RKS Wine: Château le Grand Retour Plan de Dieu Côtes du Rhônes-Villages 2019

The wine is a GSM blend. 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. It comes from 45-year-old vines.

On the nose big fat very ripe strawberries, black cherries, raspberries, red plum and sarsaparilla. Low on tannins with a big undertow of spice, hot red pepper, dark chocolate, black licorice, black cherry and blackberry fruit “wine”. Medium finish. A cloistered and tight-fisted wine. Good food match with Umami Garlic Noodles with Mustard Greens (from New York Times). Drink by the end of 2023. Best suited with food.

(Château Le Grand Retour Plan de Dieu Côtes du Rhône-Villages 2019, AOC Plan de Dieu, Aubert Frères, Travaillan, France, $16.95, 750 mL, 15%, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 224592, RKS Wine Rating 89/100)

“Travels to a Different Time ” : 11July1975: Somewhere in Norway: Obnoxious Norwegian Cries in His Sleep

Hello once again. The obnoxious Norwegian I almost slugged yesterday woke me up with the buzzing of his electric razor. He was keeping us up with his sonic boom snoring and the German guy told me he was crying in his sleep. I woke up and went to the bank to change some money. My clothes were still wet so I put them in a plastic bag and shoved them into my knapsack. A two-and-a-half-hour wait for a lift but it was a long one for 275 kms through incredibly beautiful scenery. Up in the mountains past gushing waterfalls. Up in the mountains I filled my canteen with cold water from a steam. If water can be delicious it was! My driver told me many interesting things about Norway but his English was bad so I just kept nodding. I was left at a terrible spot 12 kms from a youth hostel. After 2 kms I got a lift by some Frenchmen in a Citroen. I set up my tent in the woods near a steam but at an angle so I kept slipping down during the night. I used water from the stream below to wash my face and bush my teeth. Asleep without and dinner at 22:30. I hung my damp clothes outside on a tree.

RKS Film: “Suntan”: Hellenic Film Society USA Presents a Modern Greek Tragedy

“Suntan” is an understatement for this Greek film. The disaster that enfolds in front of your eyes makes the name of the film “Sunburn” and it is a tragedy that has a finger wagging and a voice saying , “Don’t play with me or you’re playing with fire” like in a Rolling Stones song.

Kostis Makridis is to be the new town doctor in a small town on a Greek island. It is a position with the respect and gratitude of the town’s population if it is cultivated. As the mayor says welcoming Kostis it is a small town where everyone in the 800-person village knows each other by name. Now this means everyone knows each other’s business. Kostis arrives on a grey damp day near Christmas and this is a season where a tourist vibrant town shuts down when the tourists leave and times are tough as without tourism the town’s economy also stalls and that is the way for many Greek islands.

Kostis makes no sincere effort to fit in remaining on the fringes. For many the quiet winter might be a time for reflection and reading, writing and long walks to enjoy before the summer explosion.

Kostis is fat, short and not a particularly good-looking man. In his 40’s it is as if life is passing before his eyes. Kostis comes alive after meeting young Anna who is hanging out with a hedonistic crowd that has a priority of partying to excess, fornication , drinking and frolicking around on a nude beach. Anna has had a spill on a motorcycle and the minor injury is attended to by Kostis who receives an invitation to attend with this unruly, disrespecting and immature crowd to the nude beach.

His interest in Anna progresses nicely, at least in his mind.  Anna is only concerned with her own pleasure like a selfish child. Kostis falls deeper in love in his singular mind failing to recognize Anna is only here in the present moment and a true relationship is impossible.

Kostis becomes obsessed with Anna and gets drawn into her make-believe world that life is a party ignoring his practice drawing the ire of the villagers. He starts getting more involved with her hedonistic crowd going further towards the edge out of sync with youthful hedonism.

After “consummating’ his relationship with Anna his obsession with Anna increases but anyone with his faculties about them would realize Anna only know a good time and Kostis is simply past tense in the good time narrative. The film careens to a tragic conclusion.

One could wax about the follies of youth but there is also the folly of a man twice the age of Anna attempting to establish a traditional relationship with Anna. That is the beginning of the end.

A message for those who are disgusted with the lewd and irresponsible behaviours of the young tourist interested selfishly in nothing but a good time living it up in a fantasy world of sex, booze and clubs. It is all about me me me. Sympathy out to the inhabitants of party central having to put up with thousands of drunken spoilt brats for income. Slaves to decadence? As a last note in my early trips to Greece in 1970, 1971 and 1972 I traveled with the young crowd that behaved respectfully. Times have changed and many Greek islands are just another Malagouf.

Makis Papadimitriou as Kostis plays his role as an outsider to a deranged stalker with aplomb and Elli Tringou shines as the flirty and self-obsessed nymph unaware of the peril facing her.

It is no surprise this painful 2016 movie won 6 Hellenic Film Academy Awards including best film, director and actor. Directed by Argyris Papadimitropoulos.

The films are presented by the Hellenic Film Society USA monthly “Greek Films on Demand” and can be streamed virtually from May 6-15. For more information www.hellenicfilmusa.org. You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmFfu_30a8s

RKS Wine: Cabeça de Toiro from Tejo: Portugal’s Fringe Wine Region

If you have familiarity with the red wines of Portugal that are available in Canada it is the Douro that rules. Alentejo trails in second position and Lisboa in third. Dão wines are a distant fourth. Well Tejo is in the “other box” which may be an attraction to the adventuresome. It is sandwiched between the wine regions of Lisboa and Alentejo.

It is a blend of 34% Syrah, 33% Castelão and 33% Touriga Nacional. Castelão has a nickname of Periquita meaning little parrot. It has been aged 9 months in French oak.

Aromas of cherry, ripe raspberries, cassis and a tad of spicy cinnamon. The tannins are restrained. One can’t help notice that spicy cinnamon accompanied by blackberry and crafty acidity which is well woven into the wine. With the acidity I think it is a good “with food” wine. In my last visit to Greece I had some very interesting chicken prepared in a tomato sauce with a pinch of cinnamon. Recently I tried a Turkish green bean recipe with cinnamon. This wine would be an ideal match for those dishes.

I would drink this year. Where acid is noticeable even when well integrated into a red wine I become a bit skitterish about ageing it.

(Cabeça de Toiro 2017 Reserva, DOC Tejo, Enoport, Rio Maior, Portugal, $17.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 25248, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine Rating 89/100).

“Travels to a Different Time” : 10July1975: Fauske, Norway: Mystery Woman Disappears : Obnoxious Norwegian

The girl, I don’t know her name, was up at 7:30 and took a shower and was on the road. I was next and packed up and hit the road. Picked up by some Frenchmen. Next ride with a Norwegian and two girl hitchhikers he had picked up. The girls got off at Narwick and we continued on. The roads here are not that great and there are many potholes. We had to take two ferries. They were heading off in a different direction so they let me off at Fauske where I really had to stay as I had no Norwegian currency. I stayed at some hostel but it was more like a cheap hotel that members of some club can stay at. Most of the guests are old and have cars and money. I checked in and rushed out to get some food as I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours. Ate well and returned to my room to do a wash. I met a German guy and played some Frisbee. While we were getting ready for bed some weird Norwegian guy stormed in and demanded we turn the radio off. I could have slugged him.

RKS Film: “Delikado”: Philippine Big Business and Politics and a Murderous Rampage Slaughters Environmentalists

Toronto Hot Docs 2022 screened “Delikado” but due to an overwhelming volume of films received I could not review it until it is too late to watch it in theatre or virtually within that Festival. But it is an engrossing documentary that will not fade away and keep an eye out for it in your country.

The Palawan Rain Forest is one of the oldest and most diverse rainforests in the world. But it is also an emerging tourist destination, a rich fishing ground, a site for plantations, a prime illegal logging ground and a hotbed for corruption and violence. Global Witness has declared the Philippines the most dangerous country in the world for environmentalists.

The Palawan Rain Forest is being stripped by resort developers, plantation development, illegal fishing and illegal logging. Yet the corrupt political system aids the rain forest rapists under the guise of “development” that would seem to be driven by relatives of politicians “developing” the area. The Governor of the province where Palawan is located has a brother who owns a resort in Palawan and the Governor of that region is a cousin of human rights violator President Duterte. You oppose the President and his relatives and cronies and suddenly you are a narco-politician and subject to harassment and death threats. The machinery of the state is oiled very well by greed and corruption not a true war against narcotics.

As the police, army and allies of Duterte are defenders of commercial interests raping and pillaging Palawan it is up to desperate citizen groups in Palawan such as the Palawan NGO Network Incorporated (PNNI) to stalk illegal loggers and fishers and steal their chainsaws and boats and damage their equipment. But the illegals are poor and desperate and they are the pawns of commercial interests operating out of Manila. But the PNNI has had many of its activists murdered. The environmentalist mayor of a Palawan village El Nido is facing re-election is put on Duterte’s “narco politicians list” and threatened with murder for being one of his opponents. The mayor is harassed and tailed by the police and arms herself. She loses the election to a candidate Edna Lim who publicly favours big business and unchecked tourist development and muses that politicians paying off voters is the way in the Philippines.

Perhaps I will stop here. A few years ago I reviewed a documentary about the Philippines fighting Muslim insurgents as a civil war. It was not received well in the Philippines. I don’t buy Duterte’s war on narcos as a true war but a brazen and brutal attempt to cleanse any opposition to his regime and hand it back to the Marcos family. Where are his mobile crematoriums?

A rather depressing and repetitive theme of violation of the rights of indigenous people. In Peru it is destructive gold mining and in the Philippines the “development” of Palawan with cash registers ringing in Manila.

Directed by Karl Malakunas.

RKS Wine: Reflections on Perhaps Overly Generous Wine Writers and a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon

In the perfect communist world the proletarian masses would seize power and transform society so that the state would “wither away”. In a perfect world wine consumers would educate themselves through instruction or a willingness to diversify and try different wines from different wine producing countries to develop good comparative knowledge so the wine writer would “wither away”. But we don’t live in a perfect world and the wine writer survives to guide the less than educated wine consumer.

But what does a 97 from Luca Maroni mean or a 92 from Robert Parker or a 76 from Robert Stephen mean? Unfortunately, much wine is marketed on the basis of scores from a wine writer. The score means little unless you have experience with that wine writer. I often laugh at the outlandishly high scores from Luca Maroni. I cringe a bit with scores from James Halliday. I think James Suckling is two-three points too generous. Roger Voss of Wine Enthusiast is usually right on. And of course I agree with Robert Stephen all the time! But being a proponent of let the wine critic wither away who cares what any of these writers say! Put a wine in front of them you might get totally differing interpretations.

So what does the esteemed Robert Stephen think of the Chilean Lagar de Codegua 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile?

On the nose there is some hot and runny blueberry pie just out of the oven, currants, blackberry and some minty nuances a hallmark of many Chilean wines. On the palate moderate but broadly based tannins with raspberry jam, black cherry, Kicking Horse Smart Ass coffee and some Chambord. Medium length finish. Since I mentioned “Smart Ass” that gives me license to say this is a tight assed wine unlike many Californian Cabs. I mean it is not bowling you over with richness. A restrained Cabernet Sauvignon and if you like that style go for this wine. I would match it with a Potato and Eggplant Gratin. See the New York Times for that recipe.

It may open up a bit in the next two years.

By the way James Suckling gave this a 93 and was ranked # 55 in his top 100 Chilean wines of 2021.

(Lagar de Codegua Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, DO Rancagua, Alto Cachapoal, $19.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 19248, 750 mL, 14%, RKS Wine Rating 89/100).

RKS Wine: Wonderful Washington State?

In the past few months, with some exceptions, I am looking to Washington for quality affordable red wine. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon have proven to be winners and superior to Californian in the same price range.

I couldn’t resist picking up a Drumheller 2018 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. You see Drumheller is a city in the province of Alberta in Canada. I can imagine this wine being a big seller in the bustling metropolis of Drumheller Alberta.

On the nose there is a Washingtoness to the wine which is a bit hard to define other than it has the smell of quality far above its price range. If I can be mystical blueberry, older American oak,  raspberry, milk chocolate, black cherry and cedar. On the palate the tannins are soft and the acids are under control. There is a warmth and coziness to the palate above its price range. There is black cherry, raspberry pie and cactus pear with a short finish. Would suit Beef or Mushroom Wellington if you have the energy to make it. I have an image of sitting in Paterson Washington in the fall with a roaring fire and some good jazz with a bottle of this wine. Cozy indeed!

Drink by the end of 2023. I do not think it will improve in the bottle.

(Drumheller Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Columbia Valley, Washington , Drumheller Wines, Paterson, Washington, $18.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 551473, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine Rating 92/100)

RKS Wine: Greek Cabernet Sauvignon: More to Greek Red Wine than Xinomavro

I curl up in a ball of apprehension when Greek Xinomavro’s are released. They are dry and astringent like an immature Barolo but give an Xinomavro 8 years in the bottle my apprehension melts as it has aged as it should. By the way a sparkling Xinomavro can be a real treat.

As for Greek Cabernet Sauvignon we get so little of it here in Ontario it is hard to give an overall comment about that grape in the hands of Greek wineries. So we take a shot in the dark with a budget Synastry Cabernet Sauvignon from Zacharias in the Peloponnese.

On the nose sleekness. Some blueberry, black cherry and red currants all very lean. On the palate tannins are minimal. Brackish and faintly bitter with dilute red fruit. At this price there is far better value in Portugal and southern France. If I may make a comparison to lacklustre Niagara Cabernet Sauvignon I would. If you were to buy pair with authentic Greek Gyros or souvlaki with fries tucked into it. The wine has as much charm as a fire sale of Greek state assets to German, French and Chinese commercial interests to pay down its debt.

(Zacharias Synastry Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, PDO Peloponnese, $14.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario 647479, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine Rating 79/100).

RKS Wine: So You Want Your Wine Reviewed?

So you think you have a great wine that is going to tear up the market and you’ll be rewarded for your hard work. Dream on. Unless you market it you’ll be stuck with it unless of course you want to devote all your energy to direct sales from winery to the consumer. However even then you may have missed a step and that is getting people in the door or ready at your internet ordering portal.

Unfortunately in today’s world a high score acts like a magnet for a consumer to grab a bottle. Is there any reason, for example,the only score you see on the shelves at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario is 90 or greater? And it is the number that counts more than who is giving it. It is a number’s game. And who thinks the Wine Spectator, James Suckling or the Wine Enthusiast even wants to review your wine. Also do you want to pay a fee to have your wine reviewed a la pay to drink?

So what are some of the steps you might want to consider?

  1. Identify the reviewers that are available to review your wine. A good idea would be to check to see if there are professional organizations of wine writers you can glean names of writers from. In Canada that might be the Wine Writers’ Circle of Canada.
  2. Pay attention to writers that may be soliciting you for samples. Are they legitimate or are they trying to scam free juice? Check their reviews by a Google search or ask for a sample review.
  3. This is not the time to be cheap. There are many writers who write as a matter of passion and derive no income. In essence they are doing you a favour giving you exposure at the cost of a bottle or two. Ignore them at your peril.
  4. Have you considered bringing the reviewer(s) to your winery? How much would a chartered bus cost with some lunch and a tasting. There is no better way to have a writer be able to identify you with an experience at your winery. I find it odd the EU has a large budget to bring wine writers to Europe to review wines but Canada seems to have no centralized wine promotion body with a budget to bring wine writers to Canada. An example of cheap!
  5. Beware of “social influencers” who may be more interested in promoting themselves than your wine. Are they interested in your wines or shots oif their beautiful personages in your vineyard.
  6. Once you have trust in a wine writer keep in touch and provide samples. They will appreciate your attention as hustling samples is tedious due to the cheapness of so many wineries.
  7. If you have social media and you like the review then post it as this gives the writer a bigger audience and that will be appreciated.
  8. If you are hosting special events at your winery why not ask your wine writers too?
  9. If you are providing samples a “tech sheet” and bottle shots are appreciated.
  10. Consider giving double samples as if a bottle is off the reviewer will have another bottle to sample.
  11. If you have any special events at your winery think about having a tasting session given by a wine writer.

Photo: Robert K. Stephen