Memories of Dylan Stephen: A Westie Now in the Land Beyond: Could Have I Handled Another Dog?

More than other dogs one sees double Westies with a master. I am not sure why? We West Highland Terriers are independent dogs and manage quite well on our own in a human family. I will admit I was a singleton meaning I was the only pup in the litter. Perhaps this made me comfortable living solo? Master Robert and Mistress Fotini gave some thought in my senior years to adding another dog to the family. A few years before my demise Mistress Fotini found a small dog on a walk that was lost. She brought it home fearing if it strayed to a nearby main road it would be squashed. The dog was a bit bossy and tried to monopolize the attention of Master Robert and Mistress Fotini. Yes I know Master Robert who knows dogs (with some 45 years of dog experience) so well was simply trying to calm down the poor fellow but I was JEALOUS! In any case calls were made to Toronto Animal Control and the owner came to collect the dog. A bossy dog is not welcome in my sphere. Good riddance.

And two years before my demise while walking in my favourite off leash park in Toronto, Sherwood Park we met Reggie a cute Havanese mix with his foster parents. Man we hit it off big time. Master Robert and Mistress Fotini learnt it was an Egyptian rescue dog from Snookie’s Society a small dog rescue organization based in Toronto. We put our name in but alas it was too late. Then there was another dog we all liked but when I went to visit his foster parents where I said a quick hello and went on a discovery mission in their backyard peeing up a storm. I love discovering and leaving pee mail messages. Needless to say the report was very erroneous in saying I had no interest in the dog. INCORRECT! I liked that dog but sometimes we West Highland Terriers just have other priorities like peeing!

So I am in The Land Beyond now and poor Master Robert and Mistress Fotini are a bit like a ship without a rudder. But the rudder is a dog. I may be in Davey Jones’s Locker but Master Robert and Fotini are on the ship and the seas ahead are a bit rough.

RKS 2023 Wine: South Africa Can Do It All!

Red, white, sweet and sparkling wine which South Africa can do and some very well. We try a Graham Beck Brut made in the traditional method i.e. the way that Champagne is made. It is made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Aroma: Peach, apricot, wet stone and Challah Bread.

Palate: Classic Champagne “bite”. Peach, peach jam, pineapple and mango. Mid-weight with a short crisp finish with some juiciness.

Personality: So what if I do not have the French hyped pedigree of Champagne. I can hang with the big boys. If the big tech billionaires, cardiologists and captains of industry are too busy holding their noses pooh pooing South Africa it is their loss.

Cellarbility: Will hold until the end of 2025.

Food Match: Fish and chips.

Price: $24.95 CDN.

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 91/100. David Lawrason 90.

(Graham Beck Brut, W.O. Western Cape, Graham Beck, Robertson, South Africa, 750 mL, 12%).

RKS 2023 Wine: Chilean Chardonnay From Itata Valley

Chilean Chardonnay encountered this year has been less than impressive. Before writing it off it deserves a couple more chances.

We try a Pandolfi Price Larkün 2018 Chardonnay from Chile’s Valle Del Itata. The Itata Valley is Chile’s oldest viticultural region which has been producing wine for more than 450 years. Its abundant rainfall and rich red soils favor traditional varietals such as Pais and Moscatel de Alejandría but finer more export friendly varietals such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon also flourish in the region.

Aroma: Has that classic pear and apple component one would expect from a Chardonnay so it passes the basic test of a stainless-steel Chardonnay. A bit of a lemon lime as well.

Palate: Run of the mill Chardonnay with acids under control. Pear, guava with some very faint white grapefruit on a medium length finish. Clean and simple lacking any faults.

Personality: Simple and straightforward. Sometimes simple is good.

Food Match: Yes Parmesan cheese!

Price: $19.95 (CDN).

RKS 2023 Wine: 89/100. Jamessuckling.com 93.

(Pandolfi Price Larkün 2018 Chardonnay 2018 D.O. Valle Del Itata, Agricola Santa Inés, Nuble, Chile, 750 mL, 14%).

Memories of Dylan Stephen: A Westie Now in the Land Beyond: A Couple of Endearing Nicknames

I have previously told you that The Stephen Family had many nicknames for me. I suppose all said and done I most like “Dilby”, “Dilly” and “Pumpkin”.

Alex P down the street was often outside her house on the veranda watching the world go by. Sometimes she was smoking a cigarette and had a Diet Coke in her hand. She called me “The King” as I was so well treated by The Stephen Family. Master Robert was knighted in Portugal a few years back so it was like we had royalty in the family. Regrettably Alex P died a year or so before my death. Yes I missed her and her conversations with Master Robert. As they chatted I would rest on the front lawn.

There was also “The White Shadow”. On a Master Robert and Mistress Fotini trip to Greece the year before I died I stayed for 3 weeks with V my long-time walker. I followed V around the house doggedly so being a white dog was rewarded with the nickname “The White Shadow”.

Could it be that as the cutest dogs in the world West Highland Terriers inspire so many nicknames?

RKS 2023 Wine: Boschendal 2020 Chardonnay from South Africa

Boschendal makes a very good Chenin Blanc so what can it do with a Chardonnay?

Aroma: Apple, pear, mango, guava and a smattering of pineapple.

Palate: There was some oak maturation of the wine but there are no flagrant oak notes on the palate or on the nose. Fair to say the oak does “beef up” the Chardonnay giving it a full mouthfeel and making it a bit more impressionistic than a stainless steel only Chardonnay.  Lemon and lime but without the citrus bite. Speaking of bite no noticeable acids making this a particularly smooth Chardonnay with no “buttery” influence.

Personality: I am a full-bodied Chardonnay not overly corrupted by oak. In my humble opinion the winemaker who oaked me knew the process of making a good lightly oaked Chardonnay.

Cellarbility: Drink through until the end of 2025.

Food Match: Chicken or rabbit on the grill simply marinated with lime, EVO Oil and oregano.

Price: $18.95 (CDN).

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 89/100.

(Boschendal Chardonnay 2020, Boschendal Wines, W.O. Western Cape, Groot Drakenstein, South Africa, 750 mL, 13.5%).

RKS 2023 Literature: The Appropriate Marriage (Charles Dickens)

“You to marry a second time without family! You to marry without beauty! You to marry without dignity! You to marry without connection! There is nobody in the world, not mad, who could dream of daring to entertain such a preposterous idea”!

“Dombey and Son”, “Charles Dickens

Memories of Dylan Stephen: A Westie Now in the Land Beyond: My Sudden Respect for Cats

Many humans assume put a cat and dog in each other’s space and a dog goes on attack mode. My one combative cat experience happened when I was barely out of puphood. Out for a walk I saw a cat ahead of me on the street and to the dismay of Master Robert I slipped out my collar and made a beeline for the cat and the damn cat scratched my nose causing it to bleed! My one and only foray into cat combat. Being a West Highland Terrier, we have a history of ratting which means we chase and destroy rodents, We catch one in our mouth and shake it back and forth and break its neck. Cruel you say. But can I excuse myself by saying I thought a cat is a rodent which no doubt will inflame a torrent of anti-Westie vitriol! Instinct dear reader. Instinct.

Now as it so happened in my later years The Stephen Family’s friend Mr. G acquired two ragdoll cats and when visiting Mr. G’s I was well mannered and refrained from attacking the cats. Cat claws are dangerous weapons. I count myself lucky on that initial attack as the injury could have been much worse!

RKS 2023 Wine: Ontario Gamay Leads the Pack For 2023

The highest scoring red wine by RKS 2023 Wine so far is an Ontario Gamay by the name of Bachelder les Villages 2020 from the Niagara Peninsula. Other Ontario Gamays are also running hot up near the leaders of the pack. Hear the wolves howling?

Can the streak continue with a 13th Street Winery 2020 Gamay?

No oak involved here but rather stainless steel.

2000 cases were made.

Aroma: Loads of blackberry, black cherry, milk chocolate enveloped in a light smoky cloud.

Palate: Who said Gamay is a light, fresh and fruity wine? Well it can be that but wine always operates within boundaries. It is not light. It is bordering on full bodied. Fresh as in youthful? No. Fruity? Tight fruit with dusty cherry predominating with some blackberry and blueberry in 4th gear. Peppery short finish.

Personality: If you were looking for any elegance don’t unscrew my Stelvin cap. I am a back-alley Gamay.

Cellarbility: Drink by the mid point of 2024.

Food Match: Mushroom stroganoff or lamb burger.

Price: $ 19.95 CDN.

RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 88/100.

(13th Street Winery 2020 Gamay, VQA Niagara Peninsula, The Thirteenth Street Wine Corp., St Catharines, Ontario, 750 mL, 13%).

RKS Literature 2023: Woman by Day Skeleton at Night (Charles Dickens)

“Thus they remained for a long hour, without a word, until Mrs Skewton’s maid appeared, according to custom, to prepare her gradually for the night. At night she should have been a skeleton, with dart and hour-glass, rather than a woman, this attendant; for her touch was as the touch of Death. The painted object shrivelled underneath her hand; the form collapsed, the hair dropped off, the arched dark eyebrows changed to scanty tufts of grey, the pale lips shrunk, the skin became cadaverous and lose; an old worn nodding woman with red eyes, alone remained in Cleopatra’s place, huddled up, like a slovenly bundle, in a greasy flannel gown.”

“Dombey and Sons”, Charles Dickens