Pairing Bestselling Books With Best-Cellaring Wines

We’re back with Natalie MacLean. You can watch our first segment on book and bottle pairings here.  This time we’re going outside the wine category of books with these pairings. What do you have for us first? We’re starting with one of my favorite authors, Candace Bushnell, who wrote this book, Is There Still Sex and the City? a fantastic follow-up to her blockbuster hit, TV series, several movies and now a theatrical production.         I’d pair this book with this Rosé sparkling wine from La Marca because it’s just fabulous, as the four women in the […]

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Video: Wine, Lamb and Ham Pairing for Easter

  Here’s part two of our conversation about pairing wine with lamb and wine with ham for Easter, though the pairing tips apply year-round if you love these dishes and the wines that make them taste even better. I’ve also included tips on pairing wine with chocolate bunnies … it doesn’t matter whether you start with the ear or the tail! Leanne: Really, the perfect Easter egg hunt takes place at LCBO for Natalie MacLean who is a celebrated wine writer, who’s here offering great tips for your weekend and we have to talk about chocolate. Natalie: Absolutely! Leanne: Just […]

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Easter Wines for Fish, Lamb + Ham: Video

Wines for Good Friday fish, Easter brunch, lamb and ham are the focus of our chat on CTV News. In particular, red wines often clash with fish not because of the wine tannin and fish iodine, as previously thought, but rather because of high iron content in the wine. The iron comes mostly from the soil where the vines are grown, but can also be due to winemaking methods. Generalizing about which wines will be high in iron content is difficult. The iron in wine is thought to break down the unsaturated (good) fats in fish and creates that fishy […]

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5 Best Wines to Celebrate Spring

  Spring has sprung and as we cast off the heavy sweaters and coats, it’s also time to lighten up our wine wardrobe. Back with us now to share what’s in liquid fashion this season is Natalie MacLean who offers North America’s most popular online wine classes. Hi Natalie   Can you give us a bit of an overview of what trends we’re seeing in the wine world this spring? Everything’s coming up Rosé, Chardonnay and Riesling! They’re all wines meant to be consumed young, and I do mean the wines not the people. They’re fresh and lively, perfect for spring […]

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The 11 Best Wines for Easter and Passover This Year

Easter and Passover are right around the corner. That means it’s time for traditional holiday favorites like roast lamb and chocolate bunnies. But what are the best wines to pair with your celebrations? Wine expert Natalie MacLean is here with some tips.   So when it comes to chocolate we need to have wine that’s sweeter, if we don’t do that, the wine will taste bitter by comparison. So the number one pick that I recommend for chocolate is port. I love a good tawny port like this one. It’s a fortified wine, meaning it has higher alcohol, so it’s […]

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The Shape of Wine Taste with Australia’s Wakefield Wines

Introduction How can you visualize the taste of wine in a chart? How would those charts be different for Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Shiraz? What makes the wines from Australia’s Clare Valley unique? What is bâtonnage and what flavours and aromas will result in the wine? How does acidity improve your tasting experience? Why is balance one of the most critical aspects of a great wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Justin Taylor and Neil Hadley of Australia’s Wakefield Wines. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Highlights What was […]

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Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Tasting Video

Cabernet sauvignon is the focus of the short wine tasting video below. Discover why cabernet sauvignon is the world’s best known red wine, what sauvignon means and terrific cabernet sauvignon and food pairings.     Bordeaux is the benchmark for cabernet sauvignon but many regions around the world also make this robust red. Taste along with me and see the difference in style between Old and New World cabernet sauvignon.   Best Cabernet Sauvignon Under $20 Top Rated Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon and Food Pairings   Mouton Cadet 2010 Bordeaux, France Jackson-Triggs Reserve Series Meritage 2010 Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario     […]

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