How Much is Too Much Wine, Old Rosé and Hard-Won Wisdom with the Women of Ill Repute, Wendy Mesley & Maureen Holloway

Introduction What might surprise you about Rosé wine? Is being a supertaster an advantage in the wine industry? Do you feel you’re drinking too much wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m being interviewed by Wendy Mesley and Maureen Holloway for their podcast, Women of Ill Repute. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be jumping into the comments as we […]

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Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings November 4, 2023

  You can access the wines that I reviewed as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. 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. You can also see my wine reviews for October 21st. 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 before the release based on the LCBO doing so. Curious about […]

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Wickedly Good Fun Wine Tasting with Wine Witch on Fire at the Ottawa Writers Festival

Click on the arrow above to play the video. What a wonderful evening at the Ottawa Wine Writers Festival! After a tongue-in-cheek tasting of two top-notch wines from KIN Vineyards (that starts at 5 minutes and 30 seconds into the video), I spoke with the author Julie S Lalonde about the behind-the-scenes stories about those who make, market and write about wine. You can also previous book events in Halifax, Closson Chase Vineyards (Prince Edward County), KIN Vineyards, Le Cordon Bleu, Clio Club and Toronto Word on the Street Festival. You can see media coverage here for the book.   Julie […]

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How to Spot a Fake Wine and Defining Wine Authenticity with Rebecca Gibb

Introduction How can you avoid buying a fraudulent bottle? What makes a wine truly authentic? How did Rudy Kurniawan get so far in his fraudulent schemes and why did it ultimately unravel? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Rebecca Gibb, author of Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be […]

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Magic Among the Vines at Closson Chase Vineyards in Prince Edward County

   Video: Closson Chase Vineyards I love the Witch song in the video above ;) What a spectacular evening at Closson Chase Vineyard in Prince Edward County! Our host was Sonja Smits, the owner and award-winning actor whom you may recall from the terrific TV show Street Legal. Signe Langford, columnist for the Toronto Star, interviewed me about the issues in the book, as we sat among the vines and setting sun. Then we had a lively Q&A discussion with the 90 people attending the event followed by a book signing. Magical! Cheers, Natalie Photo: Kirstyn Mayers   Photo: […]

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Pairing Wine and Halloween Candy: The Monster Match

Buzz Lightyear and the Wine Witch chat about great wine pairings with Halloween treats on Breakfast Television. Dina: Just call Natalie MacLean for pairing wine and Halloween treats, she’s an online sommelier and what a brilliant idea. Great to see you all festive Natalie. Natalie: Great to see you Dina. Dina: Or as well you are at the door trick-or-treating, the kids are at the door you thinking ‘what’s in it for me?’ We tend to dip into the kids snacks, well I do anyways- Natalie: Yes! Dina: A lot of parents do. Natalie: You bet. Dina: So you are […]

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Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings October 21, 2023

  You can access the wines that I reviewed as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. 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. You can also see my wine reviews for October 7th. 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 before the release based on the LCBO doing so. Curious […]

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Wine Crime & Con Artists with Rebecca Gibb, Author of Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud

Introduction Are you curious about the greatest con artists in the world of wine? What creative but illegal ingredients have been added to wine to cut costs and boost profits? What is it about tales of crime and greed that draw us in? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Rebecca Gibb, author of Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, […]

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How Are Wine Supertasters Different from Regular Tasters?

Watch the CHCH Morning Live video here   In her new book Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much, Natalie MacLean talks about being a supertaster. The book has just become a national bestseller and she’s here to tell us more about supertasters. Welcome Natalie. So what is a supertaster and why are women more likely to be one? Dr. Linda Bartoshuk, at Yale University School of Medicine, discovered the supertaster phenomenon in 1999. Women are more than twice as likely as men to be supertasters. Women have more fungiform papillae, the […]

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New Australian Wines & Regions + Grenache’s Resurgence with Jane Lopes, Author of How to Drink Australian

Introduction Are you curious about new Australian wine styles and regions? Why is Grenache experiencing a resurgence in Australia right now? What was the most devastating part of several Court of Master Sommelier scandals? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with sommelier and author Jane Lopes. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be jumping into the comments as […]

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