Months prior we had booked the Ananti City Resort in Trikala which is a 35-minute drive from Meteora. We, along with T and I, had received a post booking notice, sort of sounding like a warning, that there was to be a boisterous wedding celebration at the hotel on the night of our arrival andContinue reading “2026 GREEK TRAVEL ADVENTURE: Short Attention Span Version: 20September2026: Delphi/Meteora: Against All Warnings We Travel Into the Eye of the Storm and Are Rewarded with Incredible Argentinian Beef”
Category Archives: Wine
RKS Portuguese Wine: More Label Malarky: 2022 Prunus from the Dão: Stomped with Clean Feet?
Assuming you have a sense of humour and some knowledge of wine perhaps you chuckle when reading “Reserve”, “Private Reserve”, “Private Selection”, “Estate” or “Stomped with Clean Feet”? Most often these terms are pure marketing with no true significance, but I venture to say they sucker many a buyer in with their tinge of importanceContinue reading “RKS Portuguese Wine: More Label Malarky: 2022 Prunus from the Dão: Stomped with Clean Feet?”
RKS French Wine: Château Guillou 2022 from Saint-Émilion
A blend of 20% Cabernet Franc and 80% Merlot. Aroma: A tsunami of raspberry and blackberry wallops the nose and not flabby and over expressive as tightly knit. Palate: Chalky tannins restrain the fruit but do not deaden it. Perhaps this is why it might be appropriate to refer to it as tightly knit. PredominatelyContinue reading “RKS French Wine: Château Guillou 2022 from Saint-Émilion”
RKS Spanish Wine: A Monastrell from Jumilla
A joint effort between Familia Bastida and Bodegas Alceño. Aroma: Primary notes of blackberry with secondary notes of cassis and violets. Suggestive of creaminess and generous oak, predominately American. Taste: Gentle mounting acidity in this mid bodied wine certainly diminishes the aromatic hints of creaminess to come as the nose suggests! Cuts the fruitiness “downContinue reading “RKS Spanish Wine: A Monastrell from Jumilla”
RKS Chinese Literature: Smoking Opium, Hugging and Joking with the Sing-Song Girls (Shen Fu)
We had the wine boat anchor in the middle of the river and happily drank away until several strokes of the night watch had sounded. By then I had begun to fear I could not control myself and so had firmly resolved to return to our rooms, but my friends told me the city gatesContinue reading “RKS Chinese Literature: Smoking Opium, Hugging and Joking with the Sing-Song Girls (Shen Fu)”
RKS Ontario Wine: Big Head Red #14
Having scored 91 for Big Head Red #8 and 94 for Big Head Red # 11 I have high expectations for Big Head Red # 14. There are enough grapes in this blend to encourage dizziness; 49% 2024 Cabernet Franc 21% 2024 Cabernet Franc (appassimento) 10% 2024 Syrah (appassimento) 10% 2024 &2025 Dornfelder (appassimento) 5%Continue reading “RKS Ontario Wine: Big Head Red #14”
THE PENNY PENSIONER’S VIEW OF CHEAP WINES: A GERMAN PINOT NOIR
A Pinot Noir for $13.95. OK it’s a Spätburgunder that’s the reason? I don’t care what a $13.95 Pinot Noir tastes like but rather is the wine pleasantly drinkable. While I lead a most comfortable life it might be you are a poor pensioner even more likely if your only source of income is aContinue reading “THE PENNY PENSIONER’S VIEW OF CHEAP WINES: A GERMAN PINOT NOIR”
THE PENNILESS PENSIONER WINE OBSERVATION: CABALLO DORADO A CARMENÈRE FROM CHILE
Carmenére is one of the consistently good red Chilean wines. And it meets my criteria of $16 and under. And if you believe in ratings it has received a 92 from James Suckling which means I would subtract 4 points from that. He suffers from inflationary scores. And as pensioners don’t we know about inflation.Continue reading “THE PENNILESS PENSIONER WINE OBSERVATION: CABALLO DORADO A CARMENÈRE FROM CHILE”
RKS Australian Wine: Redman 2022 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and Multiple Personality Disorder?
Aroma: Dense blueberry and blackberry predominate. Immediate impression of solidity and richness. Secondary notes of dark chocolate and licorice. Palate: Tannic imprint builds gradually, perhaps better known as “drying tannins”, infused with a bit of pepper. Blackberry, cherry liqueur, cranberry and some brackishness on the long finish. Oh, if it could only show more ofContinue reading “RKS Australian Wine: Redman 2022 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and Multiple Personality Disorder?”
RKS FRENCH WINES: Château Mayne-Viel Fronsac 2019
Aroma: Creamy blackberry and cassis with a deep blueberry core. Palate: Creeping tannins making the wine on the verge of “tannic”. Chocolate, smoked meat, pepper and disguised black fruit. Long but rather dull finish. Personality: Serious but showing its age. Might have been exciting a couple of years ago. Food Match: Mushroom Wellington but pleaseContinue reading “RKS FRENCH WINES: Château Mayne-Viel Fronsac 2019”
