Robert K. Stephen Wine reviews – Page 15 – A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity

RKS Wine: Cline Viognier North Coast California

My first choice for Viognier would be France but California produces a fair bit of it. Let’s try a Cline 2020 North Coast Viognier. It has a light cold colour. As for aromatics it is not exactly an effusive Viognier. The first take is a wine that has some cinnamon, eucalyptus, butterscotch and pineapple. ThereContinue reading “RKS Wine: Cline Viognier North Coast California”

RKS Wine: An Organic Côtes-du-Rhônes-Villages; Clean, Vibrant and Pure

Perhaps I get thrown by the word “organic” but organic wines seem to have a clean streak running through them. They seem sharper. Am I imagining this? So we try a 2019 Château Maucoil Côtes-du-Rhônes-Villages. The scent of super ripe strawberries is courtesy of the Grenache in the blend. A big blast of blueberries alsoContinue reading “RKS Wine: An Organic Côtes-du-Rhônes-Villages; Clean, Vibrant and Pure”

RKS Wine: A Sparkler from Chile: Low on the Totem Pole?

For sparkling wine the kings of the castles are supposedly those made by the Traditional Method which involves secondary fermentation in the bottle. Sometimes the Traditional Method is referred to as the Champagne Method as that is how Champagne is made. The Charmat Method is far cheaper as it involves placing the wine in largeContinue reading “RKS Wine: A Sparkler from Chile: Low on the Totem Pole?”

RKS Wine: Côtes du Rhône: Wines Above the Maddening Crowd:

There is a plenitude of wines on the market that are good but over the past years they are beginning to taste similar. Could it be they are made to please the marketplace? Predictability? Homogenization? Hegemony of blender consultants? With many reds and whites from Côtes du Rhône you’ll get the impression they have notContinue reading “RKS Wine: Côtes du Rhône: Wines Above the Maddening Crowd:”

RKS Wine: Fancy Name but Fancy Quality?

Puente Austral Reserva Privada Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Private Reserve must mean it is very special! I love those monikers! Don’t you? With that designation it must be extra special! On the nose a nice measure of blueberry a standard of many Cabernet Sauvignons. There is also some Santa Rosa Plum and black cherry. OnContinue reading “RKS Wine: Fancy Name but Fancy Quality?”

RKS Wine: A Chilean Chardonnay and Viognier Blend Disappoints

It is the first time I have seen a Chardonnay Viognier blend. The less oak that touches the Viognier the better. In this case the blend is 85% Chardonnay and 15% Viognier. Part of the Chardonnay was fermented in oak and the rest in stainless steel while all the Viognier was fermented in stainless steel.Continue reading “RKS Wine: A Chilean Chardonnay and Viognier Blend Disappoints”

RKS Wine: Brookwalter’s 2018 Columbia Valley Red Blend from Washington State

The wines of Washington State are a bit like the wines of Lake Erie North Share in Ontario that play second fiddle to the wines of Niagara. Washington State wines play second fiddle to the wines of California. It is not a question of quality but consumer confidence or as our Liquor Control Board ofContinue reading “RKS Wine: Brookwalter’s 2018 Columbia Valley Red Blend from Washington State”

RKS Wine: Colchester Ridge Estate Winery (CREW): 2019 Gewürztraminer

Years ago when I started writing about wine I was a champion for the wines of Lake Erie North Shore in Ontario. If you are not producing wines in Niagara in Ontario the state monopoly Liquor Control Board of Ontario gives you a cold shoulder. Yes call it fighting for the underdog. One of theContinue reading “RKS Wine: Colchester Ridge Estate Winery (CREW): 2019 Gewürztraminer”

RKS Wine: “Sunday Sail”: A Winner at the Regatta or a Loser Hitting the Rocks?

There will be a new Sauvignon Blanc sailing into Ontario at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario on April 2, 2022. It is called “Sunday Sail”. I like good Sauvignon Blanc but simply saying it is from New Zealand, as “Sunday Sail” won’t convince us. Right? I know a huge seller Zealie Sauvignon Blanc hereContinue reading “RKS Wine: “Sunday Sail”: A Winner at the Regatta or a Loser Hitting the Rocks?”

RKS Wine: The Penniless Pensioner and The Russian Oligarch: Is There a Putin Lovechild Igor?

We haven’t heard much from the Penniless Pensioner in some time. He contacted me and apologized for not keeping in touch with me. He says he had taken up with a Russian oligarch Svetlana before “all this Ukraine crap”. Svetlana apparently made a fortune in vodka, oil and fentanyl and was staying in her TorontoContinue reading “RKS Wine: The Penniless Pensioner and The Russian Oligarch: Is There a Putin Lovechild Igor?”