RKS 2023 Wine: Porto Memories: Sagrado Reserva

I have a boatload of Porto memories all good and many lighthearted. I have been somewhat of a regular visitor there since 2014.

One very pleasant memory is attending Port Wine Day in Porto pre COVID and having a memorable lunch with José Maria Cálem proprietor of Quinta Sagrado in the Douro region of Portugal. On a brilliant September afternoon in the Ribeira District of Porto we sat looking at Vila Nova de Gaia across the river eating many a seafood dish and trying several Sagrado wines. After lunch we moved to his home on the river for a tasting of some Sagrado field blend wines which were of impeccable quality and impossible to find in Canada.

We do receive a Sagrado wine now and then in the shelves of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. The Sagrado Reserva is a wine that deserves some ageing most of which has taken place upon its release as in this case we have a 2015 Reserva.

Aroma: Even at 8 years from bottling the wine is a bit tight and cloistered. It has Douro written all over it being a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz. It has a rich nose almost verging on Port and it is foot trodden in lagares! Old school. Loads of blackberry, cassis and black cherry. An almost Portish red wine!

Palate: Still tight and firm despite so much time in the bottle. One might say this is a Douro wine from years past as it has taken some time to form and is not one of those modern “easily accessible wines” manipulated by “flying winemakers”. Black cherry and cassis reluctantly hide in the formality of this wine.

Personality: José Maria Cálem, my boss, is a fifth-generation winemaker and this foot trodden in lagares wine shows my heritage of a wine that takes time to reach its peak. I am rich yet somewhat withdrawn and will need a couple more years to reach my peak. I am an old school wine and have no regrets.

Cellarbility: Drinkable now but give it until 2025 to really reward the palate. And I wouldn’t be surprised if this can cruise into 2028.

Food Match: Azorean cheese from St. George Island topped with some Azorean pumpkin jam. Roast baby goat and some Azorean Holy Ghost soup too! It would also suit a Douro duck casserole!

In a nutshell: An old school Douro red taking its time to delight you.

In a nutshell: Michel Rolland go home!

Price: $27. (Ontario)

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 92/100. Roger Voss 94.

(Sagrado Reserva 2015 Douro DOC, Nova Quinta do Sagrado, Porto, Portugal, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 568774, 750 mL, 14%).

RKS 2023 Wine: Are You Hunkering for a Hungarian?

Are we beggars here in Ontario at the mercy of state monopoly Liquor Control Board of Ontario? A dearth of Eastern European wines. I suppose the money trail leads to California, Italy and France. Eastern Europe is too risky. God help us if Polish Pinot Noir floods the market!

The LCBO gods throw us, the curious, a Hungarian red. It is a blend of Merlot (60%), Blaufrankish (30%), Pinot Noir (5%), Cabernet Sauvignon (3%) and Zweigelt (2%). It matured for 8 months in Hungarian oak barrels.

Aroma:  Earthy and smoky in the harem of Sultan Wine. Move beyond this initiality it lands somewhere between a Marechal Foch and a Baco Noir but it is the Blaufrankish speaking.

Palate: Light on its feet with some black cherry and cranberry lurking around or better said lolling in the oak. Some wandering fragments of oak intermingled with coal. Tannins are on the high moderate meter.

Personality: If you were in 1974 Budapest when the Communists were in power and you knocked at the door of a “private club” in the right part of Budapest you might have seen me in the shadows in a dimly lit table smoking Russian cigarettes. I have a husky voice and am full of mysteries.

Food Match:   For some reason I think of my favourite New York common people bistro Les Deux Amis. This would suit a “Bucky Burger” perfectly for a Sunday brunch. I can be stereotypical and say eat with Hungarian goulash over noodles. I have had my fill in Hungary of goulash as a poor student.

Cellarbility: This is a twisty turny wine and hard to read. I would say drink in 2023 but the smoke and Hungarian wood just might improve into 2026 or descend into hell.

Price: $15.95.

In a nutshell: Easy peasy to blow this one off but be a bit patient and inquisitive and you have a complex and difficult wine to deal with. This does not mean it wins a “gold medal” as you must pay for that but go Hungarian wild and enjoy.

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 88/100. David Lawrason 89.

(Kuria Red 2017, Transdanubian PGI, Etyeki Kúria, Etyek, Hungary, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 21272, 750 mL, 14%).

RKS 2023 Wine: Tourism and Algarve Wines

Tourism in Portugal’s Algarve has had both a negative and positive effect on Algarve wineries. Being initially a “sun and beach” destination ramping up in the 1970s the rush for profits and the development of the Algarvian economy focused on sun and beach! Build, build and build more and who cared if vineyard land was worth more to sell in those times than to produce wine or grow grapes.

The sun and beach mentality is changing in the Algarve and for that matter throughout Portugal so that touristic development goes beyond the high altar of sun and beach and folds into that or even discards it in favour of a hybrid form of touristic development giving the opportunity for wine, gastronomy and culture to symbiotically nourish each other. Some have given this approach a name of “wine tourism” but is it wine that leads the way or is it culture or gastronomy?

In the 21st century as the power of the co-operatives declined a new breed of winemakers emerged and perhaps their role is rescuing what otherwise might have been destroyed. A few years ago in the Rhone a small area called Condrieu produced some globally renowned Syrah and Viognier was threatened by a condo development. Fortunately, a national outrage prevented the condo development from gobbling up vineyards.

Sara Silva, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Porto last February, is the President of the CVA (Comissão Vitivinicola do Algarve) Algarve and she points out, “The Algarve lives and breathes tourism. The wines of the Algarve and Algarve tourism need to go hand in hand offering tourists and residents (both Portuguese and foreign) an authentic experience that makes it stand out and provides an alternative to ‘sun and beach’.”

I am sure Ms. Silva would like Algarve wines to take the world by storm but she realizes the small Algarvian volume may make that difficult so being pragmatic local may be the first step to continue the growth of Algarvian wines. Ms. Silva states, “The Algarve’s hotels and restaurants should give priority to the wines of the Algarve in order to enrich people’s gastronomic experience by combining the region’s excellent wines with its excellent cuisine.”

RKS 2023 Wine: Drinking Prohibited Wine in The Azores: Apologies and Gifts from the Portuguese Government

It was another windy and overcast day on Pico Island. I see why the vines are protected by those carrais i.e. lava rock enclosures. So I am savouring my toasted cornbread with a conger eel omelette for breakfast. My friend Fortunato Garcia knows my passion for conger eel so he had brought over some nice fatty conger eel chunks which make an awesome omelette. With a big mug of Brazilian coffee I see 4 huge black Mercedes with Portuguese flags waving on them. They pull up in front of Adega Go Go and a group of very self-important politicos arrogantly survey a small group of locals and walk up to the door wanting to speak with Mr. Stephen. Why do Portuguese politicos need 4 huge Mercedes to visit me? Portuguese puffery?

There is nothing better than Portuguese cornbread with a conger eel omelette! Photo Robert K. Stephen

I approach a middle-aged lady who introduces herself as the acting sub minister for the temporary minister of the Department of Agriculture. With cameras rolling and I mean cameras from all over the world she gives a little speech (in an insincere manner) apologizing to me and the Government of Canada for an “innocent and unattended violation of human rights”. According to this politico I should have never been arrested blaming the “ill-disciplined” Pico Island police force. What a croc of spoilt cod liver oil as we all know it was that special task force of the Portuguese Wine and Food Police that arrested me. Politicians do lie in Portugal I suppose.

The moment before my arrest!

The European Parliament condemned my arrest calling it barbaric! The Portuguese ambassador to Canada was called to the carpet in Ottawa by the Canadian Prime Minister to explain my arrest and threatened with a complete boycott of Portuguese sardines! Oh Pico Island received a massive amount of press and the local government clapped their hands in delight. Touristic bookings to Pico had mushroomed.

As I was a Confrades in the Confraria do Vinho do Porto a special ball in my honour was to be held in Porto (Baile de Gala Confraria do Vinho do Porto). An unwarranted attack on a Confrade is an attack on us all said the Chanceller of the Confrairia! As a token of gratitude and penance for my suffering a small castle had been bestowed to me by the Confraria on Pico Island with the special designation of a Grand Pico Confrade being bestowed on me! As a knight (Confrades) in the Confraria I finally had my Portuguese castle!

Don’t mess with a Confrade! They bite you right back!
I am very proud of my new castle on Pico Island! Photo Robert K. Stephen

As atonement the Portuguese government awarded me honorary citizenship, 5 years of unlimited travel on TAP Portuguese Airlines, a 15,000 Euro gift certificate at Pestana Hotels in Portugal, 50 kilos of Azorean Honey, 10 wheels of the finest cheese from St. George Island, 50 kilos of Conger eel filets and 500 litres of caldo de peixe à moda do Pico! All I had to do was to appear at a press conference and forgive the actions of “certain Portuguese people” leading to my arrest. I really had no hard feelings so I gave the press conference in the Burger King beside the Continente store in Madalena. I said good-bye to the Portuguese delegation who told me the big trial of António Maçanita for atrocities toward Portuguese wine labels was soon beginning.

And to top matters off next Saturday I was to be the guest of honour in Madelena stadium for a football match between the Pico Island Singing Crabs and the Lagos Flying Sardines!

So I am a free man in Pico Island. I am not sure if you readers want to hear more. Do you know there may be a movie about all this affair with Nicole Kidman and that I was to found the Red Wine Institute of Pico Island. Robert Parker would soon be slobbering at my feet after giving my “Singing Crab Isabella 2024” a 99 rating!

RKS 2023Wine: Drinking Prohibited Wine in the Azores: Minimum Security Accommodations at Adega a Go Go!

My last report had me imprisoned in Pico Island in the Portuguese Azores for drinking a wine “Proibida”. I mean it was a free pour and I am not even sure I saw the label yet hours later the Pico police force, all 8 of them, sweep in on me speaking in Portuguese so I had no idea what the charges were. Geez all I had done was to head down to the ocean to “hear the crabs sing” as that is the best place to plant grapes on Pico Island. I just heard angry shouts saying, “Canadian” so thanks to that I could not hear the crabs singing.

Oh my this label has landed me in a big mess! : Photo Robert K. Stephen

I managed to contact the Canadian embassy in Lisbon for help. When I told them I was trying to locate singing crabs they hung up the phone on me! I vociferously demanded to know what the charges were but damned if the Pico Police force knew. They said the order came from Lisbon from the Portuguese Food and Wine Task Force (PFWTF).

I was transferred from my cell which was an unused wine cellar at Adega Go Go to accommodations at Adega Go Go. Adega Go Go was owned by two former Go Go dancers in their eighties who dressed in mini-skirts and white plastic Go Go boots. I had a beautiful room with no security presence around. You see without a passport and my distinctive face I could never leave Pico Island. I had become like that character in Kobo Abe’s “Woman of the Dunes”. The food was superlative and the open bar was second to none. God knows where I am though. I sure can’t hear those damn crabs singing!

Before going to bed one night I watched the Pico Evening news and my eyes popped open as my case had reached the European Parliament and was to be discussed the next day. 15 minutes later the Pico police chief banged on my door to say a special delegation from Lisbon would be arriving from Lisbon to “investigate”.

RKS 2023 Wines: Dichosa Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 from Valle del Maule in Chile

The vines for this wine are whippersnappers at 15 years of age and in addition to oak barrels the wine was aged in concrete giving it a leaner texture than oak only ageing.

Aroma: Full of both black and red fruits all very harmonious and indicative of a smooth and ready to drink Cabernet Sauvignon. Nothing harsh or immature on the nose.

Palate: Smooth and full bodied. Red fruit bulldozes through with light and persistent tannins. Red plum with Bing cherry jam with sour cherry peeking through at the finish.

Personality: I am ready to drink now and I’ll do well without food but even better with it. I am full bodied but not overbearing. Black cherry influences me almost as if there are cherry pie memories. The cherry gives a unique twist to this Cabernet Sauvignon. Please serve me cool!

Food match: That cherry pie filling note on the palate just might make the wine suitable for duck breast or some spicy Azorean crab.

Cellarbility: Improves to 2025 and coasts into 2028.

Price: 28.95. (Ontario)

In a nutshell: Comparisons are odious some say but in wine boo hoo to that. Why bother with Californian Cabernet Sauvignon at this price! My prediction about Chilean reds is that they are a serious threat to high cost Californians.

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 94/100. Patricio Tapia 94.

(Dichosia 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cauquenes, D.O. Valle de Maule, Exportadora Vinos Chilenos, San Vicente de Tagua, Chile, 750 ml, 14.5%, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 272208).

RKS Literature: Do You Want to Be Cared for By a Sick Doctor?

“A warm relationship between doctor and patient is certainly to be welcomed, and there is something to the proposition that only he who suffers can be the guide and healer of the suffering. But can someone truly be the intellectual master of a power to which he himself is enslaved. Can he liberate if he himself is not free? To the average person, the idea of a sick physician remains a paradox, a problematical phenomenon. Instead of being intellectually enriched and morally strengthened by his experience, may he not perhaps find that his knowledge of the disease becomes clouded and confused? He no longer stares down the illness with a hostile eye: he is biased and hardly unequivocal. With all due respect, one must ask whether someone who is part of the world of illness can indeed be interested in curing or even nursing others in the same way a healthy person can.”

Thomas Mann “The Magic Mountain” 1924

RKS 2023 Wine: “The Wines of the Algarve”: Escaping the Sun and Sea Conundrum

I attended the Wine and Tourism Week in late February in Porto, Portugal. The direction seemingly taken by many exhibitors was to move away from promoting wine and broaden it to encompass not only wine but culture and heritage, leisure activities and gastronomic experiences therefore giving a broader definition of wine tourism. Wine is not all but a gateway to other touristic experiences.

The Algarve Wine Region is in the southernmost part of Portugal, along the coast of the Atlantic. Despite its coastal location, the region has a Mediterranean climate, with warm, dry summers and mild winters which allows for the production of high-quality wines. The Algarve is known for both red and white wines which are made from a blend of local and international grape varieties. The Algarve has a unique terroir which includes the influence of the ocean and the rolling hills that provide ample sunshine and protection from the wind. 80% of the wine produced is consumed within the region.

Now mention the Algarve and most people think sun and beach! I have been in the Algarve in 1978 and 2012 and that quaint fishing village with packs of stray dogs now is high rise heaven packed with Brits enjoying their baked beans, eggs and toast at buffet breakfasts. And yes Irish pubs in the Algarve? Yes. Certainly there is more to the Algarve than this! Tourist authorities in the Algarve and in Lisbon are trying to persuade you while you can have the sun and the beach there is wine, culture and gastronomy awaiting you. God help us all if the Algarve becomes a Malagouf!

As Joăo Fernades President of the Algarve Tourism Board has stated,” The Algarve Tourism Board has put wine, along with gastronomy and heritage, at the centre of its marketing strategy as a priority product for the development of local tourism. The entire region is aware of the need to revitalise the sector, promoting its wines and wine tourism projects and positioning itself as a multi-faceted destination with a tourism offering that far exceeds the traditional “Sun and Sea” product.”

RKS Literature: Looking Forward to Funerals!

“I think of a coffin as an absolutely lovely piece of furniture, even when it’s empty, and if there is someone lying in it, it’s quite sublime in my eyes. There’s something so edifying about funerals-I’ve sometime thought that when we need a little spiritual uplift, we should attend funerals rather than church. People wear their best black clothes and take their hats off and gaze at the coffin and seem so serious and devout and no one dares to make bad jokes, the way they normally do.”

Thomas Mann “The Magic Mountain” 1924

RKS 2023 Wine: Drinking Prohibited Wine in The Azores! Please Crowdfund Me to Liberate Me from My Prison!

I sit in the Pico Island Prison for Foreign Wine Writers! The food is so damn good here and the weather is so shitty in Toronto plus the wine they serve beats the shit they serve at the South Detention Centre in Toronto so I think the slammer here ain’t so bad. In fact I have two tattoos already one on my butt of the Pico Island Volcano!

How did they nab me. I blame the Azores Wine Company giving me a bottle of wine Proibida which I found out later means prohibited! They could have told me before that! The label was all crossed out in red so I didn’t know what the hell I was drinking! The Azores Wine Company set me up!

It is a spicy and intriguing wine that the Azorean Wine Company folks violated Portuguese labeling laws with so instead of throwing them out they served it to foreign wine writers. Stinkers! I mean if I was in a better mood I would give it a 92 and eat it tonight with the Holy Ghost Stew they are serving for dinner. Since they have violated the wine bible of Portugal bureaucracy they serve it to all wine writer prisoners here….of which I am the only one.

For God’s sake don’t drink this in the Azores in Portugal or you may die in prison here! Of course now I have mentioned it now will be retailing for thousands of dollars once Robert Parker gives it a 89.999. The cardiologist and neurosurgeons will be guzzling it up while I sit in this prison dreaming of drinking Spumante Bambino!

At my arrest I pleaded ignorance!