Wine – Page 70 – A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity

RKS Wine: Graham’s Late Bottled 2015 Vintage Port

Why is it that I have never had a corked Port or one that has suffered from volatile acidity? It may lie with the IDVP the body that regulates Douro wines. The quality control process is rigid and thorough and I have seen these people evaluating and tasting Ports and wines with an incredible thoroughnessContinue reading “RKS Wine: Graham’s Late Bottled 2015 Vintage Port”

RKS Wine: Portugal’s Quinta da Rede: “The Douro Got Talent”

Can we expect yet another solid red wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley? Based on their track record with me over the years I am nodding my head up and down. We try a Quinta da Rede 2017 Reserva. The nose shouts out “full bodied”! Rich black cherry, blackberry, blueberry at times touched with a floralContinue reading “RKS Wine: Portugal’s Quinta da Rede: “The Douro Got Talent””

RKS Wines: Ventoux Wines: Pesquié

If you hear the name Rhône you might be braced for sticker shock thinking of Châteauneuf de Pape or Gigondas. But Ventoux is not about ready just now to empty your wallet and again if you know the producers you can walk away with a smile on your face from both the price and theContinue reading “RKS Wines: Ventoux Wines: Pesquié”

RKS Wine: California Cabernet Sauvignon: Is This the Real Thing?

One might look at a bottle of California Cabernet Sauvignon and see the winery is located in Sonoma or Napa home to some high-end Cabernet Sauvignon. But look at the label closely and it may not refer to a specific American Viticultural Area (AVA) in California but state “California Cabernet Sauvignon” which means by lawContinue reading “RKS Wine: California Cabernet Sauvignon: Is This the Real Thing?”

RKS Wine : Meyer Family Vineyards 2020 Tribute Series Chardonnay – Terry Threlfall

For the past few years Meyer Family Vineyards (MFV) in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley has released a tribute Chardonnay. This time it is a tribute to the late Terry Threlfall a Vancouver born sommelier operating at the time of his death in London. He was 43 when he passed in 2020. The 2020 Chardonnay vintageContinue reading “RKS Wine : Meyer Family Vineyards 2020 Tribute Series Chardonnay – Terry Threlfall”

RKS Wine: The Forgotten Home of Malbec and Don’t Toss Those Green Tomatoes!

Mention the grape Malbec and the rubberneckers will be gawking at Argentina ignoring that Malbec began its journey from its home in Cahors in Southwest France to Argentina in the 1830’s. Argentina gets most of the praise for Malbec and it is rare that one encounters a Malbec from Cahors. In the Malbec game theContinue reading “RKS Wine: The Forgotten Home of Malbec and Don’t Toss Those Green Tomatoes!”

RKS Wine: Chasing the Lower Priced Bordeaux

Bordeaux wines can be a rich man’s game. You pay a pile of dough for the “first growths” which if you are made of money go ahead. Are some of these wines in the $1,000 range worth it or is the purchaser a billionaire thinking the more you pay the higher the quality? Part ofContinue reading “RKS Wine: Chasing the Lower Priced Bordeaux”

RKS Wines: Should Portugal’s Douro Be Looking Over Its Shoulder to the Surging Alentejano?

In terms of the volume of Portuguese wines coming into Canada the Douro, leads the pack. The Douro produces top quality wines but since the grapes used in their winemaking are largely indigenous one might say their excellence is predictable. On the other hand the region in second place, Alentejano, produces excellent wines as wellContinue reading “RKS Wines: Should Portugal’s Douro Be Looking Over Its Shoulder to the Surging Alentejano?”

RKS Wine: Crasto A Classic Douro Red

I will admit I have a soft spot for Quinta do Crasto perched above the Douro River in Portugal. Going out in the fields and trying grapes on the vine and then trying to trace them in the wine. Eating lunch with the field workers which you often do as a journalist visiting a quintaContinue reading “RKS Wine: Crasto A Classic Douro Red”

RKS Wine: 2020 Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Road Vineyard Chardonnay

In terms of Canadian wine from where I sit Ontario is touted as a wonderful “Cold Climate” Chardonnay producer. While I would not call the Okanagan in British Columbia “cold climate” I would say guys muscle into any claims that Ontario makes a superior Chardonnay. The Okanagan Chards I have tasted can kick butt toContinue reading “RKS Wine: 2020 Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Road Vineyard Chardonnay”