You won’t want to miss our live video chat with Jane Masters, Chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine and Wine Consultant for the Opimian Club! Join us Sunday, January 28, 2018 at 6 pm EST right here (click on this link below): www.nataliemaclean.com/live Click on the “Follow” and “Like” buttons on this Facebook page to get notified when we go live. Listen to her stories and experiences as we taste wines together: What did it take to become a Master of Wine? What are her most interesting stories in the world of wine? How does she taste hundreds […]
Author: Natalie MacLean
Do Flights of #Wine on This Airline Give You a Vertigo Tasting?
Leanne and I chat about what happens to our perception of wine when we fly, as well as other travel-related tips with wine. In our first segment, we chat about my online wine course. My dream flight begins with the wine selection: “We’d like to direct your attention to the wine list in the seat pocket in front of you. You’ll note we have a fine selection of first-growth Bordeaux at the rear of the plane (using the double-arm, two-finger signal), 40-year vintage port is being decanted in the middle aisles and, for our first-class passengers, a vertical of […]
Fresh from Oyster Bay: Hawke’s Bay Pinot Grigio
Fresh from Oyster Bay: Hawke’s Bay Pinot Grigio Step out in the middle of the day on a classic New Zealand’s summer: the brightness is beautifully intense, and sunshine plentiful. But stay about a little, until nightfall, when you feel the land chill quickly, creating one of the longest growing seasons on earth. The cool climate of places like New Zealand results in a slow, almost methodical ripening of the grape. As the warm days edge the grape toward ripeness, the cool nights capture its flavour. Day after day, night after night, this process results in the unmistakably vibrant, fruit-forward […]
Mrs. Beachley’s Mulled Wine: A Heart-Warming Holiday Drink
Sponsored Post While Mulled Wine is known by many names and enjoyed the world over–the Swedes call it Glogg; the Chileans Candola and the Dutch Bisschopswijn–this heart and tummy-warming beverage is best known for its British heritage. Mrs. Beachley’s Mulled Wine pays homage to the 1861 classic “Beeton’s Book of Household Management“, the go-to manual for how to run a home in Victorian England. In that book and in the 150 years since its publication, a wealth of usage occasions and mulled wine pairing ideas, have emerged. Whether you enjoy Mrs. Beachley’s out of a thermos at the outdoor rink […]
Tasting Barolo, the King of Wines with Fontanafredda (Video)
Recently, Canada’s top wine writers and sommeliers gathered in our nation’s capital for a comprehensive tasting of the wines from one of Italy’s best wine producers, Fontanafredda. Here are our impressions and tasting notes. Jennifer MacDonald Havers Wine Columnist, Ottawa Citizen The weather may have been rainy, but spirits were bright on a Sunday afternoon as we had the opportunity to celebrate Barolo and learn of one of the gems of Piedmont, Fontanafredda. Alberto Frea, the brand ambassador for Fontanafredda, walked us through the extensive family history of the winery as well as some of […]
Wine Confidential: An Insider Look at the Wine World Video
Would you love to get an insider view of the wine world – a sneak peak behind the scenes? That’s exactly what we’re going to learn from our guest from our guest who has written a book that has become a New York Times bestseller. Our guest this evening has is the author of the New York Times bestseller CORK DORK: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste It’s been described as the “KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL of wine.” She has written about food, wine, architecture, and technology for […]
Festive Wine and Cheese Pairings with Janet Fletcher Video
Click on the Follow and Like buttons on this page to get notified when we go live. We’ll be simultaneously broadcasting on Facebook Live, YouTube Live Stream and Twitter Live Video via Periscope. Watch previous episodes of the Sunday Sipper Club (SSC) and find out who’s coming up next. If you’d like to read the comments for this tasting, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10155625565449845/ Here’s a sampling of our lively discussion from our Janet Fletcher Video Chat: Anne-Marie Chivers · 41:19 What about goats cheese with sparkling?? Acid plus acid makes the cheese taste more creamy and the wine more fruity?? […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings December 9
You can access the 158 wines that I reviewed for as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for November 25. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each wine in your closest LCBO store. These are just some of the benefits of supporting out wine community as a Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a day or two […]
Which #Wine to Pair with Your Ugly Christmas Sweater?
In our second Day in the Life Photo Essay, we’ve assembled our pictorial interpretation of holiday spirit with the classic Ugly Christmas Sweater. Yes, there’s a wine for that. We’re also sharing these photos on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and LinkedIn. The hashtag is #WineFashion and @RobertMondavi. You can see our first photo essay here. Jane Staples Wine Columnist, Ottawa Wedding Magazine Jon Steeves Accredited Sommelier & Blogger Matt Steeves Wine Expert, CTV Morning Live Sean O’Regan Director, National Capital Sommelier Guild […]
Prosecco with Lemon Sponge Cake, Lemon Curd and Raspberry Ice Cream
Bottles & Bites by Shari Goodman Natalie’s Challenge: Find a bottle. Pair with bites. My Goals: Bottle must be under $25. Bites must be delicious. Lemon Sponge Cake, Lemon Curd and Raspberry Ice Cream Sun meets bubbles in this pairing of bottle and bites. With a light but refreshing drink and dessert combination, this is sure to cool you off in the middle of a heat wave. I love bubbles in the summer. And Prosecco was made for summertime sipping. This Italian sparkling wine (Santa Margherita Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, $18.95) is a light, refreshing and affordable alternative to French […]
