Birthday today as no longer a teenager. Was up in the farmhouse at 06:30 for fresh bread and homemade jam. My host gave me some Swiss coins. When the rain subsided off to the road and 4 lifts later in Zurich. Got a room near the train station for $8 but at least lots of hot water. After a hot shower into town for a big gut busting meal. The river running through Zurich is so clean. Found a disco and I met two French girls who were not so very good looking but so very arrogant. Good riddance snobs. Had a cold coke at the hotel bar and crashed to the pouring rain outside. I am feeling numbed out and exhausted. Four months of tramping around in less-than-ideal weather being bitten by swarms of bugs and a total lack of any meaningful female companionship. No I am not going to say I should have been in Greece or Yugoslavia as I had a mission to travel a less travelled road but there has been a price. This year it seems to be a fact-finding mission than a hedonistic blow out. Wine women and song abandoned to communist hardship and deprivation not to mention atrocious weather. I do not regret it. My fifth birthday in Europe!
RKS Wine: Mayhem’s Sauvignon Blanc: The Best in the World?
The Mayhem 2020 Sauvignon Blanc was the best white wine I reviewed last year. Not the best Canadian but the best in the world. Yet all the trumpets are blaring in New Zealand about their Sauvignon Blanc and if they aren’t careful about over production those trumpets could soon be playing a funeral dirge. And to get off the topic Mayhem’s Gewurztraminer marches with the best Alsatians.
The Mayhem 2021 Sauvignon Blanc from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia has a nose as big as Jimmy Durante’s and its personality is equally full of intensity. Super dense and solid with pear, guava, clementine, mango and pineapple. A huge mouthfeel with notes of sweet grapefruit, pear tartine, pineapple juice and Australian Impossible Pie. The acids are so well tucked into the body of the wine they compliment it rather than deface it. The wine is dry but pleasantly so. The finish is short with a tiny good-bye kiss of ginger. Serve chilled on a stinking hot day as thirst quencher but my take is that it is built for food. Simply prepared lake fish such as walleye, perch, pike or bass. As asparagus season has arrived saving us from the wooden and pale Mexican and Peruvian asparagus so try local with Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Leeks and Capers (check New York Times for recipe).
There is something unique about the Mayhem Sauvignon Blanc. It has a bit more grip on its palate than most Sauvignon Blancs. Most Sauvies are steel fermented but this Mayhem has been fermented in 100% French oak 13% of which was new.
(Mayhem 2021 Small Lot Sauvignon Blanc, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, BC VQA, Mayhem Wines, Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, $27, 750 mL, 13.3%, RKS Wine Rating 94/100).
As only 113 cases were made best to check with winery how to purchase at Mayhemwines.com
“Travels to a Different Time” : 11August1975: Alstätten, Switzerland: Staying in the Hills with A Young Swiss Farmer
A good sleep but still tired after that Magic Bus trip. A monotonous continental breakfast. Got a lift with an Italian in a Fiat saying he was going all the way to Austria but he changed his mind 40 kms before the border. Next ride being rescued out of the rain was with some Germans in a VW van. After a 4 hour wait a ride with a Swiss who said he was going into Switzerland but as we approached the Swiss border he let me out somewhat freaked out. I am beginning to think I may be a liability to transport over the border. Drugs? I ended up in Alstätten Switzerland where I met a sculptor and his wife. Stayed at his farmhouse which was beautiful and up in the hills. His kittens were frolicking about. Dinner was ham and eggs with fresh bread.
RKS Film: “Banksy Most Wanted”: Where is He/Them?
“Banksy Most Wanted” delves into the search for graffiti artist Banksy known only by a few and an expert at identity avoidance through use of false news stories and the loyalty of the few who do know him. There is the possibility as well that Banksy may be a grouping of individuals. As Banksy says, “If you want to say something and have people listen then you have to wear a mask. “
Anonymity has only created a Clyde Barrowish manhunt by investigative journalists that has resulted in a couple of possible exposures. One plausible one was Robert Del Nanja of the group Massive Attack. Several Banksy tags can be timed to coincide with Del Nanja’s professional appearances in cities contemporaneously where Banksy tags appear. De Nanja denies he is Banksy.
Through examination of corporate regulatory filings Robin Gunnigham was next identified as Banksy and a forensic identification gives some support that that conclusion which Gunningham denies!
Then in Bristol, England, the local in which Banksy tags were first spotted, a boy’s club director arrives to work to find a Banksy on the exterior walls of the club which is auctioned for 403,000£ to support several struggling boy’s clubs in Bristol. The Director of the boy’s club whose walls were tagged by Banksy claims Banksy was once a member of the club and he will not reveal his name.
A fascinating exploration of Banksy and his rise to fame. Is it all a marketing scheme to augment his commercial value? As one person in the documentary says if Jack the Ripper had been identified would he still have the notoriety he has today?
Directed by Aurélia Rouvier and Seamus Haley. It has just been released on Digital/Video on Demand.
You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so_N5TrJ9c4
RKS Film Rating 86/100.
“Travels To a Different Time” : 10August1975: Bolzano, Italy: Sex Crazed Magic Bus Driver: Riding in an Italian Ambulance
After R and R in Amsterdam on the Magic Bus to Munich from Amsterdam. Caught the Magic bus outside the zoo. I had a good party time without thinking about much and noting it in the travel journal. But the time had come to move on. The bus was an hour late. The bus driver seemed to move at a snail’s pace. The Magic Bus people do not seem well organized. Somewhere in Belgium at 2 in the morning the bus driver stopped in a small town and disappeared for some nooky nooky with his girlfriend, He was booed and hooted when he returned three hours later! Most of the passengers were on their way to Athens which was tempting but been there and done that. In a quick change of mind hopped off at Innsbruck right at the Autobahn, My next lift was on an Italian ambulance travelling to Bolzano which is just north of the Yugoslavian border. Hit the campground in this Italian Alpine own. The camping looked like a hole in the wall so rented a room which was $5 plus breakfast. Not having slept or washed in 35 hours the hot water and bed was a luxury I could afford. I splurged with a $5 dollar meal. Had a beer afterwards in bed at 23:00. Zurich on my mind tomorrow.
RKS Film:“We Are The Thousand”: A Delightful Escape From Documentary Depression Rocking with The Foo Fighters
I have finished reviewing some 24 documentaries over 60 days for two film festivals, Toronto Hot Docs and Earth X. 80% of those were depressing dealing with genetic manipulation, child abuse, politically sanctioned murders, deforestation, pig feces overflow etc. After this down ride I welcomed “We Are The Thousand” which is crammed with good cheer, happiness and camaraderie. If I had a smile meter this doc would be 98 out of a hundred.
Imagine a small group of Foo Fighter aficionados organizing “a big band” arrangement to woo the Foo to play in a small Italian village of Cesena. Through a minimal budget and countless hours of planning and coordinating 1,000 musicians in Cesena to play the Foo Fighter’s “Learn to Fly”. Drummers, vocalists and guitarists playing in perfect harmony to “Learn to Fly” which contained a plea for the Foo Fighters to play a concert in Cesena. And the video went viral with over 26 million views all over the globe in just two days. As of today this tally is closing in on 60,000,000. And yes the Foo Fighters play a concert in Cesena. An incredible feat. But behind that feat you’ll be introduced to the 1,000 musicians ranging from children to a terminally ill senior guitarist. And can you imagine a young man, a drummer with a Mohawk being invited by the band to play drums for one of its numbers in their Cesena concert.
Let me stop here and say this is a documentary of Niagara Falls proportion rocketing good will everywhere. A feel-good movie to be seen whether or not you have even heard of the Foo Fighters. A Woodstock of optimism!
The Director is Anita Rivaroli and the film will be opening in several theatres on June 3 as well as on VOD/digital platforms including iTunes/Apple, Dish TV Network/Dish Digital, Amazon Prime Video. Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, Vimeo Direc TV. You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jPG4RbhZFo
RKS Film Rating 90/100.
Just to be sure you watch it here is the official “Rocking 1,000” Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JozAmXo2bDE
“Travels to a Different Time” : 22July1975: Into Amsterdam
Up after a few hours of sleep. This camping in the woods is free but it would be nice to have a shower and bush the old molars. We were lucky to see a gas station as we were low on petrol. So it was non stop for a few hours to Amsterdam and we arrived at 08:30 and the city was waking up. We stopped at a coffee shop and the driver and the Irish guy went to the washroom to wash up leaving me downstairs with two mugs of steaming coffee. The owner was taking a bird and became a bit surly. After twenty minutes they appeared to finish off their coffee. Back at the Peugeot we said our good-byes. I hopped on the bus to a camping site within the city for 80 cents a night and only cold water. Only young people here. Bought some food at the store for dinner then talked to neighbours and out like a light at 21:30.
RKS Film: Toronto Hot Docs Winner “Eternal Spring”: The Rise of Animation in Documentaries
The Canadian documentary “Eternal Spring” may be a watershed documentary with its use of animation to tell the story of the Falun Gong “hijacking” of Chinese State television in Changchun, China on March 5, 2002. Changchun was the birthplace of Falun Gong which is a “spiritual” practice pointing out a clear path to elevating yourself in a step-by-step process. I have been seen them for years meditating and Tai Chinging themselves outside the Chinese consulate in Toronto. Although I would have appreciated a more comprehensive treatment of why Falun Gong represents a threat to the dictatorship of the communist party, we are told they were becoming increasingly popular in China and any movement other than the Chinese communist party is perceived as a threat to the party’s hegemony.
This is why Falun Gong has been outlawed by China in 1999. It’s members have been beaten, tortured, imprisoned and murdered by Chinese authorities due to a perceived quiet threat they pose. Their hijacking of a TV signal gave them an opportunity to respond to the vilification and persecution they had been suffering. They were successful but most of the main group that carried out the hijacking have been murdered or imprisoned.
Much of the story is told through the animation of Daxiong a member of Falun Gong and a participant in the television hijacking. The animation is along comic book animation traditions and no wonder as Daxiong had been fixated on comic books since a child. The animation works well offering a way to recount the episode in a different fashion than recreation using actors or narration. It creates a fluidity of excitement. Falun Gong joins the Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and Uyghur Muslims as threats to the communist hegemony and atheist nature touted by the party.
The documentary won the Audience Award for Top Documentary at Hot Docs Toronto Festival. It next shows at the New York Human Rights Film Festival on May 23/24 and then June 2 at Krakow Film Festival.
RKS Film Rating 89/100.
RKS Wine: My Private Pinot Grigio Nightmare: The Simple Mayhem Cure
As a wine writer there is what I write and there is what people ask me. When up close and personal I try and be non-judgemental about what people drink and sometimes that is a bit difficult as they look at you trying what they pour and they think it is the cat’s pyjamas. My facial movements and eyes are watched carefully so when I come across some plonk years of training has made me into the masked wine writer. Not nice being judgemental lest feelings be hurt. When writing I understand the passion of the winery owner, vineyard manager and the winemaker and must respect that very carefully. But I must be honest and that hurts sometimes.
When it comes to Pinot Grigio I have a private Pinot Grigio nightmare called Santa Margherita. It is diffuse, weak and watery and at $20.95 in Ontario that is a crime. My inside Italian wine contacts in Italy agree with me saying Santa Margherita is from a factory.
I think Mayhem can, as it has done in the past, help me cure my nightmare by proving there is life beyond Santa Margherita.
So how about the Mayhem 2021 Pinot Gris? On the pour there is a delicate acidic fizz. On the nose some apple, pear, lime with some tangerine. On the palate the acid I thought might be there had dissipated from the initial pour. The wine is bone dry with a short finish but the acidity is not terrorizing the palate. The dryness can hijack the fruit from the palate. The whites from Vinho Verde in Portugal are equally dry but with grilled fish they take on a life of their own. While this Pinot Gris is not my style of white wine for sipping but with food, such as grilled sea bass, sea bream and porgy with a lemon, olive oil and oregano sauce with Swiss Chard this wine will be where it should be and good riddance Santa Margherita. The winery suggests mussels and French Fries and taking this from the Muscadet playbook I agree! This wine is built for white fleshed ocean fish. If you like a crisp white wine this is for you.
The fermentation started in stainless steel then moved to 7% new French barriques, 69% seasoned puncheons and 24% seasoned barriques.
As only 322 cases were produced perhaps check with the winery where you can purchase www.mayhemwines.com
(Mayhem 2021 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, BC VQA, Mayhem Wines, Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, $17.39, 750 mL, 13.7%, RKS Wine Rating 86/100).
“Travels to a Different Time” : 21stJuly1975: Somewhere in Netherlands: Dopester in a 404 Peugeot: Germany Depressing?
Went down for breakfast with a litre of milk. I hopped on a train that would take me to the highway heading to Hamburg. Thank goodness for the cool day as hot weather can sap your energy. I passed by a hitchhiker to get a spot and in 5 minutes a lift in a 404 Peugeot. We also picked up an Irish guy. The car reeked of hash. A crazy guy but what fun. We took the ferry to Hamburg which was only an hour trip. In Germany the driver said Germany depressed him so he altered his route to Paris by passing through Amsterdam. Perfect! We powered on until 23:00 ending up just past the Dutch border. We found a camping site for a washroom break and found a farmer’s field to sleep in and the driver slept in his car and the Irish guy and I shared my tent.
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