Not able to join the gang for the Cake Parade on 1July2025 at Niagara-on-the-Lake due to recovery from hernia surgery I could alleviate my misery and the need for extensive walking by driving along Lakeshore Road where I discovered an extremely quiet Hinterbrook Estate Winery. After all it was Canada Day and who wants toContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: Hinterbrook’s Nomad 22 Wanderlust”
Category Archives: Wine
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: Wending Home’s A Little Bit of This a Little Bit of That
If by chance you are overly accustomed with single varietals perhaps you wish to try Wending Home’s Wending North a blend of 27% Ehrenfelser, 18% Auxerrois, 18% Pinot Gris, 16% Gewurztraminer and 5% Chardonnay. A dog’s breakfast or brilliance in a glass? Aroma: Honeycrisp apple, cinnamon, guava, mango, pineapple, honey, marzipan and Abate pear. AContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: Wending Home’s A Little Bit of This a Little Bit of That”
RKS 2025 Wine: Spier South African Shiraz
The grapes for this cool climate wine were sourced from 15- to 20-year-old trellised vines in rich, deep and decomposed granite soils. Hand harvested from selected vineyard blocks and destemmed and crushed to stainless steel tanks. Maturation in French oak barrels (20% first fill and the balance in second and third fill). The wine maturedContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Spier South African Shiraz”
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: Always Hope for Ontario Cabernet Sauvignon? Not This Time with Reif!
In Ontario Cabernet Franc fares at a very high level in comparison to its Cabernet Sauvignon. The secret for Ontario Cabernet Sauvignon would appear to be a heavy compliment of oak to impart more “character”. Oak has garnered a dirty name in much of the wine world perhaps a throwback to earlier days when excessiveContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: Always Hope for Ontario Cabernet Sauvignon? Not This Time with Reif!”
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: 2021 Nomad Fumé Blanc From Niagara, Ontario
Aroma: Lemon, lime, guava, peach, pineapple and mango. Wow this has lots going on! Palate: Despite all the fruitish bouquet activity there is a certain austerity on the palate and despite 12 months ageing in oak it has a clean stainless-steel backbone, or least that is the way it presents itself. Try and try youContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine: 2021 Nomad Fumé Blanc From Niagara, Ontario”
RKS 2025 Canadian Wine: A County Pinot Noir From The Grange of Prince Edward County in Ontario
The winery website describes its Farmer Series Pinot Noir “as a robust terroir driven County Pinot” aged 10 months in French oak. Aroma: Black cherry, raspberry held together in a light smoky frame. Palate: Too smooth to be considered robust! Definitely tannins but not lending to a robust categorization and that’s fine by me. SomewhatContinue reading “RKS 2025 Canadian Wine: A County Pinot Noir From The Grange of Prince Edward County in Ontario”
RKS 2025 Canadian Wine: Closson Chase 2021 Vineyard Chardonnay
In Ontario, Canada it is Niagara that garners most of the attention of its liquor monopoly the Liquor Control Board of Ontario in chatter and on its retail shelves. But head east of Toronto about the same distance Niagara is west of Toronto and you arrive at yet another wine district Prince Edward County orContinue reading “RKS 2025 Canadian Wine: Closson Chase 2021 Vineyard Chardonnay”
RKS 2025 Wine: From Portugal’s Dão Comes Cota 700 From Magnum Wines
I had the pleasure of visiting Magnum wines in Portugal a few years ago. A very commercial winery in comparison to most of the other Dão wineries I visited. I remember well the commercial Christmas cases and displays. So nontraditional for most of Portugal at the time. Good quality wines at different price points correspondingContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: From Portugal’s Dão Comes Cota 700 From Magnum Wines”
RKS 2025 Wine: A Graciano from Spain’s Navarra Appellation
Graciano is a spicy aromatic, intensely flavoured grape and is less tannic than Tempranillo and tends to oxidize easily. It is not capable of ageing for any extended period. It prefers cool clay-chalk soils and mild damp climates and dislikes drought and intense summer heat. We try an Agramont Graciano from the Navarra appellation inContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: A Graciano from Spain’s Navarra Appellation”
RKS 2025 Wine: Back to Toronto and “Fancy” Sicilian Wine: Planeta’s 2020 Controdanza
Having spent two weeks in Sicily in May very little wine was consumed. My agenda was tourism this time and not wine tourism. The best wine I had in Sicily? Small batch Primitivo produced in the countryside proximate to the archaeological site of Villa Romana del Casale served with lunch in large jugs sourced fromContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Back to Toronto and “Fancy” Sicilian Wine: Planeta’s 2020 Controdanza”
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