I discovered this wine several years ago while in Thessaloniki, Greece. I mention the name here and most people have never even heard of it which is a shame. It is an easy-going wine reminding me of a cross between Gewurztraminer, Viognier and a Riesling.
Troupis Winery is one of its better producers so we try a Fteri 2019 Moschofilero. It is platinum coloured. On the nose peach, apricot, tangerine, honey, lavender and rose petals. On the palate an undertone of sandalwood with peaches, Orri tangerines and canned pears. A soft lingering finish. Good for sipping as it is not brimming with acidity. I would pair it with grilled octopus, linguine with shrimp, calamari, sea bass or sea bream. I think it might handle moussaka as well. Drink the end of the year.
I have had better vintages of this wine from Fteri.
(Fteri Moschofilero 2019 PGI Peloponnese, Troupis Winery, Arcadia, Greece, $ 15.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 647388, 750 mL,12%, Robert K. Stephen a little birdie told me so Rating 89/100).
“The problem of stress does not admit to simpleminded solutions or quick fixes. At root, stress is a natural part of living for which there is no more escape than from the human condition itself. Yet some people try to avoid stress by walling themselves from life experience: others attempt to anesthetize themselves one way or the other to escape it. Of course, it is only sensible to avoid undergoing unnecessary pain and hardship. Certainly we all need to distance ourselves from our troubles now and then. But if escape and avoidance become our habitual way of dealing with our problems, the problems just multiply. They don’t magically go away. What does go away or gets covered over when we tune out our problems, run away from them, or simply go numb is our power to continue to learn and grow, heal and change. When it comes right down to it facing our problems is usually the only way to get past them.”
By the time the Greek Gods had fled their tourist ridden island of Samos and established themselves in the dimension of Zlano the revolution in Zortixia had been completed. The surviving leaders of the Opposite Party had been banished to far away planets or executed by some of the over enthusiastic members of the Jiber Resistance Club. The neutering of the Opposite Party in Zortixia enabled the Zortixians to dispatch search parties to Earth to ascertain the whereabouts of the exiled Montenez family. Pinpointing an exact location was not easy as the blackbooter staff working on the exile had been murdered by the Jiber.
The Zortixians had to interrogate the earthlings for any relevant information, Well at least the Zortixians had the technology to land safely on Earth. Their questioning of the earthlings caused wild rumours to spread on Earth that there had been some sort of alien invasion. The media warned of an imminent mass invasion and medical authorities and politicians collaborated to issue “lockdown” and curfew restrictions to keep the terrorized earthlings under control.
The Zortixians were quite enjoying their conversations with the earthlings. As might be expected the initial reaction to the strangely clad Zortixians and spacecraft was terror but as the Zortixians showed no hostility but rather curiosity many of the earthlings relaxed and interacted in a friendly fashion with their strange visitors. A corn farmer in Iowa claimed to have hosted a community dinner with a Zortixian crew and the Zortixians feasted on roast beef, corn on the cob and apple pie with a strange liquid called corn whisky! After dinner more corn whiskey flowed and the Zortixians were introduced to square dancing. Actually when this crew returned to Zortixia the captain of the crew published an entire book on this experience with the earthlings.
Zortixian farmers began to plant this strange vegetable corn and their replicated corn whisky became a hot drink amongst Zortixians. But still where was the Montenez family? However somewhat by accident a training mission of Zortixian cadets landed in the dimension of Zlano and encountered the Greek Gods. The cadets leaped in joy after speaking with a strange old man called Zeus who related the story of how they had found and nurtured Willie Montenez Jr. Zeus even told them of where he thought they could find Montenez.
Within minutes telecameras were installed and incredulous Zortixians heard their esteemed telescreen news anchor Walter Stagnite interviewing Zeus.
Zeus was rather taken aback and related the story of Willie Montenez Jr. Zeus said, “I realize Zortixians you are most impatient in your quest for information concerning Montenez so I’ll keep my story short. We found Montenez in an infant state and raised him as one of our own and bestowed immortality to him thank goodness as he would long ago been dead as Zortixia and earth are in two entirely different time warps. We found out his name by translating some strange script that was written on a bracelet attached to his arm. We were a bit shocked seeing the lad as we had not yet decided to create humanity. We raised him as a god giving him the best physical and mental education we could. Although the cannister he was in was severely damaged aside from having a severed toe he was in fine health. He stayed with us on the island of Samos until it fell prey to an overabundance of tourists which threatened our way of life. We did not do such a great job in creating humanity which was in a great turmoil with terrible wars, genocide, starvation, plagues and various types of perversity were ravaging the globe. Willie stayed behind to help these poor earthlings as we fled here to Zlano. You ought to be proud of Willie.”
The Zortixians immediately headed to the Greek island of Samos. Willie, who had not yet departed Samos had no idea how quickly his past was hurtling towards him. He telephone rang. He picked it up,” Hello Montenez here at Apollo Bar. Can I help?” The familiar voice of Dr Zodiac, who was in Samos for a visit from Zlano said, “Willie I have some important information for you so brace yourself. Zeus contacted me and told me creatures from another planet called Zortixia have come looking for you. They should be here shortly.”
After one particularly exciting voyage with his Abenaki friends south of Lake Champlain, as it is now criminally named, Squid sat at the top of a mountain happily imbibing the beautiful colours of the fall scenery. Then far down the lake he saw it. It was some primitive sailing vessel slowly making its way to the mainland. The Abenaki were also seeing this strange craft and were making an excited ruckus. After an hour or so smaller craft disgorged from the larger craft and Squid and his Abenaki friends discerned some humanoids heading toward the shore. They were singing, waving crosses and flags gesturing in an agitated manner. Squid yawned in a nonchalant manner and made his way to the outskirts of the village. These strangers had already arrived so Squid hid behind bushes and eavesdropped. The newcomers were acting like boors. They were sneering at his Abenaki friends and insulting them. Their language differed from the Cro-Magnon grunts but their actions towards the Abenaki were similar.
Their leader was strutting about like some rare tropical bird dressed in an absurdly flamboyant costume. The Abenaki were somewhat perplexed over the frills and overpowering smell of cologne. The leader was not in a good mood and in an angry tone said (English translation) “This is not fucking China. We are fucking lost”.
Squid, with his superpowered brain deciphered these conversations that these men were from some country called France. He rather vaguely remembered the name of the country and may have indeed visited it previously.
The leader of this band of dishevelled band of white men was called Jacques Cartaway and although he was lost he decided to take his crew on a survey of the area. There was always the possibility of gold which was far more valuable than the huge schools of cod they had encountered. Squid had an uneasy feeling about these strange white men who called themselves “discoverers” for a land and people that had already been there for centuries. These fools had not discovered anything as the land and people had been here at their home before Cartaway and his discoverers had “discovered” them.
The silly and pompous Frenchman stumbled through the bush regularly giving names to landmarks as if they were absolute owners. The Abenaki tribe had no place in their conquest. At each landmarked place black robed men performed strange ceremonies looking to the sky and seeking the blessing of their gods that they now possessed the land. The Abenaki, not quite understanding these silly ceremonies stood and laughed. The black robes were furious at the hilarity of the Abenaki which was insulting to their Christian mores.
One of the black robes Frere Grandvoluer cast an evil eye on the Abenaki and mumbled, “We will be back my savages. You’ll see the errors of your way and we will return to make you see the evil of your ways and we will see whose turn it is to laugh.”
Rather sensing some hostility the Abenaki conveyed the message of their water god Squid living in he mountains. Cartaway and his men laughed at the savage ignorance of the Abenaki.
These Frenchman ascended the mountain of Squid and claimed it as Mount Royal in honour of their king. Squid watching this anti-social behaviour later referred to as colonialism wanted to shove these intruders off the mountain but winter’s savage onslaught accomplished much of what he had wanted to accomplish. The explorers were trapped with the freezing waters.
Against the advice of Squid the Abenaki told these Frenchman they could boil bark in water and avid scurvy. When spring came Cartaway kidnapped chiefs of the Abenaki like some trophies to be presented at Versailles.
The Abenaki were furious and awaited a chance for revenge against the French savages. Squid was melancholic but that was history and history was vicious. He was well ware that colonization in many forms and could only expect worse events to plague his group of friends. So what could he do against an entire Euro civilization.
He announced before his departure later in the summer at a feast in his honour of the water god (himself) that they do not trust these interlopers. As he transformed into a squid and plunged into the waters of what the Frenchmen called Lake Champlain he headed off with a sigh and muttered “If only they had invented the machine gun. They would have had a decent chance,”
I recall purchasing a Trinco Bolotas red from the Alentejo region in Portugal a couple of years ago in a Porto supermarket on sale for about $6.00 Canadian. I took it home and kept it in the cellar for a few months to calm down its travel shock. And I purchased it here in Toronto recently at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario when I was returning a badly corked bottle of Greek Xinomavro. The Vintages rep was excited about its 97-point rating for the 2018 version in Decanter World Wine Awards. So I relented and picked up a bottle of the 2019 vintage.
I say relented as I was not impressed with whatever vintage I picked up in Porto and that is a hard pill to swallow considering Alicante Bouschet was part of the blend and that grape can work miracles in a blend! Well I suppose we should see if the rubber of the rating hits the reality of the tastebuds.
On the nose some black cherry, blueberry, pomegranate charcoal and cacao. On the palate junior tannins and well-matched acidity. It is rather a stern wine surprising considering the charm and seductiveness Alicante Bouschet often offers to a Alentejo wine. But in this firmness there is some black cherry, blackberry, coal, and juicy sweet cranberry.
I’ll have to take a break for a few minutes and say if you are a foodie the black pig of Alentejo should be on your bucket list. It is a dark skinned Iberian pig that is fattened on cork seeds and acorns giving it a unique taste or rather an unforgettably delicious taste and paired with a Alentejo wine with Alicante Bouschet mix you may feel what and why wine writers make food and wine pairings. I was introduced to this combo at a fabulous Relais & Châteaux in Guincho Beach called Fortaleza do Guincho which is an old Moorish fort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with perhaps the most spectacular dining room in Europe with some of the best chefs in Europe. It is a short taxi or bus ride from Cascais It was here that I was introduced to the black pig of Alentejo with a sommelier picked wine from Alentejo with a grape which at that time was unknown to me….Alicante Bouschet. A quick lunch turned into a three hour stay including a tour of a very impressive wine cellar. Quite frankly as food memories go it fell into the “Portugal outdoes itself” and a memory I still hold dear. Thank you, Petra!
“Trinca Bolotas” means acorn eaters.
Now as I rate the wine I try and separate my memories with what is in the glass as cruel as that may be. It is a good wine and totally suited to food and particularly the black pig of Alentejo of which you will have to go to Portugal for. But as a substitute may I suggest a pork tenderloin roast which has been in a Dutch Oven generously bathed in some Late Bottled Vintage Port, scallions, dried Thai chili peppers, capers, Kalamata olives, celery, carrots and onions with finely chopped walnuts. You can thicken the sauce with corn-starch and water if you wish. Serve over basmati rice and blame me for this untried recipe. Better yet head to Fortaleza do Guincho and speak with Petra who can hopefully set you up with some black pig!
In addition to the Alicante Bouschet there is Touriga Nacional and Aragonez (Tempranillo).
(Herdade Peso Trinca Bolotas Tinto 2019, DOC Alentejo, Sogrape, Portugal, $16.95, LCBO # 431064. 750 mL, 14%, Robert K. Stephen A little birdie told me so rating 89/100).
A decent wine but I am no Luca Maroni as far as ratings go.
I like to see what our neighbours in Quebec are thinking about the pandemic. In the March edition of the Quebec magazine L’acualité there is an article entitled “Comment Vieillir Riche Malgré La Pandémie” which we can translate into English as “How to Grow Rich in Spite of the Pandemic”.
One part of the feature deals with retiring in the midst of a storm. Over 60% of Quebecers do not have a pension fund. Under the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) you have a right to collect at 60. Fortunately stock markets have rebounded and regained all that was lost since the beginning of the pandemic.
So what are the tips that might help if you are retiring during the pandemic?
KEEP SOME LIQUID RESERVES: David Paré a financial planner with Desjardin says most of his clients do not have pension plans and have had to save for their retirement. On the average his clients have saved $750,000 to $3,000,000. Several of his clients panicked with the plunge of the markets and lost sums of money by selling on the downward curve. Paré recommends you have a liquid reserve that is capable of lasting 2-3 years. This can consist of short-term savings, GIC’s or bonds. Paré says that people without liquid reserves may be obliged to sell their shares at an inopportune moment which is bad for long term investing.
DIVERSIFY YOUR SOURCES OF REVENUE: Paré says to be safe from a crisis you have to establish a level of risk and the fluctuations of the market prior to retirement. He says his clients sleep well and their choices do not wake them up when they are sleeping. Hélene Grandmaison a financial planner says she asks many questions such as needs, desires, wishes and dreams. There are never two identical cases.
TAKE RISKS WITH MODERATION: A well constructed portfolio should give you a return of between 4-7% without medium- or long-term risk. With GIC’s offering rates around 1% that is less than 2019’s inflation rate of 1.1%! Louis-Bernard Dubé with iA Groupe in Terrebone says a certain amount of prudence is required and to get there you have to invest in the markets.
ADOPT YOUR PORTFOLIO TO YOUR REALITY: All financial planners are armed with tools that can work with all variables like matrimonial status, health, employment status, marital status and fiscal rules. Dubé advises to review your financial plans every two to three years.
I like to see what our neighbours in Quebec are thinking about the pandemic. In the March edition of the Quebec magazine L’acualité there is an article entitled “Comment Vieillir Riche Malgré La Pandémie” which we can translate into English as “How to Grow Rich in Spite of the Pandemic”.
One part of the article can be translated as “When the Pandemic Hit in March 2020”. What did it say?
Jean Fortin, president of Jean Fortin & Associés a trustee in bankruptcy firm in Quebec noted that as of October 31, 2020, 13 Canadian financial institutions gave a reprieve to 796,300 people on their mortgage payments which is one in 6 mortgages. According to Statistics Canada there were half the bankruptcies in September 2020 (977) than in the same period of 2019 (1,848). Fortin warns that this liquidity is illusionary as interest still continues on debts. Fortin noted that those that did not remain employed during the pandemic will only see their debts increase.
There is an issue of paying income tax which is due on April 30th.According to a poll by Raymond Chabot one third of CERB beneficiaries will not have the sums necessary to pay their income tax and in the age group of those 18-34 this inability to pay income tax increases to 50%.
It could be that someone has hurt you so badly that 21 years later you still suffer madly
Yes it was so unjust that unfortunately hatred seems a must
But look at this way if I can make a suggestion to deal with your psychological indigestion
Firstly, giving the right to make you continually suffer haven’t they succeeded in causing you the most harm possible do you want to give them that power to make your heart go so sour and curdle? really escaping all that hurt then becomes somewhat simple open up your heart and give yourself some self compassion why continue the suffering by not letting go by realizing your pain and acknowledging it is there and you deserve to say good-bye to it caused by a worthless piece of shit untangle the brain of your pain
Leonardo (Jonah Acosta Gonzalez) and his girlfriend Sarah (Evelyn Castrado O’Farrill) want to escape Cuba to a better land of milk and honey. Leonardo has a great opportunity to leave Cuba on a ballet tour of the National Ballet of Cuba but as he is not cast in the lead role of Romeo he has an angry spat with the director and he is expelled from the Ballet.
Well there is a rather common technique in Cuba amongst those with few morals and that is to marry a foreigner tourist, go to the land of milk and honey, “get your papers” and bring over your loved ones after dumping the tourist.
Leonardo focuses in on a mid thirty-year-old woman from Montreal, Nasim (Aki Yaghoubi) who is a victim of an abusive husband. Nasim is just so sweet and innocent you feel a sadness seeing how she is to be manipulated. Leonardo as noted by the director of his former ballet company, is the best dancer but lacks respect and humility. Sarah is ambitious as a lawyer she understands she can make a lot of money in the land of milk and honey.
Well matters progress to a light romance between Nasim and Leonardo in Havana and Nasim returns to Montreal then Leonardo 4 months later all expenses paid. Sarah understands there may be sex involved but pleads with Leonardo when you do have sex don’t look her in the eyes and save that for me. Nasim and Leonardo have sex in Montreal and she asks him why don’t you look at me in the eyes?
Nasim is warned by friends that Leonardo may have lovers in Cuba. I think she suspects his motives which may be somewhat irrelevant as beneath that sweet exterior lies a hunter after prey.
Leonardo is rejected in two dance auditions and lands a job at a meat processing plan as an illegal making $5 an hour. A work buddy suggests pay a Canadian to marry Sarah and bring her back which he does paying $5,000 for the deed.
Leonardo frequently dreams of Havana and he dearly misses it. Nasim’s father is furious at her bringing a black man into his house and threatens never to talk to Nasim again.
Sarah pops up in Montreal and the sex between her and Leonardo certainly wasn’t what it used to be and she can’t look him in the eyes whereas lately he has been looking into Nasim’s eyes during lovemaking. After Leonardo and Sarah’s less than successful lovemaking he looks through her phone and there she is in a picture hugging a man she met at a law conference in Havana after Leonardo had left for Montreal. This man had suggested she go to Toronto to practice law as it would be easier to be licensed to practice in Ontario than Quebec. Nasim had also looked at Leonardo’s laptop and saw love notes from Sarah. So all three assemble at a coffee shop and all three seem equally unhappy.
Sarah then hops on a bus to Toronto while Leonardo has a promising audition with a Montreal ballet company. He returns to Nasim’s house. He stares at it. Should he go in?
A story about treachery, deception and the loneliness attendant with immigration. Is Leonardo going to be the big loser? He is a manipulator who gets what he deserves and is Nasim, seemingly so sweet, really a shark?
Well as you try and figure out these questions involving these flawed human beings enjoy the tremendous soundtrack filled with both modern and traditional Cuban music and a couple of melancholic and well positioned Persian songs. Gonzales is really an accomplished ballet dancer and a current principal at Bayern Staatsballett in Munich.
“Sin La Habana” premiered at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal where it won the the Prix de la Distribution. The film will have its International Premiere at the 2021 Miami Film Festival.
The film is directed by award-winning Iranian-Canadian director and musician Kaveh Nabatian. English subtitles. 95 minutes in length.
MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL 2021Silverspot Cinema ScreeningSunday, Mar. 7 @ 2:30pm ETVirtual Screening InformationMonday, Mar. 8 @ 12:00pm ETFor tickets, click here
TORONTO ― During a virtual news conference today Premier Doug Ford and his fellow Premiers renewed calls for the federal government to increase its share of funding for provincial and territorial health care to 35 per cent.
“Rebuilding our health system after a once-in-a-century pandemic requires an all-hands-on-deck approach,” said Premier Ford. “With wait times for backlogged surgeries growing and our long-term care homes in desperate need of more support, it’s never been more important that the federal government work with the provinces. All of the Premiers urge the Prime Minister to become a true funding partner and increase the federal government’s share of total health care spending to 35% through the Canada Health Transfer, and to maintain this level over time with a minimum annual escalator of at least 5 per cent.”
If the federal government were to increase its share of the Canada Health Transfer to 35 per cent that would provide Ontario with more than $10 billion in additional health care funding. This funding could be used to:
Increase access to home and community care so seniors can stay in their homes longer.
Build more long-term care beds, faster, and continue to improve the quality of care the most vulnerable receive in long-term care homes
Address the large backlog of surgeries and procedures that has accumulated during the pandemic, and which will cost approximately $283.7 million this year and is anticipated to cost up to $300 million next year
Improve wait times and increase access to services and procedures at hospitals, including diagnostic scans, and many types of surgeries with long wait lists
Ontario has taken decisive action to end hallway health care, hire more staff, reduce waitlists and ensure more people get access to health services. The government invested $594 million in 2020-21 to address longstanding capacity issues and wait times in hospitals, including adding up to 64,000 additional MRI and 45,000 additional CT operating hours and funding additional surgeries including cardiac, cancer and cataract procedures.
To protect the most vulnerable seniors, Ontario has made improvements and investments in long-term care, including investing over $6 billion in 2020-21 alone. To help more seniors remain in the comfort of their own homes and communities, Ontario is providing 32.6 million hours of personal support services, about 9.2 million nursing and therapy visits and 2.5 million nursing shifts.
“I stand ready to work with the Prime Minister to ensure all Canadians get the health care they need,” said Premier Ford. “We’re doing our part in Ontario and it is time for the federal government to come to the table with a significantly larger share of funding so Canadians can get the care they need and deserve.”
Quick Facts
Health care accounted for nearly 42 per cent of Ontario’s program spending in 2019-20 – it is the biggest category of expenditure in the Ontario budget.
It is estimated that it will take approximately 2.5-3.5 years for hospitals operating at between 110 to 120 percent above normal surgical operations to catch up on elective surgeries. The largest wait lists are for orthopedic and eye surgeries.
Under the original Medical Care Act passed in 1966, the federal government covered 50 per cent of eligible hospital and physician expenses. Today, the federal share has fallen to 22 per cent of total provincial-territorial health spending.
Without action, the federal share of health care funding will decline to less than 18 per cent by 2040. The current health care funding gap of $28 billion nationally is expected to grow until it reaches $80 billion a year by 2039-40, and over $30 billion for Ontario.
Between 2017-18 and 2020-21, the cost to deliver Ontario’s top five health priorities (Hospitals, OHIP, Drug Programs, Long-Term Care, and Home and Community Care) grew by $13.2 billion.
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