I woke up early and it was so cold I just wanted to stay in a warm sleeping bag. I forced myself up, packed and dismantled my tent. I had some salami, chocolate cookies and mineral water for breakfast. I took the bus to Mikulas and wanted to get off at the highway but the conductor said no. Yes a big effort to let me off eh? I walked back to the highway in this crappy Czech weather. Cold, dark and windy. It was so cold that in addition to my jacket I had to drape a blanket over me. They are swimming in Greece and I am in the snow. I got a lift with a speed maniac in a Russian car that had tires that squealed loudly at every turn. These Russian cars ain’t so good! He took me out of his way to a good spot on the highway and I had two girls walk by me and they were too close to me when they put their hands out for a lift. They got the first lift and then I got a lift with an army officer, a captain. Thank goodness he was a Czech and not a Russian army officer. I don’t trust these Russians. They invaded Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. He had a new Yugoslav car and the ride was smooth. Beautiful scenery up here in the Tatra Mountains. He had his young son sitting in the back. We stopped for a Pepsi. He drove me around to a few hotels and found a cheap one at $6.20. Cold water only but spotless and right near the city and the highway to my next destination Brno. It is simply too cold to camp. I had a good dinner and a flat beer for $1.75. I returned to my room and read for a bit and slept in a warm room. Tomorrow is Sunday and I am sure everything will be closed.
RKS Wine: Christmas in April: Stag’s Hollow Media Pack Part 1
Imagine driving the other half to downtown Toronto and heading back after the drop off to buy ¾ of a tank of gas for $90. Then a package at the doorstep from Stag’s Hollow in British Columbia’s Okanagan wine district. Unexpected as if Santa was pleased at me for being such a good boy not uttering a word by me being robbed by Big Gas!
The first delight (hopefully) was a 2021 Syrah Rosé. Stag’s Hollow arguably crafts some of the best Syrah in Canada so their rosé should follow right?
In the glass it has a copper colour. On the nose some sweet red cherry, raspberry, strawberry persimmons, cedar, banana and fresh baked cinnamon buns. On the palate the first thing I notice is a long finish with a tad of heat and an undercurrent tinged with a wisp of white pepper. It is light on its feet but the undercurrent buffs up its sneaky muscular nature. It has a great bod! It’s tight and not flashing its fruit. Due to its tight structure best with food or on its own on a hot day. I would pair with a summer tomato salad with tomatoes from the Douro in Portugal but given the geographical distance made with the sweetest field tomatoes Canada can produce. There is enough acidity to match tomatoes but not enough to demean and cheapen the wine. It would also suit some grilled baby goat. There are a multitude of nondescript rosés on the market. This is not one of them.
It is so interesting that this is so light on its feet whilst the Stag’s Hollow Syrah’s are so robust. There is no oak involved and the grapes were hand harvested and destemmed before pressing. Removing the stem prior to pressing reduces the tannins.
Only 180 cases were made. The winery thinks it has ageing potential over the next three years. I won’t argue with that. Would it suit salmon? That’s a hard one. Farm raised for sure but wild salmon I am not certain but worth a try. 1% Viognier in this. I wonder what 5-7% Viognier might do?
(Stag’s Hollow 2021 Syrah Rosé, Okanagan Valley, BC VQA, Stag’s Hollow Winery, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, $25 (or $32 for 4 x 250 mL cans) 750 mL, 13%, RKS Wine Rating 91/100).
Given the scant production best to order from the winery at www.stagshollowwinery.com
“Travels To a Different Time” : 5June1975: Podbanške, Czechoslovakia: Simmering Hatred for Mother Russia: It’s Snowing
As I head into the Tatra Mountains it is getting increasingly cold. Went to the train station and took a train heading up towards the Tatra Mountains. An incredibly beautiful ride and it was snowing when I reached my destination. Took a quick look at a couple of hotels but pricey at $8 so I hit the road and obtained a lift with a Czech couple. Their hatred for the Russians and their 1968 August invasion was unbridled. The Russian soldiers are still occupying the country. They dropped me off at a camping site. The poor bureaucrat was unsure how to treat a Westerner and he had mounds of paperwork to complete. I set up my tent and gathered some firewood for a small fire. The chill in the air is monstrous for June! Somewhat warm I crawled into my tent. Boy it was cold.
6June1975: Podbanške, Czechoslovakia: Loud Czech Teeny Boppers Had the usual wash and shave chattering in the frigid air. I walked into the village and bought some beer, cookies and fish. The bread would be ready in an hour so forget the bread. After this lunch a walk up the mountain slope which was both invigorating and scenic. Back at 5 to a crowd of Czech teeny boppers on a school trip. Gathered some firewood and a nondescript supper. I started a fire but the rain came and extinguished it by 9:30. By 10 drifted off to sleep with the noise of the excited teeny boppers
RKS Film: “Geographies of Solitude”: Toronto Hot Docs Festival
“Geographies of Solitude” features Canada’s Sable Island which is 20 miles long and 1 mile wide. It is some 100 miles off Nova Scotia. It might be described as barren and lonely as there is no residential population and no place to stay for potential visitors.
Zoe Lucas has been living on Sable Island for some 40 years conducting research. Filmmaker Jacquelyn Mills set out to explore the island through Lucas. The viewer will be treated to the unearthing of the rugged beauty of the island and of course its famous wild horses some 450 of them. There is an abundance of flora, fauna and geography to marvel at. It will banish the notion Sable Island is barren or desolate. Follow Lucas and she takes you over the island and explains her work.
Not to trivialize but watching the documentary is like taking a vacation combined with innovative cinematography as a bonus. Mills is in the background and Lucas is no red-hot flaming ecologist. She works quietly and with determination. While Greta Thunberg might give you a throbbing headache Lucas is quiet and worth listening to.
Lucas tracks and records just about every living creature on the island. Like many of us she is concerned with plastics in the ocean. Of the dead seabirds she analyzes stomach contents of she discovers 72% of them have significant amount of plastics. Then there are plastic containers and balloons from all over the world washing up on the beach and those pernicious plastic pellets.
The movie concludes with a dead horse on the beach which upsets Mills and me! Lucas says with sincerity death is part of life on Sable Island as the decomposing carcass will fertilize the ground letting plants and flowers thrive which the horses and foals consume hence the cycle continues.
As a reviewer of film I often scribble pages of notes and stop, start and replay a film. I cruised through the entire film without taking many notes partially because the visuals are hard to describe in words but mostly the story and cinematography were very compelling so why stop and ruin it! Move over world and Galapagos we have Sable Island in Canada.
You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgKdTQJLgwM .
The film shows at Toronto Hot Docs Festival on April 30/May 4 and as of May 1 you can stream it for 5 days.
RKS Film Rating 91/100.
RKS Film: “My Two Voices” (Mis dos voces)
The documentary “My Two Voices” by Lina Rodriguez offers an intimate portrait of three Latina women who have immigrated to Canada.
It may throw you initially because you hear their voices but it is not until the conclusion of the documentary you see their faces. Strangely this works in such a way that you focus on what the women are saying and are not distracted by their faces or prompted to make any value judgements based on their faces. The result is to create a fuller sense of intimacy. In addition, your attention is distracted by the camera focusing on various items such as jewelry or plants. And when you see their faces they look you in the eye without any dialogue so that you feel they are in the room with you. Brave and innovative filmmaking.
The documentary is about the Canadian immigrant experience and thoughts raised about that which many viewers will not be familiar with particularly if they have had little interaction with newly arrived immigrants to Canada. For example ordering food can be a daunting experience. I will let you discover their inner thoughts when you watch the film.
As one women says we have two voices one of which is your language and the other is the new language. But it is more than language it is about having dual personalities.
Bravo Ms. Rodriguez. You have done a fine job!
You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZNSAaTq05I
Showing at Toronto Hot Docs Festival April 29/May 3 and available on April 30 for 5 days of streaming.
RKS Film Rating 87/100.
“Travels to a Different Time” : 3June1975: Prešov, Czechoslovakia: Bad First Impressions: The Men in White Coats
I woke up in my shanty shack and was delighted to see no rain and even some blue patches in the sky. I wanted a shower but it was freezing cold so I declined! The weather so far in Austria and Hungary has been atrocious. I headed into the village knapsack on my back getting many stares from the inhabitants of the town. Milk, rolls and a chocolate bar for breakfast. I sat down on a bench next to a strange character babbling away. Two men in white coats took him away. I hit the road and waited a half hour for a lift which was with a Hungarian who had worked in Toronto. The Czech border was a hassle. You must spend $7 a day here but not having cash I proffered my American Express traveler’s cheques which caused a two-hour discussion amongst the border guards. One doltish looking customs official looked through my knapsack. Really do they think I am a spy? The jerks were teasing a girl my age who was near tears. Sexist pigs. I got a ride to Kosice then an hour walk to Prešov where I got a spot in a campground. The WC was closed and there was one sink with cold water only. The restaurant on the campground had a WC but it rivalled the filth pits of Istanbul. A horrible stench. I had a late lunch in the campground restaurant which was so disgusting I could not eat it. It made the greasy Yugo goulash look like a 5-star hotel meal. Even the beer, yes the famous Czech beer, was undrinkable. Given the filthy and repulsive WC not eating the food was a wise decision. I had to go into town for an edible lunch and a very good beer.
RKS Wine: 2019 Alice Vieira de Souza: Another Douro Winner?
Quality control is the name of the game in Portugal’s Douro region perhaps due to the thoroughness of its “regulator” Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP). I must say over the years there have been almost no corked or low-quality wines I have encountered from the Douro.
And price can be deceptive. There have been some big winners under $15 many of those requiring several years of patience and cellaring to really shine. It is as if one is taken back to Bordeaux of decades ago where wines were bottled under the expectation they would be suitable for drinking years later.
So is this wine a Douro winner? It is a blend of the usual suspects Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca. On the nose it is virtually exploding with black fruit. Blackberry with a little hook of spice predominates. There is also some very vibrant black cherry. Also a note of creaminess. On the palate indeed there is some creaminess with some tannins hovering on the medium spectrum. While there may be some creaminess the wine has a firm backbone which might benefit from 2-4 years of ageing. The fruit is strawberry, raspberry with a bit of black licorice.
(Alice Vieira de Souza 2019 Tinto Reserva, DOC Douro, Vieira de Souza Vines and Vines, Celeirós, Portugal, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 548560, 750 mL, 14.5%, RKS Wine Rating 91/100).
Again most Douro reds are built for food. I think some Portuguese soft cheeses topped with homemade cherry jam of which I made a dozen jars of would make this wine proud. Would this pair with the Serra da Estrela soft cheese many Portuguese are so proud of? I am torn on this thinking a Dão Encruzado would be the best match, a LBV Port or this wine? I’d have to return to Portugal to make that determination!
RKS Wine: Creekside Estate Winery 2017 Iconoclast Syrah
Can Niagara produce a quality Syrah? When it comes to quality red wines in Ontario I put my hand up to get the attention of the Wine Gods and respond I think Ontario can excel with Gamay Noir and Cabernet Franc but aside from that? So stone me to death for daring to speak my mind. I have tested my thesis on many a Liquor Control Board of Ontario Vintages consultant and just about all agree with this assessment. Sure there are some decent Merlots and Pinot Noirs but the Okanagan is where I will go for those. But before you let that stone fly at my noggin I plead for forgiveness and say I haven’t given up yet.
Trying now a Creekside Estate Winery 2017 Iconoclast Syrah from St. David’s Bench in Niagara. A great nose brimming with blackberries, blueberries and Cott Black Cherry Cola. Houston do we have a winner here or will there be a King Richard moment when a spoilt Icon comes up and bashes my face for slighting his beloved Niagara Syrah’s?
On the palate the wine more or less falls apart saying, “Ontario ari ari o is no place for Syrah”. No fruit just a very empty and dilute finish. Back to the drawing board!
(Creekside Estate Winery 2017 Iconoclast Syrah, VQA St. David’s Bench, Creekside Estate Winery, Jordan, Ontario, $25, (buy at the winery or have them ship it to you) 750 mL, 13.3%. RKS Wine Rating 79/100).
“Travels to a Different Time” : 2June1975: Tokaj, Hungary: Prisoner of the Rain; Horking up a Fish Bone Caught in My Throat
Yet more rain so I will stay in my shanty town shack for another day. I still have Hungarian currency I need to spend. Performed my morning ablutions and hit the town where I trudged to the other restaurant in town for lunch. I seemed to be surrounded by bureaucrats on their lunch break. I started off with some fish soup and unfortunately, I had a fish bone stuck in my throat. I went to the washroom and horked it out. Too noisy and rude to do this in public. I had a slight panicky feeling wondering if I became seriously ill in the middle of nowhere what sort of medical care is available? The fish soup was very spicy and a cold beer was needed to put out the fire. I continued on with fried fish and potatoes and lunch was $2. I came home to shanty town and read and had a nap. At 6:30 I headed out for my last Hungarian dinner which was a pork cutlet, potatoes and two cherry vodkas. Exciting person that I am as in bed at 20:30. Off to Czechoslovakia tomorrow!
RKS Wine: Malivoire 2020 Estate Grown Chardonnay
This light gold wine grabs your nose right off the bat with a unique bit of spiciness and ginger. I emphasize “a bit” because it does not detract one from the baked apple with cinnamon and brown sugar, the pear, the mango and the pineapple. Positively tropical old man! On the palate it strikes one as a laid-back Chardonnay with well integrated fruit and oak. The palate I would call clean with lemon, clementine and pear notes. I would not say this wine has a creamy texture but twenty minutes after it is opened there is a small creamy texture that sneaks in.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario Vintages catalogue suggests matching the wine with fish and chips, pasta primavera or roast turkey. I won’t debate that but the tiny ginger influence has me thinking of my famous Sino Italian fusion dish which involves wokking garlic, ginger, snow peas, cashews and shrimp with a drizzle of sesame seed oil and fish sauce. Serve over bucatini bathed in pesto. Sounds odd but it works. I think this is a wine best consumed with food.
45% of the wine was aged in neutral oak and I can only detect a tiny amount of oak.
(Malivoire 2020 Estate Grown Chardonnay, VQA Beamsville Bench, The Malivoire Wine Company Limited, Beamsville, Ontario, $17.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 573147, 12.5%, 750 mL, RKS Wine Rating 89/100).
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