Wine lovers, rejoice. You don’t have to pay a lot to get a great bottle these days, with regions around the world and right here at home producing consistently good wines at lower prices. Natalie MacLean had the enviable task of researching and writing about these wines in Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines, her follow-up to the award-winning Red, White and Drunk All Over. CityLine sat down with the affable MacLean in Toronto recently to talk wine, and where to find the good stuff. “My search in the book was for those wines in the […]
Month: October 2011
This new wine book will endure for many seasons more – Wall Street Journal
Lettie Teague, wine columnist for the Wall Street Journal and formerly the executive editor of Food & Wine magazine, has just picked her top four wine books that she says she’s confident will “endure for many seasons more.” Here’s an excerpt from her review on Thursday: Unquenchable by Natalie MacLean Natalie MacLean is a very good sport. In the course of reporting this book, she braved white-knuckle drives through the steep Mosel valley, helicopter rides over the Niagara Peninsula and even drank a few bottles of Pinotage. But she’s clearly having a very good time reporting from all over the […]
Zesty Rieslings, Big Red Wines (Malbec, Syrah) and Silky Pinot Noir Among Best Wines in the Vintages Release October 29
This week’s wine reviews and value picks cover all price points, styles and regions: I’ve recommended a total of 46 wines. You can add my Top Wine Picks to your custom shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. Here’s to the haunting memories these wines will bring you on October 31! Natalie [table id=20 /] You get all of my wine tasting notes and scores when you subscribe to my wine reviews for $2.10 a month, the cost of a couple of apples a month in return for memorable wine paired meals.
Terrific Cellar Wines from Spain, Italy and France in the LCBO Vintages Release October 29
Spain – 2009 Bodegas J.C. Conde el Arte de Vivir – $15.95 I had this wine last year (it cost $2 less last Oct). A good wine, still a good price. Look for a modern style Spanish wine. Black fruit flavors. Juicy. Excellent for BBQ. Try one, see if you like the style, and if so, stock ’em up for day to day. Spain – 2001 Rioja Bordón ‘Gran Reserva‘ – $23.95 Don’t even think twice here. 2001 was a great vintage in Rioja. Gran Reserva is an indication for the quality (as well as the aging process). 10 years […]
Vineyard hedonist searches for bargain wines but rejects ‘bog-wash’
After spending the past few years traipsing from one winery to another around the world, Natalie MacLean jokes that she’s “well-preserved — completely pickled.” The Ottawa-based wine writer says she slogged through a total of 15,267 wines at 312 wineries, to be exact. And despite protestations that this was “hard work,” MacLean makes it clear that there are worse ways to pass the time than downing fabulous wine with exquisite food in exotic locales. “I love the hedonism, I love the gorgeous meals you can have, and the relaxation, that gradual loosening of some inhibitions, and the conversation that can […]
MacLean’s enthusiasm for her subject sparkles off of every page… This is no dull tome about viticulture – Booklist Magazine
This review of Unquenchable is coming out in the November 1 issue of Booklist Magazine, published by the American Library Association to provide critical reviews of books to thousands of libraries across the US. Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines. MacLean, Natalie (Author) Nov 2011. 368 p. Perigee, hardcover, $24.00. (9780399537073). 641.2. Wine writer Natalie MacLean would like us to be a little less, well, snooty when it comes to wine. It is a myth that the best-tasting wines come in the oldest, most expensive bottles. You can find some really good stuff at quite reasonable […]
Moroccan Lamb Tagine Recipe Paired with Tait The Wild Ride Shiraz 2007
Moroccan Lamb Tagine Paired with: Tait ‘The Wild Ride’ Shiraz 2007 Tagines, in Moroccan cuisine, are slow cooked stews braised at low temperatures. This recipe features lamb but beef would be another option. The key ingredient in this dish is a spice mix, Ras El Hanout, which contributes to the sweet spicy flavours. Ras El Hanout can be found at some specialty food shops but is easy to put together from your own spice cupboard. The flavours in this dish would work well paired with a ripe new world Shiraz which displays aromas of dark fruit, pepper and some savoury […]
Engaging anecdotes for both wine neophtyes and experts – Toronto Life Magazine
This review of Unquenchable was just published in Toronto Life Magazine … yay! Natalie MacLean is an award-winning sommelier who believes wine should be enjoyed by everybody, but she doesn’t get wrapped up in ideological battles in her new book. Instead, she offers engaging anecdotes about her travels in search of delicious but inexpesnive vino. The book isn’t just for neophytes or experts — it can be enjoyed by both.
Swimming with Sharks for a Wine Book: Seafood and Wine Pairing Anyone?
After we stopping debating which wine pairs best with a rare shark steak (and the ethics of using a wine writer as bait), we jumped into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South Africa. No, I didn’t stay on the boat, but avoiding getting eaten, taking pictures and thinking about wine pairings was too much to do all at the same time. Yes, I’m the one looking like a drowned rat. And yes, I’m insane. The experience though is one I’ll never forget… the black marble eye of one of those 20-foot sharks side-on, each of us wondering who’d […]
An Unquenchable Search for the Best Cheap Wines – Houston Press
To research her new book Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines, Natalie MacLean traveled to wineries in eight countries including Australia and Italy over a five-year period. Each chapter in Unquenchable pairs a wine with a day of the week and a meal. While the book explains how the wines are produced and describes how they taste, MacLean goes a step further, finding fascination in “what goes on around the glass.” The culture of the region’s wine making and its characters round out each wine’s story. Funnily enough, the animals she encountered in her travels […]
