Perhaps there is some comfort looking at this bottle of 2022 Small Lot Gamay Noir from Ontario’s Stoney Ridge. Those grapes saw some summer sun and warmth “cold comfort” to Torontonians facing minus twenty temperatures tonight. I prepared a salad tonight and given the deep freeze I had very little enjoyment of it preferring theContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Stoney Ridge Estate Winery 2022 Small Lot Gamay Noir”
Tag Archives: Wine
RKS 2025 Wine: Beyond Good and Reliable to Excellent Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon?
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon rarely disappoints and pardon me beats the pants off California Cabernet Sauvignons at comparable price points. Can it elevate itself from consistently good to consistently excellent? Perhaps Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon might pave the way from consistently good to consistently excellent? Aroma: Laser beams ofContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Beyond Good and Reliable to Excellent Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon?”
RKS 2025 Wine: Foreign Affair Winery in Niagara Goes Italian
There are several wineries in the Niagara, Ontario wine producing area that have gone Italian the Appassimento and Ripasso way. In Italy the crushed grapes made to use Amarone are “reused” in the Ripasso method. The pomace (the pulpy mass of seeds and skins leftover after the Amarone has fermented) is left in contact withContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Foreign Affair Winery in Niagara Goes Italian”
RKS 2025 Wine: A Limniona from Greece: Greece’s Hot New Grape? A Dual Personality Wine
As for Greek red wines there is no star performer of world renown at least yet! Argentina has Malbec. Chile has Bonarda. United States Cabernet Sauvignon. Canada Cabernet Franc. Greece? Xinomavro or Agiorgitiko? I don’t think so perhaps because of limited distribution in North America. Lemniona is the rising star of the Greek red varieties andContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: A Limniona from Greece: Greece’s Hot New Grape? A Dual Personality Wine”
RKS 2025 Wine: More Token Romanians
A few Romanian wines have limped into Ontario of late. Should the Trump administration impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods flowing into the United States the Premier of Ontario has threatened to have the state liquor monopoly (Liquor Control Board of Ontario aka LCBO) refrain from selling United States wine in the province ofContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: More Token Romanians”
RKS 2025 Wine: Is this Chilean La Junta Carménère Stomping About in a Militaristic Fashion?
Junta is an unfortunate name for a Chilean winery considering the brutal dictatorship of General Pinochet and his junta buddies in 1973 Chile leading to the overthrow and murder of democratically elected Salvador Allende. Thousands of Chileans were tortured, murdered or simply “disappeared”. Putting aside the unsavory connotations of junta in this wine’s name let’sContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Is this Chilean La Junta Carménère Stomping About in a Militaristic Fashion?”
RKS 2025 Wine: Jaque Mate 2019 Malbec Reserva
A Pavlovian reaction to “Wine/Argentina” might be “Malbec”! And upon shouting out “Malbec” a response might be Mendoza and if so what can go wrong with a Mendoza Malbec except perhaps for a growing sense of Malbec fatigue. Jaque Mate is from a Luján de Cuyo vineyard at approximately 870 meters altitude. The 25-year-old vinesContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Jaque Mate 2019 Malbec Reserva”
RKS 2025 Wine: Armenian Wine: The Next Great Hope? Not Enough Volume in the Market to Make That Determination
Wine producing countries and their subregions, such as Armenia, have a scarce presence in Ontario with a state monopoly controlling all wines flowing into the province except for the miserable duty-free wine quotas a traveller can bring into Canada from abroad or “smuggle” in from other provinces. There is no free Canadian interprovincial wine trade.Continue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Armenian Wine: The Next Great Hope? Not Enough Volume in the Market to Make That Determination”
RKS 2025 Wine: Decent Cabernet Sauvignon Hiding Out in Washington State
In the 14December2024 Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s Vintages Release catalogue in the California red wine section there are 8 wines listed and 5 are Cabernet Sauvignon. Ontario has been “taught” (is that the correct word?) to worship Cali Cabernet Sauvignon. Grabbing a bottle of reasonably priced California Sauvignon in the $25 CDN range canContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Decent Cabernet Sauvignon Hiding Out in Washington State”
RKS 2025 Wine: “Back to the Volcano”: Italian Red from ETNA
“Under the Volcano” is a novel by Canadian Malcom Lowry not to be confused with my heading above “Back to the Volcano”. I have had the pleasure of a day of intense fine tasting on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius outside of Naples 5 years ago and in May I am heading to Mount EtnaContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: “Back to the Volcano”: Italian Red from ETNA”
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