Video: Icewine Cocktails and Pairing with Chili Chips

Karen King, who co-owns The Ice House in Niagara with her husband Jamie Macfarlane.   In the video above, she chats about how they’re literally shaking it up with icewine, from slushies to pairings with chili snacks and wasabi peas. Click on the arrow to play the video.     Questions: You did research that revealed surprising insights about icewine in terms of who’s drinking it and when? What kind of sensory food and wine research were you doing? Icewine is probably Canada’s most iconic wine, but you’re shaking up that perception: how is your style different? Tell me about […]

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Wine and Religion + Santa Ynez Valley with Adam McHugh

Introduction What did John the Baptist, Dom Perignon and Saint Vincent have in common when it comes to wine? What makes the vineyard of Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy so fascinating? Why should you consider visiting the wine region Santa Ynez in Santa Barbara County? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Adam McHugh, author of Blood from Stone: A Memoir of How Wine Brought Me Back from the Dead. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday […]

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Châteauneuf-du-Pape Makes Wine from Stone with Blood From A Stone’s Adam McHugh

Introduction How did one man make a complete career pivot from working with dying in hospice care to living among the vines and writing about them? Why is French oak so treasured and so expensive? Which historical events led to the development of what we now know as the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Adam McHugh, author of Blood from Stone: A Memoir of How Wine Brought Me Back from the Dead. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream […]

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Minerality in Wine, Great Hybrid Grapes & What Jimi Hendrix Can Teach Winemakers with Aleks Zecevic

Introduction Is minerality a flavour or a texture? What does it feel or taste like? Why do wines made from hybrid grapes deserve your attention? What can winemakers learn from Jimi Hendrix? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m interviewing Aleks Zecevic, wine writer and host of the Vintners podcast. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be jumping into the comments as […]

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Wine Spectator and Sotheby’s Auction House Dream Jobs with Aleks Zecevic

Introduction What’s it like to work at the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine and Sotheby’s fine wine auction house? How can you distinguish real wine from fakes? What’s the secret to putting together the perfect wine flight? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m interviewing Aleks Zecevic, wine writer and host of the Vintners podcast. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be jumping […]

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Canadian Wine: New Regions, Hot Trends, What’s Next > CBC TV

In the CBC TV interview above with Amanda Lang and Kevin O’Leary, anchors of the national news program The Lang & O’Leary Exchange, we discuss the Canadian wine industry from the perspective of Canada’s largest wine site: Which new wine regions are emerging across the country? How is climate change affecting traditional regions and wine styles? Will Canada ever have completely open borders across the country to ship wines? What’s next for the Canadian wine industry? Here are my latest reviews of Canadian wines.     Posted with permission of CBC   Amanda: The wine industry is flexing new muscle […]

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Cosmo’s Sex & the City, Champagne, Whisky Women in Mallory O’Meara’s Girly Drinks

Introduction How did the Cosmopolitan become an iconic cocktail on the TV show Sex and the City? Did you know an illegal shipment of Champagne revolutionized the entire industry? Which women are responsible for America’s increase in scotch and bourbon consumption after Prohibition? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Mallory O’Meara, the author of the just-published Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern […]

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Girly Drinks with Mallory O’Meara on the History of Women and Alcohol

Introduction Did you know that the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra has her own, private wine club and that it was used against her to bring down her empire? Are you curious about the first people to make beer? They were women called alewives, but the church didn’t like that. Did you know that the first bars were created for women? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Mallory O’Meara, the author of the just-published Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook […]

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Salt in Wine, Oyster Pairings + Real Talk with Your Sommelier

Introduction Is food and wine pairing the ultimate goal of every dining experience? Is it okay to tell sommeliers if you don’t like the wine they recommended? What’s it like serving famous captains of industry like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Seattle-based wine writer, educator and sommelier, Zach Geballe. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Watch Party Join me for the debut Watch Party of the video of this conversation that I’ll be live-streaming for the very first time on Zoom on Wednesday, June 9th […]

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Restaurant Wine Lists Post-Pandemic with Vinepair’s Zach Geballe Part 1

Introduction What was it like being a sommelier at one of Seattle’s most prestigious restaurants as the pandemic started to unfold? How have restaurants and wine lists changed to re-emerge in a post-pandemic world? How are sommeliers pivoting in the wake of the pandemic? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Zach Geballe, co-host and producer of the VinePair podcast as well as the founder of Disgorged Wine. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Watch Party Join me for the debut Watch Party of the video of this conversation that I’ll be […]

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