Mastroberardino’s Falanghina del Sannio 2018

Having been on a private tour with winemaker, Antonio Capone, from Mastroberardino of several Mastroberardino vineyards in Vesuvius in the Greater Naples area I doubt I will ever forget their name. On occasion we receive a smattering of their wines at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).

The latest is a Falanghina Del Sannio from within the Campanian region of Italy. It is more platinum than gold in colour. On the nose Honeydew melon, Fiorella pear, tangerine and apricot. On the palate it is not like so many Italian whites that are flinty and flighty. My initial sensation is that this is closer to a more full-bodied character. The acids are subdued to the extent I can say this is a pleasant sipping wine. Notes of guava, pear and cactus pear with a short finish. In the LCBO Vintages catalogue Alison Napjus of Wine Spectator calls this wine “light and crisp”. I am puzzled by this comment. This wine is in the middle of being full bodied and light and crisp. This wine would suit a plethora of chicken dishes or for vegetarians Braised White Beans and Greens with Parmesan. Here is the recipe https://cookpad.com/us/recipes/14703112-braised-white-beans-and-greens-with-parmesan

I would add at the end palate there is a brief bit of diluteness that makes the wine particularly thirst quenching.

(Mastroberardino Falanghina Del Sannio 2018, Mastroberardino, Atripalda, Italy $ 20.95, LCBO # 562173, 750 mL, 12.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 91/100).

Passage of The Day “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” “Motherhood”

“Let me tell you something, Pal; your mother doesn’t owe you anything. You’re grown-up. She fed you and clothed you and held you, even if she did have a drink in her hand while she was doing it. And however she fucked you up-and I’m sure she did-every mother fucks every kid up-she did it with style, you hear me?”

“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” by Rebecca Wells, HarperPerennial 1997

“Mutantism on the March” ;Chapter 66 “Rauncho Gonzales Enters the Picture”

After the impromptu party aboard the ship Eno and his crew stumbled into a local seedy bar. After the first round of drinks arrived they turned to anecdotes of their former life in Zorollia and their newer adventures on Earth. While Eno was in the midst of chatting with the cook two mean hoodlums approached Eno and tapped him on the shoulder. The thugs were well acquainted with the notoriety of these “gringos muy loco”. The two ordered drinks for the entire crew and launched into a conversation with Eno.

The topic shifted to marijuana. Did the señor like it? Would el capitano and his crew like to come to a party of el patron for a good time. He would like to discuss some business language with you. There would be many buenas chicas and the best weed and cocaine. Eno and his men were becoming bored at the bar whose owner had turned off the radio blasting with local vibrant music and switched it to the Voice of America. They were fueled up with intoxicants and seemed to want to push their decadence to the limit. One of the hoodlums left the bar to make a telephone call and within 5 minutes 6 luxury limousines arrived with a nasty looking security detail to whisk Eno and his crew to el patron’s party.

El patron was none other than Rauncho Gonzales the notorious gangster who had been successfully murdering and bribing his way out of incarceration for years. As you recall Squid and that Santa Gringo had ousted the corrupt dictatorship in Columbia and replaced them with newly elected servants of the people. They had also legalized the cultivation and transportation of marijuana angering the narco kings who made far more money selling and distributing illegal weed than legal weed. What Santa and Squid had done was to drive down the price of marijuana and make it more widely accessible in the developed world keeping profits completely in the hands of cultivators and transporters. You might want to call it a co-operative. The US Mafia was also very displeased being cut out of the distribution and transportation (smuggling) network. The fact that the local growers were selling directly to smaller dealers in the USA, mostly mutants, angered the Cosa Snotra crime organization and added fuel to the fire of greed. Losing Cuba to Fidel Castro had been a serious blow to narcotics, prostitution and gambling revenues. And now more trouble in Columbia.

Rauncho granted each crew member as a long-lost brother and gestured they should go on the terrace of his huge mansion where the party was in full swing. What premium decadence to be savoured. Champagne flowing like a fountain, great heaps of cocaine and marijuana pre-rolled, half naked women stumbling about and loud rock music. By early morning what might be hell for many was pure delight for the Zorollians who fancied themselves as bad assed pirates. While most the partygoers had fallen in heaps on the floor every crewmember was standing and drinking champagne from the bottle. These group of very raunchy people impressed Rauncho and it only highlighted their reputation as hard living and drinking men. Eno was guzzling vodka from a solid gold tankard that Ruancho had given him as a gift. Rauncho pulled aside Eno and said there was business to discuss so thy took an elevator to a second-floor balcony where formally dressed maids served them a hearty breakfast of huevos rancheros and freshly squeezed orange juice. Rauncho opened up the discussion, “Listen here Eno. You fancy yourself as a great pirate. Do you smuggle as well as plunder?” Eno relied “Damn right amigo. I am the best pirate around except of course for Bluebeard. I smuggle, kill and rob and love every minute of it.”

“Stateless”: Dominican Racism Against Dominicans of Haitian Descent and Haitians

“Stateless” (”Apátrida”) simply put is a documentary chronicling racism by Dominicans against Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent. Haiti and The Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in world governed by a seemingly endless stream of corrupt leaders. The Dominican Republic (DR) is not as poor but corruption is rampant.

The film’s foundation rests on the 1937 extermination of tens of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent ordered by dictator Rafael Trujillo in an attempt to “whiten” the DR. The racism and hatred continue with the DR Constitutional Court in 2013 revoking the citizenship of Dominicans of Haitian descent retroactive to 1929 leaving some 200,000 people stateless.

We hear the story unfold through the voices of activists, racist nationalists, politicians, stateless victims, lawyers and politicians.

It is rather difficult to see where President Danilo Medina sits as all the television footage we see reveals a politician full of hot air and platitudes. However see the difficulty those of Haitian descent have as they try to prove their Dominican citizenship. Mounds of documents are required and even with the documents it would appear the government bureaucrats express no interest in helping but only putting up roadblocks and hindering. There are also murders, beatings and harassment of activists not to mention a constant spew of hate on social media but the DR government does nothing so Medina’s position becomes clear. Even the Attorney General Rincón is brutally beaten as a result of his defending marginalized groups.

Rosa Iris is both a lawyer and a community activist and herself of Haitian descent. She tries for a seat in Congress but due to very suspicious electoral results is defeated. Voting for pay is common in the DR. Well even after losing the election Iris was the recipient of death threats so she obtained political asylum in the United States.

Unfortunately the Nationalist Movement sounds like Donald Trump demanding a wall be built along the border with Haiti to keep illegals out. Of course, some of the nationalists say they have nothing against Haitians who have been swindled and robbed by their politicians but moving to the DR is not the answer as after all it is clear to them that Haitians are trying to take over the DR and as murderers, rapists and criminals they are not welcome in the DR. These nationalists say nothing about the 1937 genocidal acts nor the retroactive revoking of DR citizenship to Dominicans of Haitian descent.

The documentary exposes a nasty little problem the DR would rather not have tourists discover the rat-infested nature of Dominican political reality. I was in the DR some 25 years ago blissfully ignorant of its racist history. After watching this documentary I have no intention of returning anytime soon.

The documentary was filmed in the DR and Haiti. It is directed by Michéle Stephenson. You will be able to watch the film on PBS, acclaimed documentary series POV on July 19th. If you are in New York on June 19^th at the Tribeca Film Festival and virtually through the Festival from June 12-23 although it will be geoblocked to only those accessing from a computer in the United States.

You can watch the trailer here https://vimeo.com/412429182

“Marry Me However”: Israeli Religious Community Struggles With Homosexuality: Toronto Jewish 2021 Film Festival

This documentary grapples with homosexuality amongst the religious community in Israel. The story is not new about “coming out” but it is new within a religious community where the gays are living within.

The mainstream rabbinical community seems to ignore homosexuality and says get married, have a family and end of story. But the documentary rather exposes the pain and suffering caused by these attitudes. The pain and grief is deep.

Many of the gay men feel pressure to follow the rabbinical doctrine of get married and have children despite the fact the rabbis know of their gayness causing inevitable and tragic marital break-ups. A small amount of Rabbis and Rabinnats are seeing the need for acceptance and tolerance of different sexual orientation.

Following the convention of gay men marrying so many wives feel bitterness toward conventionalism of the rabbis that focus on family as opposed to acknowledging sexual needs no matter what suffering and pain the charade costs. For many rabbis and Israeli’s gayness is nothing but Sodom and Gomorrah.

The children of these gay and straight marriages express no judgement as to good and bad. All they need is love yet the adults are locked in a political and religious battle.

In North America we are presented with individualistic stories of “coming out” but in this documentary it is coming out by those religious Jews wanting to stay within the confines of Jewish Orthodoxy.

One is left with the feeling that homosexuality in Israeli society is some twenty years behind North America and it is clear that the mainstream attitude in religious and secular society in Israel is lagging behind North America and until it catches up the emotional wreckage in Israel is deep.

This is part of the Toronto International Jewish Film Festival which runs until June 13^th. The film is geoblocked to Ontario for the festival.

You can see the trailer here https://tjff.com/films/marry-me-however

Tickets can be purchased here https://tjff.com/toronto-jewish-film-festival-2021/

This 63 minute film is directed by Mordechai Vardi and is in Hebrew with English subtitles.

Ontario Moving into Stage One of Reopening on June 11th

NEWS RELEASE

Ontario to Move to Step One of Roadmap to Reopen on June 11

Improvements in Key Indicators Allowing Province to Begin the Safe and Gradual Lifting of Public Health Measures

June 07, 2021

Office of the Premier

TORONTO — Based on the provincewide vaccination rate and continuing improvements in key public health and health system indicators, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, will move the province into Step One of its Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 11, 2021.

“Thanks to the ongoing success of Team Ontario’s vaccine rollout and the ongoing improvements in public health trends, we are able to enter step one of the Roadmap and begin to safely and cautiously lift restrictions,” said Premier Doug Ford. “The only reason we’re able to do so is because of the enormous sacrifices made by individuals, families and communities across Ontario. As we begin to enjoy the benefits of the first step in our roadmap like meeting friends on a patio or visiting your favourite local store, please do so safely by continuing to follow all public health guidelines.”

In order to safely enter Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen, Ontario needed to have vaccinated 60 per cent of adults with at least one dose for two weeks or longer, ensuring the first dose offers a strong level of protection against COVID-19. As of June 6, 2021 at 8:00 p.m., 72 per cent of the 18+ population in Ontario had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine with over 10 million doses now having been administered.

Before entering Step One, the province also needed to see continued improvement in key public health and health system indicators. During the period of May 25 to 31, 2021, the provincial case rate decreased by 35.1 per cent. As of June 6, the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs is 497, including 31 patients from Manitoba, as compared to 687 two weeks ago.. The province’s situation is currently exceeding the best-case scenario presented in recent modelling, which indicated the province would reach below 1,000 new daily infections by June 30, 2021. The province expects these trends to continue over the coming days before entering Step One.

“Thanks to the tremendous efforts of every Ontarian, beginning June 11 we will be able to cautiously lift public health measures in the settings we know are safest,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “While this is exciting news, as we move to enter Step One of Ontario’s Roadmap it remains critical that all Ontarians continue to follow public health advice and roll up their sleeves to receive the vaccine.”

Step One of the Roadmap focuses on the resumption of more outdoor activities with smaller crowds where risk of transmission is lower. It will also permit more limited indoor settings to be open, all with restrictions in place. In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Ontario government has amended Step One to also permit indoor religious services, rites and ceremonies, including wedding and funeral services limited to 15 per cent capacity.

Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen includes but is not limited to:

Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 10 people;
Outdoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, capped at the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 15 per cent capacity of the particular room;
Non-essential retail permitted at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
Essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
Outdoor dining with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households;
Outdoor fitness classes, outdoor groups in personal training and outdoor individual/team sport training to be permitted with up to 10 people, among other restrictions;
Day camps for children permitted to operate in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines for COVID-19 produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;
Overnight camping at campgrounds and campsites, including Ontario Parks, and short-term rentals;
Concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than 10 performers, among other restrictions;
Outdoor horse racing tracks and motor speedways permitted to operate without spectators; and
Outdoor attractions such as zoos, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens with capacity and other restrictions.

Please view the regulation for full details.

In addition, to support students who have worked incredibly hard throughout the pandemic, the government is enabling school boards for public and private elementary and high schools to invite students back for brief outdoor end-of-year celebration. Any in-person school year celebrations will need to meet specific requirements.

The province will remain in Step One for at least 21 days to evaluate any impacts on key public health and health system indicators. If at the end of the 21 days the province has vaccinated 70 per cent of adults with one dose and 20 per cent of adults with two doses and there are continued improvements in other key public health and health system indicators, the province will move to Step Two of the Roadmap.

All public health and workplace safety measures currently in place will remain in effect until the province moves to Step One on June 11, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. During this time, the government will continue to work with stakeholders on their reopening plans, including targeted measures for specific sectors, institutions and other settings to ensure that they have full awareness of when they can begin to safely reopen and how.

“While we have reached the point where we can safely move into Step One, now is not the time to get complacent,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “We must all remain vigilant, as the fight against COVID-19 is not over. By continuing to follow public health advice and measures we can continue to reduce transmission, safeguard health system capacity and save lives.”

No Trophy Pinot Noirs For Me: Part 1

Burgundy is simply the best for Pinot Noir for those whose fat wallets are willing to drop a bundle of cash for trophy wines. Not being a captain of industry, cardiologist, neurologist or a lottery winner my budget is limited.

So laugh away fat cats as I try a $17.95 Rock Point Pinot Noir 2018. Oregon is the state in the United States that many say is the best locale for Pinot Noir.

The wine is ruby coloured. On the nose raspberry, red cherry and pomegranate. Light on the tannins and the acids are well under control. On the palate a very gentle and low-key Pinot Noir with sweet red cherry, raspberry all with a medium finish dusted with a bit of pepper. A solid basic Pinot Noir that shames most French Burgundian Pinot Noirs at double the price.

I would say drink by 2023 but I do not expect it to improve with ageing. As for food wild salmon or duck breast with a cherry sauce or if you have brought some duck rillette from your last trip to France. Do you remember the last time you were in France or across any ocean? Yes before COVID blacklisted air travel.

I can imagine a Silicon Valley tech mogul serving this to his Millennial employees at a summer corporate barbeque with everyone saying the boss really knows his wine!

(Rock Point Pinot Noir 2018, Rock Point, Gold Hill Oregon, $17.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 463018, 750 mL, 13.7%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating,90/100).

If I were to say Spaetburgunder from Germany deserves a try you might look at me with terrified eyes saying what the hell is that! Well it’s a mouthful but rest easy as it is Germany’s name for Pinot Noir. So let’s try a Königschaffhauser Steingrüble 2018 Pinot Noir. I see it at least a couple times every year as a Liquor Control Board of Ontario release for a few years now and I am sure the wine’s name has been deGermanized so it is called a Pinot Noir and is more marketable in the Canadian market place. By analogy the Australians call Syrah Shiraz while most of the rest of the wine world calls it Syrah.

It’s a little darker than most Pinot Noirs. On the nose it is also more assertive than many Pinot Noirs but the aroma is unmistakably that of the Pinot Noir grape. A nose of very ripe local just picked raspberries, black cherry and cedar planks. On the palate it is easy on the tannins and the acids are well integrated into the wine. It is a full throttle Pinot Noir full of raspberry jam, cassis and cherry pie with a bit of spice in the finish. It could be that the volcanic soil this Pinot Noir grows in gives the wine a strong personality. It would suit grilled beef and lamb. The LCBO catalogue says this would pair well with grilled sausages, lamb or mushroom burgers. Sausages so very German!

I’ll sum things up say this is a rugged Pinot Noir that might settle down over the next couple of years and improve in the bottle.

(Königschaffhauser 2018 Steingrüble Pinot Noir, Qualitätswein Trocken, $18.95, LCBO # 460410,750 mL, 14%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 88/100).

“Forgiveness”: A Subtle Israeli Comedy: Toronto 2021 Jewish Film Festival

Yes Israeli criminals can be big bunglers as we see in “Forgiveness”. I would say it is a low toned comedic film full of subtleties you might easily miss if you are not familiar with Israeli society. At times its premise is delightfully absurd.

Shaul and Nissan are robbing a post office safe. Shaul is a safecracking wizard and he cracks the safe and hands the money to get away guy Nissan whose bumbling as getaway guy sets off car alarms and results in a vigilant neighbourhood hearing about a breach by “terrorists” into Israel gets the police in the area to nab Shaul and Shaul is rewarded with jail time. Nissan in the meantime has become an Orthodox Jew full of religious platitudes and he has hidden the money from the heist.

Shaul is married and has a daughter Noam who is a ballerina who has been awarded a partial scholarship to ballet school in London which will be an expensive endeavour. Noam is one stereotypical ballerina with heavy makeup and hair pulled back. She has a similar chance of being a star ballerina as a select hockey player has to join the National Hockey League but you know how proud parents are.

Shaul as an ex-con can’t find a job and is drifting away from his marriage to his wife Orna. So it is back to Shaul and Nissan to pull a caper against Bedouin hashish dealer Nabil suggested by crime kingpin Arthur so they manage to penetrate the marriage of Nabil’s son under heavy security and crack the safe and escape with loads of cash but their van is destroyed by a rocket from Gaza along with the cash. They then become indebted to Arthur who sent them on the Nabil heist. Arthur says to Shaul if you can’t deliver the money that was lost in the rocket attack your daughter’s legs will be broken and she will never dance again.

Shaul and Nissan then rob Arthur who realizes the cash they repay him with is his cash as it smells of horse manure as Arthur had hidden the cash in his stables. So as Nissan and Shaul are digging their graves with Arthur looking on they find the money from the post office caper Nissan had buried. And then the terrorists from Gaza break through tunnels and a firefight ensues with Shaul and Nissan surviving with a boatload of cash and enough to send little princess Noam to her flighty ballerina dreams in London and win back Shaul’s wife.

The absurd element here is an Orthodox Jew being part of a heist. The negative element is the terrorists being gunned down in a firefight. Israeli’s always win that battle? And there is the scene in the bomb shelter where a disgruntled Israeli woman says we should send bulldozers in and flatten Gaza, sarcastic humour? Then the often-heard air raid sirens during the film.

So Nissan has earned the forgiveness of Shaul and now can marry his Orthodox sweetheart.

A few barbs at the Gaza terrorists. A few barbs at Orthodox Jews.

Not a hilarious film but full of subtle chuckles.

Part of the Toronto Jewish Film Festival that can be accessed virtually between June 3-13.

This 2019 film is directed by Guy Amir and Hanon Sayvon and is 104 minutes with English subtitles.

To purchase tickets, check out the Toronto Jewish Film Festival at https://tjff.com/toronto-jewish-film-festival-2021/

You can see the trailer here https://tjff.com/films/forgiveness/

Romanian Wine: Alira 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon

So what new wine wave is going to hit North America? Could it be wines from Romania? Why not. Romanians have been making wines far longer than Canada although its dreary Communist years certainly did not help their wine industry. But with the execution of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 it was good-bye communism and perhaps the beginning of a new era for Romanian wine production.

The tradition may be there but what about quality? That is a hard question to answer as we have so little of it visiting our shelves in Canada so how can one make any broad statements about Romanian wine? Neither have I been on a wine media trip to Romania where one would have an opportunity to taste many wines and get to know Romanian cuisine and what wine matches with what food. I was in Romania for a couple of months in 1972 but only had a glass or two of white wine. Romanian beer at the time was absolutely the worst beer I have ever had.

One Romanian red just limped into the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Can you get a decent Cabernet Sauvignon these days for $16.95? Can the Romanians pull it off with a 2016 Alira Cabernet Sauvignon?

On the nose redolent with blueberry and blueberry pie a characteristic of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. There is also cassis, blackberry and violets. Plush and lush on the palate with low tannic impact. Loads of blueberry and some sweet red cherry with a little hit of white pepper and hazelnut wafer cookies.

A well-made wine with nothing out of balance.

Is it going to knock your socks off? I do not think so but it is highly drinkable at a very attractive price. I would say it is comparable to a well-made California Cabernet Sauvignon in the $25 range.

For food matches seared tuna steak or a lamb stew (tocana de miel).

Drink by the end of 2023.

Matured in French oak for 12 months.

(Alira Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Winero Crama, Bucharest, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 18460, 14.5%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 89/100).

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 64 “Eno Ergot Searches for Bluebeard”

After Eno Ergot’s botched Zortixian mission and his trip to Earth to avoid the shame that would be heaped upon him should he return to Zorollia he and his crew became totally immersed in their pretend world of piracy! Onshore they rivalled the decadent life of the pirates of old. To the delight of all who saw them in many of Earth’s ports they wore traditional pirate outfits. Many who saw them thought they were part of a travelling theatrical troupe or a cast for a mega American movie. Their seafaring skills had improved dramatically considering the Earth’s oceans were more challenging than the lakes of Zorollia. After but a brief stay on Earth on their stolen German pirate ship their skills rivalled that of upper-class yachtsmen.

Eno doggedly continued his search for Bluebeard despite that many said he was but a myth. Once they joined forces Eno and Bluebeard would dominate and terrorize the seas. How Earth was different than Zorollia. Earthlings were primitive but could be a boisterous and enjoyable lot always looking for a good time unlike the serious and politically obsessed Zorollians. Eno had a slight problem and that was the morale of the crew who were beginning to believe that Bluebeard was but a myth. If Eno could not find Bluebeard perhaps Eno could establish a fiendish reputation and Bluebeard would come searching for him. They would then join forces to end the dominance of the steel ships that plied and polluted the seas. They would share the booty of bullion and wenches.

Realistically there was little worth plundering as most ships in European waters were transporting commodities and raw materials and not gold and pretty woman. Eno thought what could one do with tons of coal? However Eno was hearing tales of heavy yacht traffic off several South American coastal areas. And these yachts were full of contraband, narcotics, cash and beautiful South American women addicted to plastic surgery. So off to South America they sailed revelling in plundering the yachts of the ultra wealthy. Many of the yachts were owned by drug kingpins with an impressive security force but were mesmerized as they saw an ancient ship with gaily costumed pirates. Often the owners invited them aboard out of curiosity and from that point it was easy to knock out any security details with Zorollian weapons the crew had salvaged from their crashed spaceship. They plundered anything of value even taking personal belongings such as watches and wallets. For fun they would enjoy making a few people walk the plank which was even more exciting in shark infested waters.

Most of the victims were reluctant to report these incidents to the authorities lest they’d be laughed at or investigated how they had acquired such impressive yachts by local tax authorities. They simply swallowed their losses and prepared themselves adequately so they would never be taken again by a group of colourful and imaginative swindlers. Word soon spread about Eno and his approaches to these yachts were greeted by machine gun fire and rocket launchers. The flies were wary of the honey so Eno and the crew set sail for Columbia for some shore life and rest.

Ontario to Move to Step One of Roadmap to Reopen on June 11

Table of Contents