The bottle is definitely old school. Heavy tonnage. Not exactly carbon neutral! It has a dense black cherry colour. On the nose its very tight fisted holding on to its aromas like a bargain shopper hunting the bins for a 70% discounted wine. But you can’t snuff out the black cherry, black plum, toasted coconut,Continue reading “RKS Wine: El Enemigo 2017 Single Vineyard La Esperanza Bonarda”
Category Archives: Wine
RKS Wine: Marynissen Estates: Two Strikes And You Are Out
How generous should you be before calling a winery out? My view is two strikeouts and that winery is out or if you are more forgiving perhaps on probation. I have called a strikeout on Marynissen’s 2019 Cabernet Franc giving that tired and anemic wine a 64/100. What will the 2019 Cabernet Merlot bring? ConsideringContinue reading “RKS Wine: Marynissen Estates: Two Strikes And You Are Out”
RKS Wine: A Couple of Tuscans
Tuscany is a beautiful part of the world and some years ago a friend and I rented a villa in the countryside so both our families had a base. Of course, we visited Montalcino and Montepulciano and admired their quaint beauty however tainted as it was by too many tourists. Yet look elsewhere to theContinue reading “RKS Wine: A Couple of Tuscans”
RKS Wine: 2021 Was Not a Great Year for Bordeaux
A spring frost and mildew was not very kind to Bordeaux in 2021. Yields seem to be down as much as 30%. And the quality? Time will tell. Should you stock up now? There seems to be enough flow from previous harvests so stocking up would not seem necessary. Pick with care the 2021’s orContinue reading “RKS Wine: 2021 Was Not a Great Year for Bordeaux”
RKS Wine: The Okanagan’s Mayhem 2020 Riesling and My Treatment for Riesling Hesitation Syndrome
I am very discerning about Ontario Rieslings and I don’t want to stir things up about why. I have much better luck with British Columbia Rieslings. Trust Mayhem to cause a bit of mayhem with its Riesling as not only was it aged in stainless steel but neutral French oak. EEKS! Oak and Riesling! DoesContinue reading “RKS Wine: The Okanagan’s Mayhem 2020 Riesling and My Treatment for Riesling Hesitation Syndrome”
RKS Wine: Portugal’s Alentejano Goes Beyond Indigenous and My Thoughts On A Corked Wine
In addition to Portuguese indigenous grapes Alentejano wines often throw into the blend some “international” grapes such as Syrah, Alicante Bouschet or Merlot. For example the 2016 Flor de Maio has in its blend of Trincadeira and Aragonez some Syrah. It is garnet in color. As for aroma there is black cherry, ripe strawberry, chocolateContinue reading “RKS Wine: Portugal’s Alentejano Goes Beyond Indigenous and My Thoughts On A Corked Wine”
RKS Wine: My View on Viewpointe 2012 Cabernet Franc
Viewpointe Estate Winery has a beautiful tasting room overlooking Lake Erie. They craft good wines. Lake Erie North Shore (LENS) is the appellation and is largely ignored by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) in favour of the wines of Niagara. Mention Lake Erie North Shore and most Ontario wine drinkers just might lookContinue reading “RKS Wine: My View on Viewpointe 2012 Cabernet Franc”
RKS Wine: Mayhem Wines: Same Grapes for the Blend but Different Proportions and a Year Younger but the Same Price: Mayhem’s 2020 Cabernet Franc Merlot
Mayhem’s 2019 Cabernet Franc was brilliant with a 72% Merlot/28% Cabernet Franc blend. The 2020 version is 89% Merlot/11% Cabernet Franc. The 2020 was aged into 100% French oak barrels that were second fill and aged for 5 months at which time the final blend was assembled and transferred back into the barrel for anContinue reading “RKS Wine: Mayhem Wines: Same Grapes for the Blend but Different Proportions and a Year Younger but the Same Price: Mayhem’s 2020 Cabernet Franc Merlot”
RKS WINES: Canadian Wine Quarantine: Social Distancing and The Berlin Wall!
If I was to say to my Ontario readers Mayhem Wines in British Columbia’s Okanagan produces some jaw dropping quality wines that in my opinion rank it amongst the top wineries in the world 99.9% would say I was infected with some Omicrap virus and hallucinating. Why is this? The Liquor Control Board of OntarioContinue reading “RKS WINES: Canadian Wine Quarantine: Social Distancing and The Berlin Wall!”
RKS Wine: Don’t Overlook Spain for Quality Low Priced Wines: Frustrated Wine Writer Saved by Rioja!
Spain is the third largest wine producer in the world and with all that wine there can be quality in the lower price levels. The past is the past but I recall discovering a superb low-priced rosé from Spain a few years ago and it was selling for $7. It never reappeared. We pare downContinue reading “RKS Wine: Don’t Overlook Spain for Quality Low Priced Wines: Frustrated Wine Writer Saved by Rioja!”
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