over the globe come to say hello! Master Robert said a group of Chinese tourists wanted to take me back to China with them! The trip of a lifetime for me except of course my trip from earth to the land beyond upon my death where I am sharing some stories with you missing you terribly.

RKS 2023 Wine: Chardonnay Leads the Pack in Ontario

According to the Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario’s 2022 Annual Report the top two grapes grown in Ontario are Riesling (13%) and Chardonnay (12%).

So let’s delve into an Ontario Chardonnay a Leaning Post Chardonnay 2020 The Fifty.

Aroma: Classic notes of apple and pear predominate. Some nectarine. And they are clean and powerful. Not a hint of funkiness or anything to worry about. Simple and direct hinting at a clean palate.

Palate: Delicious and the clean fruit just keeps on going. Apple, pear and a hint of lemon meringue pie. No out of whack acidity that plagues many Chardonnays. The majority of the wine was fermented in concrete tank then the remainder in both oak and stainless steel and after fermentation all wine was aged on full lees in stainless steel and concrete. 

Personality: Delightfully charming with no tricks up my sleeve.

Food Match: The winery suggests brie, sole meuniere and lemon roasted chicken which I agree with depending on the amount of lemon in the chicken. My lemon chicken is Greek style with loads of lemon which many a Chardonnay simply couldn’t handle and in my case I would suggest an Ontario Sparkling Riesling.

Cellarbility: The winery suggests 5-8 years.

Price: $24.95 (Ontario).

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 90/100. Michael Godel 92/100.

(leaning post Chardonnay 2020 The Fifty, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Leaning Post Wines, Stoney Creek, Ontario, 750 mL, 12.5%). 540 cases made.

Memories of Dylan Stephen: A Westie Now in the Land Beyond: West Highland Terrier Vacuum Cleaner Pays the Price!

West Highland Terriers, like so many other dogs, love food action. By that I mean patiently waiting as our human masters prepare food in their kitchens. Is it instinct that has us vacuum up anything that “falls” on the floor by our keen noses. Yes I was not born yesterday so I know sometimes our masters may “drop” a piece of food “by accident” knowing we are there to vacuum it up.

Well one day Master Robert was in the kitchen preparing some Mexican food called “fajitas”. A piece of chicken “dropped” on the floor. Thank you, Master Robert! Then a piece of cheese fell on the floor and I think Master Robert failed to realize this drop and I hustled up for some grub with a quick sniff sending a signal to my brain CHEESE! Vacuum cleaner Dylan in action hoovered it up and despite a bit of spice and heat YUMMY!

My stomach started gurgling in the middle of the night and poop and poop all over the house. So humiliating. When Master Robert came down to put me out for my morning widdle he stepped in a pool of poop. I expected an angry burst but instead a laugh. He knew it was the Jalapeno Monterrey Jack Cheese. He picked me up and said no more of that hot Mexican stuff in this house! Out I went for my morning widdle.

RKS 2023 Wine: Mencía by Another Name: Dão Meia Serra Jaen: CODE RED!

In the Bierzo region of Spain not that far from the Dão region in Portugal the Mencía grape in the king of red wine. In the Dão region of Portugal the Mencía grape is known as Jaen and in the Dão it is most often blended with other grapes. We try a Meia Serra 2018 Jaen.

Aroma: Blackberry, cassis, root beer and coconut. There is perhaps a bit too much coffee indicative of a grape that has been hanging on the vine or has been in the bottle a bit too long.

Palate: If black cherry can be tired it is awfully tired in this wine. Age has robbed this wine of its fruit. I have had extensive tastings in at least 10 wineries in the Dão and this red wine is not reflective of Dão quality.

Personality: Yes I am big in the glass but I lack ideology and don’t know where I am going.

Food match: Code Red. Code Red i.e. A Friday night wine……..

Price: $23.95 (Ontario).

Cellarbility: Perhaps already too late to drink.

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 59/100.

(Meia Serra Jaen 2018, Dão D.O.C., Casa Santos Lima, Aldeia Galega Da Mercenna, Portugal, 750 mL, 14%).

RKS 2023 Wine: South Africa’s Go to White: Chenin Blanc?

In France if you are drinking Chenin Blanc think of Vouvray. In South Africa think of Chenin Blanc. Many think South African Chenin Blanc is a go to South African white wine.

How about a Boschendal 2021 Chenin Blanc from the W.O. Coastal Region.

Aroma: Pineapple, pear, apple with mango.

Palate: This is no skimpy and flinty white wine but neither is it a heavy hitter. It is a medium bodied wine meaning it has body and presence in the mouth. Good for both sipping and with food. Think of mango, pineapple, tangerine with a dusting of ginger. The finish is moderate. A well-crafted wine.

Personality: You’ll like me if you like a wine with some heft and character and not overtaken by singular aromas or overly high acidity. If I was compared to a Canadian politician it would be to the late Jack Layton who may have had a leftist New Democratic Party leaning but presented himself as highly likeable, reasonable and not dogmatic. Liked by many but not enough to form a Canadian government.

Food Match: Grilled chicken in a tarragon cream sauce with Jasmine rice to soak up that glorious sauce.

Price: $19.95 (Ontario).

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 90/100. Decanter World Wine Awards 90.

(Boschendal Sommelier Selection 2021 Chenin Blanc, W.O. Coastal Region, Boschendal Wines, Groot Drakenstein, South Africa, 750 mL, 13%).

Memories of Dylan Stephen: A Westie Now in the Land Beyond: The Art of Polite “Begging”

I remember Master Robert reading Mistress Fotini an article from the New York Times about how we dogs have survived so close to humans for many years. Apparently, the author believed dogs conned humans for food so successfully they assured themselves survival. Balderdash.

Many pet owners refer to dogs “begging” for food. How insulting! I would prefer to say we dogs love “sharing” food with humans.

The art of sharing is sophisticated. A polite dog never makes a spectacle by jumping up on laps or whining or swiping food from a table. Master Robert told me a story about Jimmy an English Springer Spaniel who when Master Robert and Mistress Fotini went on a walk with Jimmy’s owner returned to see a one-pound block of cheese left on the table missing. Jimmy’s cheese breath gave him away.

When I share food with The Stephen Family I behave myself. I hang close by but not too close and give a sad look and lo and behold something, healthy of course, ends up in my bowl. They think I don’t see them placing tasty morsels in my bowl.

On very special occasions like my birthday, Greek Easter, Christmas or Thanksgiving I really go to town. I love a chunk of lamb, cooked vegetables and turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes sends me to the moon.

Respect and proper decorum are key to food sharing with humans. Rowdiness and poor manners simply won’t do for us Westies. Sad eyes are often the best method.

A warning though I have a preferred sharing spot and you best not cross it when I am in action.