Tired of Argentinian Malbec in your red wine glass. Is there hope for Argentinian Criolla? The wine we are trying is Criolla Grande and it has a bad rep. In Karen MacNeil’s “Wine Bible” (second edition) the grape is described as follows: “A widely planted if undistinguished, pinkish-skinned grape related to other criollas, but itsContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Argentinian Malbec Exhaustion”
Category Archives: Wine
RKS 2024 Wine: Hostage to Cali Cabernet Sauvignons
In Canada in terms of American Cabernet Sauvignon we are hostage to California Cabernet Sauvignons. I am sure Texas produces some notable Cabernet Sauvignons but timid buyers for our state liquor monopoly the Liquor Control Board of Ontario would rather sell their mother than look to Texas or 48 other states for American wine. MyContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Hostage to Cali Cabernet Sauvignons”
RKS 2024 Wine: Chilean/Argentinian Slugfest: Argentinian Thin Man Pinot Noir
On our higher end retail shelves for quality wine Chile and Argentina are duking it out for the moderately priced wine championship. Chile is undercutting Argentina pricewise and possibly quality wise. Writers from jamessuckling.com seeming to be playing both sides and with their inflated ratings rest assured they receive lots of print in our VintagesContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Chilean/Argentinian Slugfest: Argentinian Thin Man Pinot Noir”
RKS 2024 Wine: Rasteau Man Vibrations!
Perhaps wishful thinking with this miserably cold and damp weather made me think of this as a Rasta Man wine. But returning to reality I realize the wine has been incorrectly described! It has nothing to do with Jamaica as it is French. There is no Rasta Man in sight as the wine is aContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Rasteau Man Vibrations!”
RKS 2024 Wine: Bonarda A Second Fiddle to Malbec? Break Free from Malbec Hegemony!
In New Zealand Pinot Gris plays second fiddle to Sauvignon Blanc. In Argentina Bonarda plays second fiddle to Malbec. Don’t confuse volume of exports as the beacon for quality. Both Bonarda and Pinot Gris have their strong points but are they being trampled by retail stampedes (perhaps right over the cliff)? Location of vineyard isContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Bonarda A Second Fiddle to Malbec? Break Free from Malbec Hegemony!”
RKS 2024 Wine: A Rare Red Wine From Mâcon
Mâcon lies within the Burgundian wine area of France. One thinks of low-cost Chardonnay but red wine from the Mâcon is not often seen in Ontario. This red Mâcon is the lowest tier Mâcon. It is a Gamay. Aroma: Bright and cheerful cherry accented with raspberry and milk chocolate. Simple and right at you. Palate:Continue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: A Rare Red Wine From Mâcon”
RKS 2024 Wine: Deep Purple “Smoke on the Water”
Wildfires rage on in Chile today. The urban area most affected would seem to be Viña del Mar a coastal resort city on the Pacific northwest of Valparaiso. Over 100 people have perished and hundreds are missing. It is too early to determine damage to viticulture but one should remember while fire is a threatContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Deep Purple “Smoke on the Water””
RKS 2024 Wine: A Shiraz from Australia’s Langhorne Creek: I am Not Waltzing With This Matilda
Thoughts on a Bleasdale 2019 Generations Shiraz. Aroma: Oak has worked itself nicely into the wine softening and plumping it up, hopefully not for the slaughter. Ripe plum, blackberry, cherry, spice and white pepper. Palate: No jammy Aussie bunko wine. In fact scratching my head with such an alluring aroma where did the fruit go.Continue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: A Shiraz from Australia’s Langhorne Creek: I am Not Waltzing With This Matilda”
RKS 2024 Wine: Château Castagnac from Fronsac
Fronsac, think Bordeaux. Think red wine. Think Merlot. Think of possible luxury at a discount price. We try a Château Castagnac from a good year in Bordeaux, 2020. It is Merlot and aged one year in French oak. The grapes were grown in a three-hectare herbicide free vineyard in clay-limestone soil near the town ofContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Château Castagnac from Fronsac”
RKS 2024 Wine: An Alternative to Sauvignon Blanc: Entre-Deux-Mers? Apologies to My English Teacher
Sauvignon Blanc on a personal preference level for white wine sits at the bottom of the pile. It has a certain intensity that has me skittering away from it. While I can discern a good and bland Sauvignon Blanc even the good ones I’ll restrict to professional and not personal consumption. Entre-Deux-Mers will have SauvignonContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: An Alternative to Sauvignon Blanc: Entre-Deux-Mers? Apologies to My English Teacher”
