RKS Wine: Trying to Find One of the Smoothest and Most Delicious Red Wines: The Tears of Christ

Was it the view of the Bay of Naples? Was it the sights of Capri and Sorrento? Or was it actually the wine? Four years ago when air travel was simply a pain as opposed to today’s huge pain and hassle I was in Naples for 5 days courtesy of the EU to do some wine tasting and as I write about travel to see Vesuvius and some of the main sights of Naples and of course eat at some of Naples traditional and well established restaurants. After the tour was over I met up with the better half and we visited Sorrento, Capri, Positano, the Amalfi Coast and a few villages.

During my media tour I discovered an incredibly smooth and elegant wine called Lacryma Christi which one can translate into the “Tears of Christ”. Upon returning to Canada, I believe I have seen it brought into the Liquor Control Board of Ontario twice and now on January 22 a third time. The previous two were fine but a far cry from that Lacryma Christi I had in the Greater Naples area. Was it the wine or was it the happy headspace and surroundings that influenced sensory perceptions?

A legendary Lacryma Christi on my Sorrento Balcony; Photo Robert K. Stephen

There are legends about how the wine acquired its name. One is that when Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, he looked down and saw the Bay of Naples and it was so beautiful he cried with his tears landing on the volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius where grape vines miraculously sprung up!

So we try a Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso. Mastroberardino is one of the premier winemakers in Campania and I had the privilege of meeting one of its winemakers who took me on a tour of a few small plantings they have in the Vesuvius archaeological site.

How is their Lacryma Christi? Has my Holy Grail been obtained? Deep aroma of black cherry predominates. But there also are bits of sweet cranberry, milk chocolate on the bouquet. On the palate the tannins are mild and oblique. There is black cherry but I find it far more austere that the Lacryma Christi of my Naples memory. Some wines grown on Vesuviusian volcanic soils have a bit of coal on the palate but not this one. It is hard to live up to a legend. Am I a dog chasing my tail?

The wine is from 100% Piedirosso (red chicken feet) grapes grown on the slopes of Vesuvius.

I would be more than happy to have this with the great pizza that Naples can produce. Drink now. Tried over three days.

(Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi Del Vesuvio Rosso 2020 DOC, Mastroberardino, Artipalda, Italy $22.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 340588, 750 mL, 12.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 86/100).

Great to sip watching the HBO Europe series “30 Coins”.

“Travels to a Different Time” : June 6, 1971: Welcome Comrades on Our Cruise Ship Adsharia: Puking in My Shoes: No Corfu!

Diary Entry Margaret Mary Stephen: We boarded the Russian cruise ship Adsharia at Piraeus disembarking at Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia. We were delightfully surprised by the large cabin, air conditioning and a porthole. As soon as we boarded we were requested to go for lunch in the dining room which was painted a cool green with women in white blouses and black mini skirts serving the meals. All the girls were Russian and the food was good. After lunch we went to examine the ship. It has the capacity for 750 people but there are only 37 passengers aboard as this is the first cruise of the season. The ship is gleaming white with a blue trim. There are plenty of comfortable deck chairs, a swimming pool and plenty of stewards about with most of them being women. Robert spent most of the afternoon in the pool. While having afternoon tea at the pool we met a man my age called Fritz Fritzel from Germany. As he was travelling alone he asked if he could take his meals with us. We played cards after dinner until the band started playing. At intermission the band members would drink vodka and eat caviar out of tins with a spoon.

June 17: Up at seven and was very hot outside. Robert has not been well and I think he spent too much time in the sun. The ship doctor examined him. Poor kid. We were supposed to spend the day in Corfu so instead I washed my hair and half an hour of sun after. Robert is asleep and I am sorry for he was living every minute. Breakfast was good with berries and an omelette. Each meal ends with a fruit and cheese plate. The ship has a big library with most books in Russian but there are English books with writings of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. The newspapers are all in Russian except the Moscow News is in English. Most of the staff speak decent English but the ship doctor speaks little. After dinner Fritz asked me to go into Corfu for a couple of hours. Robert was a bit queasy and shivery so he decided to stay in bed. He hasn’t eaten all day and how thoughtful a steward brought him some soup and mineral water saying it would be good for his stomach. All without being asked. We have been taught for so long communism is so bad but like us they can be just as caring. We took a carriage ride in Corfu as we had only two hours. We came home and danced until the band finished. Fritz is a good dancer. We had so much fun. I kept checking on Robert and he is burning at both ends. But his fever is lessening. I think he’s OK now.

I am not well today. I threw up in a bathroom deck all over my legs and it went into my shoes. I am burning up and shivering and thirsty. I try to get warm under the covers and that works then I start shivering. The doctor and Mom think it was sunstroke. Last time I was in Greece I was spending many hours outdoors but that was the ending of my trip. I started off this trip pasty white and ignored my Mom’s warning last year of being very cautious in the sun. You think we have learnt our sunburn lessons!

RKS Film: “The Other Me”: Hansel and Gretel, Blindness and Sexuality

When is the last time you had a puzzle to solve? Would some hints have been helpful? In the film “The Other Me” you end up thinking what is the scene all about? Why was this and that said? There are numerous clues thrown at you in “The Other Person” and for me it was a big one and I took a guess of what I thought the conclusion would be and I think I was right on but it is not the type of film that gives you enough meat to tell you if you are right.

I’d love to tell you my brilliant conclusion but that is not advisable as why should I spoil the film for you or make a fool of myself with such a silly (or even obvious) interpretation.

What I think is that there are a few clues here. Why does the girl in the woods (Andreja Pejic) not have a name? What is the significance of her painting showing two people in the distance sitting in a park bench? What does she mean when she says that soon all will be revealed? Why is the mother meeting the wrong child? Why is the lady in the woods transformed into a little boy at the door in the last seconds of the movie?

For me I latched on to the lady in the woods being visited by the wrong parent!

Irakli (Jim Sturgess) is a thirty something bartender and frustrated artist married to very frail Nutsa (Antonia Campbell-Hughes). Poor Irakli is diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that will quickly lead to blindness. He quickly adapts to his blindless claiming he can see but what he sees are images we can’t see. Is blindness just another way of experiencing the world that should not be treated with self despair and anguish. Jim understands Nutsa is having a go with his best friend and combined with this falling in love with the lady in the woods liberates him into a new world free from a deceptive wife and relationship. Kind of a standard film line?

Where “The Other Me” veers off the track into delightful skid from a standard “blindness film” is what I believe to be a discrete play on sexual orientation. Again a great film gives you many credible detours and fire escapes and it is fun to explore them with a possibility of being correct. I am uncertain if there is any a correct interpretation but the biggest clue is the lady in the woods visiting Irakli’s mother. That is not her mother and why would she pay a visit the wrong mother? The give away is the lady in the woods visiting Irakli’s father and she transforms into child Irkali. Could this be your great AHA moment?

WHO IS THE LADY IN THE WOODS AND WHAT DOES SHE REPRESENT? Blindness can create “another person” but so can sexual orientation. Enjoy this fun movie… all will soon be revealed.

You can see the trailer here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEAtVycN_6M

Executive produced by David Lynch and the director was Giga Agadze.

The film will be opening in select theatres and on digital platforms February 4, 2022.

“Travels to a Different Time” : June 12-16, 1971: In a Holding Pattern in Athens for the Next Big Move

June 12: We arrived in Athens from JFK at 4 a.m.and after phoning the Milagressi’s at 7 a.m. we took a taxi to their place. We went shopping with Niovi buying lots of fruits and vegetables. We enjoyed a big bowl of cherries and at noon it was 93 degrees and 87 in the house. My little afternoon nap turned into a 7-hour sleep. We had a dinner at 7 and headed out to Constitution Square for a walk. We had a snack upon our return and off to bed at 11. Jet lag is so hard to shake with a 9-hour time difference. Margaret Mary Stephen Diary Entry: Our friends were glad to see us I am sure. They remembered the many things we did with them last year at the monastery in Panaormitis.  Their little Andreas has grown in both ways. Life here is different as they are up at 5:30 and leave around 6:30 for work until 2 and return home and make a big lunch and then they sleep until 6. White clothes here look so white. I guess it is the blazing sun that they are dried in. Niovi has a clothesline at the back of her balcony and the clothes drip down to the awnings below. Each time I have to hang something out and look down far below I feel sick. I don’t like heights.

June 14: Mom wanted to cook the MIlagressi’s some boeuf bourguignon so it was out to the butcher and grocery store. For the dinner I had to buy some red wine which cost 60 cents a bottle. We had a big lunch and the beef bourguignon was good but not as good as home. We watched Peyton Place on television and after had a siesta. Margaret Mary Stephen Diary Entry: The taxis in Athens are plentiful and they are mostly Mercedes Benz and very cheap although each time I get into one I feel like I will end up in the hospital. The traffic is not as bad as it is in Rome or New York but there are no stop signs. I just pray! No wonder the Greeks are so religious. Robert is having his fill of cucumbers and they are the long English kind. The cherries are the same as home and the oranges smell different but they are sweeter.

June 15, 1971: We left for downtown on the number 12 bus trying to find the Yugoslavian tourist office and found it getting some information about a possible trip there. It wasn’t long before we decided Yugoslavia would be our next destination. We bought passage on a Russian ship called Adsharia.

Photo: Robert K. Stephen

“Travels to a Different Time” : June 11, 1971 (New York and Athens): Up Up and Away! Three Chicken Dinners and Two Lunches Down the Hatch!

Up at 8:30, had a shower and fully packed at 9:30. At ten we were out the door in a cab to pick up a stew Brigitte who would be working our flight to Athens from JFK. To our surprise at the ONA terminal office we ran into Barb and her friend Marx who had just worked the flight back from Athens. The plane was not full so Mom and I had three sets to stretch out on and sleep. I ended up eating three chicken dinners and two lunches. Diary entry of Margaret Mary Stephen: The flight was not full so Robert and I had three seats. The flight was smooth with no turbulence and we slept most of the way. The crew absolutely spoilt us! The passengers seemed nicer that on our flight to Athens last year so it wasn’t so hard on the girls. Brilliant blue skies when we arrived. It was 5 am. When we had cleared customs and a bit early to phone our friends the Milagressis who we had met last year in Panormitis and stayed with last year on our way home from Athens. Our journey has started!

Photo Aldo: Bidini

“Travels to a Different Time” : June 9/10, 1971: Piddling Around in New York; Where in the World Are We Going? We are Going to Athens!

June 9, 1971: I woke up at 9 a.m. and refused a ham sandwich for breakfast. I went to Sloan’s Supermarket and bought some groceries. But then Mom told me to go out again and get some more groceries. For lunch mom made some hamburgers and not having eaten breakfast I had three of them. Mom made a big batch of spaghetti and I had two big plates. Why I am always hungry? Barb’s roommate Nancy was back in the late afternoon and had a big plate of spaghetti. Nancy and Mom sat around drinking wine and I read and we were in bed at 11. New York City is dirty but not as bad as Istanbul. There is garbage everywhere and it smells. The city seems like it is crumbling and reminds me of Istanbul.

Diary entry Margaret Mary Stephen: Brigette the Overseas National Airway stewardess sounded pleasant and we agreed to share a cab to JFK for our flight to Athens. I find it very confusing and hectic to get a cab in New York. The drivers are al so rude and grasping. We know where we are going and it is deep in Europe again.. Athens! Our main goal was to land in Europe and Athens is better than Frankfurt! Robert remains very calm and I think our trip last year really matured him. He reminds me of my late husband Jack in that respect. One day he will be a kind steady husband and a father.

Photo : Aldo Bidini

RKS Wines: Portuguese Wines from Lisboa

My heart in Portugal for wine rests in the Douro Valley. I have been there numerous times and met many winemakers but it is getting tugs toward the Dão, Alentejano and Lisboa because of some very exciting wines that keep their Portuguese identity using Portuguese grapes but add Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Alicante Bouschet to the blend.

And they are most often slightly cheaper than Douro wines.

We try a Regional Wine from Lisboa by the name of Quinta do Espírito Santo.

On the nose black cherry, cassis, vanilla and milk chocolate. On the palate there are definitely some tannins but on the moderate side. As for the palate this purplish tinged wine offers lip smacking blueberry, pomegranate both densely packed. The 15% alcohol is on the edge of threatening the fruit but there is an uneasy co-existence. The tannins here and controlled acidity suggest that the wine will cruise into 2026 and improve. It has been in both American and French oak.

It would suit rich mushroom dishes like a Mushroom Wellington or Beef Bourguignon.

(Quinta do Espírito Santo 2017, Vinho Regional Lisboa, Casa Santos Lima, Portugal, $13.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 48015, 750 mL, 15%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 89/100).

Wine drinker profile: A person who likes full bodied wines that don’t give up their fruit readily and has a bit of patience to age the wine for a least a couple of years. Must like this wine with a rich vegetarian dish or a dish where the beef bobs its head above the water .A definite food wine!

Passage of the Day: Retirement as Stressful

“For instance you may have been looking forward to retirement for years and be happy when it first comes and you can finally stop getting up early and going to work. But after a while you may not know what to do with all the time that you have. You may come to miss the people, the sense of connectedness and belonging, and the feeling of larger purpose and meaning that you may have felt when you were working. Unless you are forming new connections and finding new opportunities for meaning in your life, you may be failing to adapt to this major life change and it could wind up being a source of stress for you, even though you couldn’t wait for it to happen.”

Jon Kabat-Zin “Full Catastrophe Living” Bantam Books

“Travels to a Different Time” : Prelude to a 1971 Adventure: Midnight Express to New York

June 2, 1971: Today Mom was up at 4:30 in the morning too excited about our upcoming trip. I am studying and have no time to get excited.

June 7, 1971: No idea where we are going. Sister Barb will not be in New York when we arrive.

June 9, 1971:  Wrote my last dumb exam today. I rushed home to take a shower before we leave to New York but the water was out (like in Greece and Istanbul) so we went for a swim and sauna instead. We are taking the midnight Greyhound bus to New York. We are going to the Berri Metro station as the bus terminal is there. Mom forgot the keys to Barb’s apartment so I had to run back and get them. It was an 8-hour trip from Montreal and the passengers were a bit rough. There are some Amish on the bus and US customs told them they could not enter the United Sates. We stopped at Saratoga Springs in New York for a rest stop. We arrived in New York at 11 a.m. tired and smelling of bus. Diary entry of Margaret Mary Stephen: Dr. Gordon gave me some pills to help me sleep on the bus and I slept most of the trip. The bus was easier than all that airport hassle. Barb’s apartment isn’t that far from Port Authority where the bus station is. Robert is a good travel partner and never crabs and I don’t know how he stands me. One day he will be as old as I am and he will understand that confusion comes with age. I appreciate his understanding. Nancy and Judy are good to us as it must be a bit of an upset having two people in their apartment which is so small. I defrosted the fridge which took 4 hours. I guess all this flying leaves little time for such a job. I will be glad to get going as I have been waiting for this a long time. I hope Robert has fun as he deserves it as he has been studying so hard at school

“Travels to a Different Time”: Reflections on My 1970 Trip

Montreal September 4, 1970:  Back in Montreal and well rested and very toasty brown. Oh my how white and pale I looked on my first day on the Greek beach. How quickly I burnt in the sun. Now I can spend hours and just keep turning a darker shade of brown. Good to be sleeping my bed and reunited with my dog Suzy. And bacon and eggs for breakfast!

So what did I learn from my travels

  • I have learnt there are different worlds than the one I have been living in for 14 years.
  • I now know different cultures no not really as I have lived in different cultures. Knowledge and experience can be two different things.
  • I have realized how ignorant I am of so many things. The more you travel the less ignorant you become.
  • People may speak different languages and have different religions but we are all so much alike (except perhaps for the Turks)
  • I have had to compromise. You can’t always have a bacon and egg breakfast. You have to be considerate about your travel mates and sometimes do things they want to do.
  • You get to eat new foods like stuffed vegetables or octopus.
  • You don’t need a lot of money to have a good time.
  • You feel super alert when you travel. Your awareness is supercharged . You sense of smell is sharpened and like that hippy said you are really in the moment when you travel. It is almost as if you are so bombarded by new experiences your brain needs time to process them that you must live in each moment and often there is no time the judge the moment you are in. I am still a bit confused what that hippy said so I must think more about it.
  • I wanted an adventure from this trip but I have become the adventure if that makes sense? I think I said pages back I am living the adventure. No amount of book learning can replace experience.
  • I love the ocean. It stung my eyes and if you got any water in your mouth I hated it. I love the ocean now. I can even open my eyes underwater without feeling any sting.
  • I love Greece and its people. They are so kind and generous. I must find a place to have souvlaki in. I think I must return to Crete as why are so many people there surly and rude? Could it be there is a US military base in Iraklion and they thought we were Americans? From what I have seen of Turkey Istanbul has some wonderful sites but so many of its people seem to want to cheat you. Could it be the terrible poverty I saw there has turned so many people desperate?
  • Hippies may be addicted to drugs. I am addicted to travel

What is in store for 1971? Where are we going? What adventures await me? One last comment. I feel much older and wiser now.