Part 2: Champagne Widows By the 1930s, French winemakers faced even greater challenges: a country about to go to war, a worldwide Depression that made running any business difficult, and U.S. Prohibition, which made selling luxury champagne to the lucrative American market almost impossible. Camille Olry-Roederer This was the forbidding business environment that Camille Olry-Roederer stepped into when she took over the champagne house Louis Roederer after losing her second husband in 1932 (her first husband had died in World War I). Sales were 264,000 bottles that year, compared to 2.3 million bottles in 1876. 1954 1954 […]
Author: Natalie MacLean
Which Food Films Co-Star with Wine? The Oscar for Best Bottle Goes to …
Wine is often a co-star with food in the movies, especially films about food: The Big Night (1996) Like Water for Chocolate (1992) Soul Food (1997) Chocolat (2000) The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989) Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (1994) Tampopo (1985) Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978) Dinner Rush (2000) Rare Birds (2001). The three movies I most want to see right now in this genre are Chef, The Hundred Foot Journey and The Trip to Italy. The lush landscape of Italian wine country makes a bucolic backdrop for […]
Oscar Movie Wine Pairings: Lincoln, Argo and Les Mis Video
Oscar wine pairings: Argo & Lincoln … Video vine.co/v/bgndDa0YLA3 — NatalieMacLean (@NatalieMacLean) February 24, 2013 Which wines will you be drinking during the Oscars tonight? Got some more pairings to suggest for Lincoln, Argo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi or other movies that are nominated? Which wine to pair with #Oscar nominee Les Miserables? Video vine.co/v/bgnpIEM9WBx — NatalieMacLean (@NatalieMacLean) February 24, 2013 Life of Pi wine pairing … What are you drinking during the Oscars? Video vine.co/v/bgnjvLhQ5ZV — NatalieMacLean (@NatalieMacLean) February 24, 2013
Which Women Shine with Wine in the Movies?
Wine, women and … the movies. As we celebrate the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF 2014), here’s a look at some of the cameo roles that wine and women have played in film as terrific co-stars. In The Seven Year Itch (1955), Marilyn Monroe, moves into a Manhattan apartment above Tom Ewell, a married man whose family has gone to Maine for summer vacation. When the two get together for an innocent glass of champagne, the bottle explodes—and he gets his thumb stuck while trying to stop the overflow. That makes for lots of double-entendres about pent-up pressure […]
Movies & Wine: Oscar-Worthy Moments
Vino plays a supporting role in some of the silver screen’s most memorable moments. We asked wine experts to tell us which scenes stayed with them long after the theatres went dark. “Here’s looking at you kid.” Even if you haven’t seen Casablanca, you’ve likely heard that toast. And if you have seen the movie, you know that not long after Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman clink glasses, the Germans come marching into Paris and change their lives forever. Here, noted wine experts recall equally vivid movie moments where wine is firmly in the frame. David Lebovitz, chef and author […]
The Dark Side of Wine in the Movies: Days of Wine and Thorns
In films such as the Godfather series, wine and food are expressive of Italian culture, and its fierce loyalty—wine is part of family gatherings, and presented as something simple, without pretense. It’s often consumed from shot glasses. But also represents the darker side: the brooding nature of the family members, and the blood ties that bind. You’ll find my TIFF and Oscar-worthy, award-winning wines here, with all-star ratings. Looks alone have made red wine the preferred drink of horror movies, often an omen of evil. The Dracula movies associate wine with blood. “Aren’t you drinking?” inquires the guest, as Count […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings February 20
You can access the 112 wines that I reviewed for February 20 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for February 6. 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 […]
How to Get the Most from a Wine Show? 17 Insider Tips
You’ll find my Top 10 Wine Shows in Canada list, as well as a tongue-in-cheek story of attending a show. And here are my top tips on how to get the most from a wine show: 1. To build your stamina in the weeks leading up to the show, walk around Price Club during the weekends. Eat lots of the cheese-doodles and toothpick wieners. And be nice to the Demo Lady: she may well be pouring your sample at the show. 2. Eat before you come to the show even though there are often lots of food exhibitors. A full […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings February 6
You can access the 104 wines that I reviewed for February 6 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for January 9. 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 […]
56 Wines Tasted + 971 Tweets Posted = 1 Great Wine Shopping List
Our Wine Tasting A Team gathered Sunday to review 56 wines, covering a wide range of styles and regions. Twitter and Facebook lit up as we posted our reviews live during the afternoon. You can see the complete list of wines below to add to your shopping list. Enjoy! Jane Staples Wine Columnist, Ottawa Wedding Magazine Jennifer MacDonald Havers Wine Columnist, Ottawa Citizen Matt Steeves Wine Expert, CTV Morning Live Cherie Cole Restaurant Wine Consultant Craig Kuziemsky MBA Professor, […]
