Buzz Lightyear and the Wine Witch chat about great wine pairings with Halloween treats on Breakfast Television. Dina: Just call Natalie MacLean for pairing wine and Halloween treats, she’s an online sommelier and what a brilliant idea. Great to see you all festive Natalie. Natalie: Great to see you Dina. Dina: Or as well you are at the door trick-or-treating, the kids are at the door you thinking ‘what’s in it for me?’ We tend to dip into the kids snacks, well I do anyways- Natalie: Yes! Dina: A lot of parents do. Natalie: You bet. Dina: So you are […]
Shiraz
Best Barbecue Wines: Pairing Wine with Your Grilled Grub (Video)
Now that we’re officially into barbecue season, you may think of having beer with your grilled grub, but wine can also work. Whether you love BBQ seafood, veggies, chicken or beef, there’s a wine for that. Here with her tips for you is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com/class. Welcome Natalie! Let’s start with lighter fare like grilled veggies and seafood. Which wines work well with those? Loimer Grüner Veltliner Kamptal D.A.C., Austria Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling […]
Barbecue Wines for Father’s Day: Best Bottles for Grilled Grub
On CTV’s The Social, we chat about great wines for BBQ fare on Father’s Day. Nat, some dads are just not wine guys, they’re more beer guys. But are you saying these selections you’ve brought today can change that? It’s mostly a perception that wine is for fancier occasions than beer, but that’s just not true. Anytime you think of having a beer, you can probably substitute it with a bubbly. I’m not talking Champagne, but value-priced sparkling wines from other regions. They’re both frothy and fun, like our first wine here. Great segue! Tell us about the first […]
10 Best Syrah Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Syrah
Today, February 16th is International Syrah Day #internationalsyrahday #syrahday Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape grown throughout the world, used primarily in the production of red wine. Syrah is one of the most noble and most fashionable red wine grapes in the world. You’ll find my Top 10 Syrah reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Syrah: 1. In 2004, Syrah was the 7th most planted varietal in the world. Today it is estimated that Syrah is now 5th most planted wine grape in the world. 2. Syrah has a long history in the Southern Rhone region of […]
How to Pair and Serve Wines at Dinner Parties (Video)
The hosts of CTV’s The Social and I had lots of fun chatting about which wines to serve at dinner parties, pairing tips and other entertaining suggestions. If you’re hosting a dinner party, how many wines should you serve? Count on one to two glasses of wine per guest per hour, as people tend to drink more in the evening and at a sit-down dinner, than they do at a standing reception earlier in the day. There are 4-5 glasses of wine in a standard 750 ml bottle, so if you’re entertaining ten people for, say, three hours, counting […]
Best Summer Wine Pairings
Global News Host Carolyn and I chatted about great summer wines yesterday to please your palate and keep your cool. Here are the wines we featured: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc Cave Spring Cellars CSV Riesling Cave Spring Cellars Estate Bottled Cave Spring Vineyard Pinot Noir Ruffino Ducale Riserva Chianti Classico Clos du Bois Rouge Alamos Malbec McWilliams Wines JJ McWilliam Shiraz Cabernet Barefoot Zinfandel Cave Spring Cellars Indian Summer Late Harvest Riesling Video: These Summer Wines Will Surprise Your Taste Buds Carolyn: Natalie Maclean is the editor […]
Going to the Heartland of Shiraz with Peter Lehmann Wines Video
Australia is renowned for its robust red wine Shiraz, but do you know that the Barossa Valley is the heartland for this wine? Do you know what makes this place so special for this wine? That’s exactly what we’re going to learn from our guest tonight who joins me live from Australia. Our guest this evening is the third generation of his family to make wine in the Barossa, and a graduate of the prestigious winemaking program at the University of Adelaide. In the five years since he graduated in 2008, he has worked vintages in eight different regions across […]
Best Bargain Wines Under $20 (Video Tips)
We all love a bargain, that’s why those designer outlet stores are so popular. But can you find bargains when it comes to wine? On CTV News, I share my best tips for finding them. Natalie, can we really find bargains in the liquor store? Yes and no. The two questions I’m asked most frequently is, “Can you recommend a great wine that costs less than $5?” The answer is: “no, unless all you want is a wet tongue.” The second is: “What is your favorite wine?” The answer: “The one someone else pays for.” But you can […]
Wine and Comfort Food Pairing: Revel in Your Rut
Yes, I know that I’m supposed to be forward-looking to spring with a chirpy article about zesty white wines to pair with fresh vegetables, but it’s so cold outside … and I’m tired of writing seasonally-appropriate editorial content. So let’s make wallowing fun, and turn to comfort wines paired with comfort food. In our continuing video series with Canadian Press, we look at quick tips on pairing those old favourites, from braised meat to pasta in cream sauce with wine. It’ll make you (almost) care what time of year it is when you have bottled sunshine. Here are my favourite […]
Niagara-on-the-Lake Wineries Adapt to Covid with Andrea Kaiser
Introduction What’s it like harvesting grapes in sub-zero temperatures? Is there really any difference between a vineyard on one side of the road and a vineyard on the other? Is this a good time for you to visit a winery? What’s changed with Covid? How does the Taste the Season at Home initiative allow you to support local wineries? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Andrea Kaiser, Chair for the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Director of Marketing at Reif Estate Winery. You can find the wines we discussed here. Highlights What’s it like […]
