Traipsing around the world sampling the finest wines each region has to offer is the burden Natalie MacLean has chosen for herself — an unlikely career for a Nova Scotia-bred, Ottawa-based wine writer who didn’t grow up drinking  the nectar of the gods. “It was beer and whiskey on the table,” says MacLean, adding that [...]

Did you ever want to take a trip to wine country with an expert who could not only give you background on what you were tasting and how it was made, but is also loads of fun and not afraid to tip back a few glasses of wine with you? Well, Natalie MacLean isn’t giving [...]

‘Tis the season for feasts, treats and wine tasting. Here are some of our top picks for the food or wine lover on your list. Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines by Natalie MacLean Good food requires that perfect bottle of wine! With this in mind, Canadian award-winning author Natalie MacLean [...]

This holiday season give a book to your favorite wine, spirits or culinary lover: Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest For The World’s Best Bargain Wines by Natalie MacLean. This timeless book is full of insider tips, hilarious humor, adventures, funny stories and key tips on how to locate wines with the best value. MacLean takes her [...]

The bookshelves in my kitchen long ago exceeded their maximum capacity. Nowadays, those shelves are stocked only with essential titles that come in handy when emergencies arise — like when I forget how to truss a moose or the best way to deodorize a durian. Most of my books about food and beverages are shelved [...]

If you have a wine enthusiast or two on your holiday gift list, but feel intimidated at the very thought of trying to find just the right bottle of wine to give them, give the gift of words instead. The 2011 vintage was a robust and satisfying one for wine books. There are some very [...]

I like Natalie MacLean’s entertaining and often cheeky writing about wine. Other wine writers might describe riesling as “refreshing in a world awash with vanilla, oak, and jam.” But how many of them would follow that up with this aside (“In life and in wine: too much foreplay is frustrating and too quick satiation is [...]

Didn’t get all your holiday shopping done on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?  Not to worry, I’ve got a list of wine-inspired gifts, organized by the personality of the recipient.  You can get most of these gifts online and in time to make it under the tree (if you start shopping now!). I can’t put [...]

It’s not surprising that many of Natalie MacLean’s holiday memories revolve around drink.  The Ottawa sommelier has two books to her name, wine columns with more than five million followers and a shelf-full of awards. She was named the World’s Best Drinks Writer at the World Food Media Awards in Australia. “I beat them to [...]

Having just returned from an unplanned six-week visit to my family home in Carmel, California, I find myself with a frighteningly short nine shopping days till Christmas! Thankfully, buying gifts for my wine-loving friends is much simpler than shopping for less laser-focused folks on my list. Sharing a passion with someone makes gift selection a [...]