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Monthly Archives: December 2022

Wild BC

Posted on December 31, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

We have been ravished with their Rose, and now we’r enchanted with the White blend.

This wine has aromatic notes of pear, apple, and hints of elderflower. It’s a little sweet on the nose, with a crisp finish.

The blend is 59% Pinot Blanc, 27% Pinot Gris and 14% Riesling.  No bubbles, so ’she’ didn’t catch on to the 3rd member of the blend.  

This is one to revisit in the summer – on the deck .. in the heat … Bring out the appy platter.

Maybe next year the Goddess will include the Red Blend in a mystery case.

GROW WILD – ENCHANTING WHITE BLEND 2021

$13.99 regularly $16.99

12.5% alcohol

UPC: 00776545600714

BC VQA mystery case pinot blanc Pinot Gris Riesling

Other Wordly 6

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

Some Days

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in Music Leave a comment

You just gotta go home

Pay Attention

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment


Following three generations of family footsteps that were first planted in 1904, Raimbault tends his vines in the town of Chancay in a lieu dit called Bel Air.

Situated between two rivers, the Brenne and the Loire, these are some of the best vineyards in Vouvray. Considered by many to be a top site or a Grand Cru vineyard, because it grows atop a meager layer of flinty topsoil, Raimbault’s 60 year old Chenin Blanc vines have immediate access to the chalk that sits below.

An off-dry Chenin Blanc from 60-year-old vines with a rounded texture  and fine, citrus-edged acidity. The finish is long and detailed offering wet stone minerality and balancing acidity.

This is one of the nicest whites we’ve had all year.  Definitely going back for more.

VOUVRAY SEC – VINCENT RAIMBAULT BEL AIR 2020

$23.99

12.5% Alcohol

UPC: 03496922012004

Chenin Blanc mystery case

Motown interlude

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in ALL Leave a comment

Holiday Dietary Suggestions

Posted on December 26, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in ALL Leave a comment

For you Christmas Pundits

Posted on December 25, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in Humour Leave a comment

The Christmas spirit really soots you.

This hot chocolate is delicious, may I have some myrrh?

This Christmas is orna-meant to be the best one yet.

You’re adorabell!

Who’s Santa’s favorite cartoon character? Chimney Cricket.

OH, DEER!

Don’t be rude-olph this holiday season!

I can feel the Christmas spirit from my head to my mistletoes!

I got my mind set on yule.

It’s impossibell to not feel festive right now.

Let’s make santamental Christmas memories.

“Rebel without a Santa Claus.”

Christmas is always a Claus for celebration.

It’s a simple case of Claus and effect.

No need to Claus a scene!

Be your best elf.

Did you hear about the elfabet change? Now there’s Noel!

Wishing elf and safety to everyone this season.

Coal in my stocking? Snow thanks.

There’s snow place like home for the holidays.

Do you snow what time it is?

For goodness flakes!

Fir real?!

Lighten up!

Everything’s looking tree-mendous for Christmas.

Think we can branch out this holiday season?

Watts up, doc?

Excited for Santa Paws to bring lots of treats.

Stew it is

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

At the start of 2020, the Sichel Family took control of Château Daviaud, a neighbouring property it well knew as one of their longtime growers. With the Château up for sale, the family didn’t want to lose the connection to the vines and land through new owners.

Bordeaux has a cool marine coastal climate, with mild weather and no dry season. Bordeaux reds tend to be lower in alcohol and are slightly lighter in body.

Blend of 45% Merlot, 21% Cab Franc, 19% Cab Sauv, 15% Malbec This was still very young. Warm baking spices on the finish Smooth tannins for a good finish.  A sense of sophistication and elegance. Went very well with homemade stew the first night, and a meat pie the second.

BORDEAUX – CHATEAU DAVIAUD ROUGE 2019

$17.99 regularly $19.99

14% Alcohol

UPC: 03394150053724

Bordeaux cabe Cabernet Franc Malbec Merlot mystery c

Much Kefi to you

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

Kefi is a Greek word that isn’t easily translated into the English language. It can loosely translate to mean joy, but that does not begin to scratch the surface of its true meaning. A closer meaning would be the French term known as Joie de Vivre, or Joy of Life. However, that doesn’t quite do it justice, either. 

Worry is considered to the opposite of kefi. Therefore, in order to experience real kefi, you need to do so by leaving your worries behind you. Live in the moment and reject the negative emotions in your mind. Worry is a negative emotion because life needs to be organic. Most of our worries don’t even come to fruition, and they rob us of our joy. True kefi is letting go.

Therefore, an individual experiencing true kefi is not thinking about the future or the past. It’s about finding joy no matter where you are in life. You can feel kefi even if you are doing something you might not enjoy, or when you are worrying about something. Lack of kefi prevents you from seeing joy that is right in front of you. Life is about embracing the moment and feeling joy no matter what. This is kefi.

In order to feel kefi in its purest form, you need to take the time to really embrace life. You can no longer care about who is watching. People won’t judge you for letting down your guard and being your truest self. All that should be thinking about is the complete joy you feel in the moment. Your entire body should be dancing with joy that comes from deep inside their very soul.

The truth is that you can have kefi every day by applying a few simple principles to your life. First, you must be willing to let go of any grudges or other feelings that stop you from being happy. The chances are that the person you are mad at does not even remember the incident, and it did not bother them to begin with, so stop letting it destroy your life.
See each second as a gift that will never return.  Enjoy what is going on around you right now. No one promises you the future, so be sure to enjoy the present.

Dance is one of the purest expressions of kefi. Let go of anything but your desire to let go and enjoy the moment and the music. Turn on your favorite tunes and start moving your body. It does not matter if it is a dance song. The Greeks do not worry if they are using the right steps if they are moving, and you should be the same way.

You have the right to experience kefi throughout your life. Start making it happen today!

When asking Greek speakers what kefi means, they say that it means you are joyful, spirited, passionate, happy, and in general, that you love life. Although this is more descriptive than what the definition of kefi is according to the language translator, it still doesn’t tell the whole story.

Kefi isn’t a simple word that can be easily translated and defined. Kefi is a way of life. People are able to have fun, relax, and enjoy life no matter what is happening. In general, It is the art of being in a happy mood and letting that shape your experiences. It is possible to be in a good mood even if times are tough. In fact, this offers a healthy and balanced approach to living life. It is the simplicity and joy of sharing a meal with our loved ones and eating delicious food. We can find our kefi when dancing and creating music. Mostly, though, people who have truly found their kefi are able to relax and enjoy the good moments of life, no matter what.

The spirit of kefi is something that anyone can have. The immigrants from Greece who traveled to other places, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States have kept this feeling alive. In fact, everyone who has ever visited Greece is no doubt impacted by the affect kefi had on them while in Greece, and it stays with them always.

We wish you much kefi.

Is it still the same group?

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Roger Harmston Posted in Music Leave a comment

When I was growing up in Winnipeg, there was an old-fashioned Good Fellas-type supper club at 579 Portage Ave. called Club Morocco.

Opened in 1954 by a guy named Harry Smith, the place ran weekly ads in the Winnipeg Free Press advertising the entertainment for the coming week to go along with its signature Chinese buffet. Not only did Harry showcase local acts, but he often brought in out-of-towners. Before the Star Trek franchise took off with movies in the late 1970s, Nichelle Nichols — Lt. Uhura, of course — was sometimes the featured singer. But the group I remember seeing advertised the most was The Ink Spots.

They were a pop vocal group from New York formed in 1934, who recorded for Decca and broke up in 1954. But if the group ended in the 1950s, how was Harry able to book them at Club Morocco through the 1970s and ’80s? Extreme dilution, that’s how. There was a schism within the original lineup and The Ink Spots splintered again and again and again. There may have been dozens of Ink Spots, none of which had any original members or even legitimate ties to the group that formed in 1934. All of them somehow managed to trade on that name and legacy for years.

We’re starting to run into the same problem today with bands cherished by Boomers and Gen Xers. As the bands of their youth splinter and die off member by member, we’re starting to see a crisis of authenticity. When is the band we go to see NOT the band we want to see?

Fake bands, like we saw with The Ink Spots, are nothing new. Frankie Goes to Hollywood — infamous for their British and MTV hits Relax and Two Tribes — launched a tour of the U.S. The problem was this group was a complete fake with no original members and was formed without anyone’s knowledge or consent. Out front was a guy who called himself Davey Johnson and claimed to be actual singer Holly Johnson’s brother, which, of course, he wasn’t. Yet this FGTH managed to play gigs throughout the U.S. for almost two years.

Cobbled-together reunions have also been a problem. Remember when The Doors hit the road again? Wait: The proper name of this group was The Doors of the 21st Century and include just two original members; keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger. Jim Morrison, still stubbornly dead since 1971, was unable to participate. His place was taken by Ian Astbury of the Cult. Drummer John Densmore couldn’t make it because of a bad case of tinnitus, so Stewart Copeland of the Police filled in. Despite legal problems with their use of the name, they continued to gig until Manzarek died in 2013.

As time marches on, the problems with authenticity are growing. Classic rock artists are dying, leaving massive holes in their groups that cannot be filled.

ZZ Top, for example. For 51 years, the group consisted of the unbreakable trinity of Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill, selling an estimated 50 million albums. But then on July 28, 2021, Hill died after being hospitalized with a hip injury and since then, ZZ Top has carried on with a bass player named Elwood Francis. Question: Given the all-for-one-one-for-all image of the original three hombres, is this still ZZ Top?

The same question can be asked of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who really haven’t been the same since that fatal plane crash in October 1977 that killed founding member, frontman, and lyricist Ronnie Van Zant. Skynyrd regrouped 10 years later and has carried on ever since. Today, guitarist Gary Rossington is the only original member. Somehow hearing today’s lineup play Freebird just doesn’t feel right, considering that 13 former members of the band are dead. Yet they’re going to tour in 2023 with — wait for it — ZZ Top.

Even weirder is the case of The Allman Brothers. Duane and Gregg Allman formed the band in 1969 with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe Jameson. Duane died in a motorcycle accident in 1971 and Gregg succumbed to liver cancer in 2017. There’s a version of the Allman Brothers still playing gigs with a lineup that doesn’t include a single member of any edition of the original band. A promoter came up with the idea of trading on the Allman Brothers brand by keeping the music alive using younger players. A tribute band? Not according to the promoter or the Allman’s estate. The project has its full endorsement. Watch for them on the road in 2023.

Outside of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, KISS has had a revolving door policy with lead guitarists and drummers ever since Ace Frehley and Peter Criss started going squirrelly in the early 1980s. Now that the band is approaching its final FINAL shows (or so they say), Simmons has mused about keeping KISS alive with replacements for him and Paul. Hey, there’s still a Glenn Miller Orchestra even though Miller died during World War II. Why not?

Then there’s the strange situation of Foreigner. They’ll begin an 18-month farewell tour next that might include sole original member Mick Jones, but because of health issues (and the fact that the dude is almost 80), he might not make it to all of the gigs.

Let’s consider a few others:

  • Fleetwood Mac, reduced to three (Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie) following the irreparable estrangement of Lindsey Buckingham and the recent death of Christine McVie.
  • The Eagles, with just Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmidt remaining from the classic lineup.
  • The Rolling Stones: Mick, Keef, and Ronnie. That’s it.
  • The Who, down to just Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend since John Entwistle passed in 2002. Keith Moon has been gone since 1978.
  • Journey: Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain are all who remain from the group’s imperial phase of the 1980s.
  • Steely Dan is down to just Donald Fagen following the death of Walter Becker.
  • The Beach Boys: It’s just Mike Love.
  • Emerson, Lake & Palmer, on the road in 2023 with only drummer Carl Palmer. The other two members have died.
  • Yes: Only Steve Howe remains from the prog-rock glory years.
  • Blood, Sweat & Tears, Quiet Riot, Ratt: Still touring but with ZERO original members. (We can also put GWAR in this camp, but given the way they’ve always operated, we’ll give them a pass.)

There are plenty more, but I think you get the idea.

The situation will only devolve further until these classic acts are the equivalent of Ted Williams’ head in a cryogenic chamber. But don’t discount metaverse technology, holograms, and avatar productions (think ABBA Voyage; the Bee Gees and Cher are reportedly interested in something similar.) There’s way too much money to be made on nostalgia.

—

Alan Cross is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 the Edge and a commentator for Global Ne

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