Here are my top wine picks from the January 19 Vintages Release. You can also get all 60 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Wines for red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. You can add my wine picks to your shopping list by clicking [...]

By Gaby Israel The release we’ve been all waiting for – Smart Buys! After the last two expensive releases, January comes and gives us hope for the new year. Here are my top picks: #1 choice – Spain – Ribera del duero – Finca Villacreces Pruno 2010 (312140)-$19.95 2010 was a remarkable vintage in that [...]

Do you live in British Columbia or have wine-loving friends who do? We’ve just added several new features on our web site to make shopping easier in the province: – Check how many bottles of each wine recommended on this site are in stock at each BC Liquor Store including both B.C. wines and those [...]

Every New Year, I make—and break—several resolutions about exercise or housecleaning. However, I also make a resolution or two about wine, which have always been easy to keep because they’re fun. Here are a few of my favorites that you can try this year.   1. I resolve to try something new  It’s easy to [...]

Although parts of this post have been on my site  for years, I’m bringing it altogether and updating it so that it’s clear how I review wines. Got a question on this information? Please e-mail me at natdecants@nataliemaclean.com. 1. MY REVIEWS How do you score wines? I use a scale of 100 points, although the [...]

Here are my top wine picks from the January 5 Vintages Release. You can also get all 55 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Wines for red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. You can add my wine picks to your shopping list by clicking [...]

By Susan Desjardins The Konzelmann family delivers consistently good and good-value award-winning wine—10 medals at this year’s Ottawa Wine Challenge and 5 at the Canadian Wine Awards. It’s hardly surprising considering the focus and dedication of 75-year-old Herbert Konzelmann, and his extensive winemaking pedigree. His great grandfather, Friederich, a successful restauranteur and wine connoisseur, created [...]

Dear Reader, Whether or not you’ve been following the recent debate on quoting third-party wine reviews, you deserve to hear my thoughts on it in the interest of balance and fairness. To summarize, I’ve always been open and consistent in my manner of attribution, but I realize that it should change and I am doing [...]

By Holly Bruns Hidden away in the vineyards of Rioja, amidst fields of the popular Tempranillo and Garnacha are ancient, as well as new vines of the hardly known red grape Graciano. Used as a blending grape for its intense colour and aroma, Graciano has historically played a supporting role in the wines of Spain. [...]

Beef Tenderloin with Root Vegetable Ragout and Porcini Red Wine Sauce An elegant and easy classic pairing. Rich, roasted beef tenderloin with sweet earthy root vegetable and mushroom ragout make this dish a terrific match with Chateau Pipeau Saint Emilion Grand Cru. This new addition to Vintages Essentials is an impressive Bordeaux, mainly Merlot, and [...]