Mouton Cadet, the branded wines of the Baron Philippe de Rothschild company which also owns Château Mouton Rothschild, are wines almost every sommelier and wine enthusiast have experienced. They’re a familiar sight as the more accessible representation and alter-ego to the heady and pricey older sibling. Having a chance to hear Ophelie Loubersac speak about the wines that she and and her team creates was fascinating. Imagine being the head of a commercial winery bearing the name of history’s most famous wine family; a staple since Bordeaux has had a reputation. You’re tasked with producing a consistent representation of Bordeaux […]
Author: Natalie MacLean
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings June 22
You can access the 131 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 June 8, 2019 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 […]
Wine Scandals, Fakes and Forgery with Maureen Downey
Introduction In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Maureen Downey, a.k.a. the Wine Detective, about wine forgeries, fakes and scandals. You’ll learn tips on how to spot a fake wine based on the label and more. Enjoy! Highlights Why did Maureen become interested in wine fraud? What role did Hardy Rodenstock play in Maureen’s journey as a wine fraud expert? What aspects of the wine does Maureen consider to determine its authenticity? How does Maureen use technology when testing a wine’s authenticity? Why are cosmetic fraud detection techniques insufficient? What are the issues associated […]
Father’s Day Wines
Introduction This Sunday is Father’s Day, so I’m going to get downright practical on this episode with some terrific gift wines suggestions that you can buy dear old dad. Now I recognize not everyone celebrates Father’s Day for various reasons. Mine was that my father was an alcoholic, and my mother left him when I was two years old. However, I had a wonderful grandfather and several other men in my life who were inspirational role models. I think of them on Father’s Day. So, how do you choose the perfect gift bottle? And is there such a thing as […]
The Wine Bible with Karen MacNeil Video
Our guest this evening is Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible! Note: The audio and visual are out of sync (thanks Facebook!) but the interview is well worth listening to … just close your eyes ;) Want to know who our next guests are? You can find out here and previous episodes of the Sunday Sipper Club (SSC) . The former wine correspondent for the Today Show, the first Food and Wine Editor of USA Today, and she has been published in more than 50 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Town & Country, […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings June 8
You can access the 122 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 May 25, 2019 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 […]
Gripping Wine Stories with San Francisco Chronicle Wine Columnist Esther Mobley
Introduction In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Esther Mobley, on the gripping stories that catapulted her to become the columnist for one of the most prestigious wine columns in North America, the San Francisco Chronicle, at just 24 years of age. Enjoy! Highlights How did Esther’s college admissions essay end up in the New York Times? Why did Esther decide to spend her gap year working at a vineyard? What experiences from the vineyard in Napa piqued Esther’s interest in the wine world? Should wine writers all experience winemaking? What came next for […]
Wine & War: The Vinous Insurrection
Introduction Welcome back for Part Two of an audio essay to celebrate National Wine Day, this past Saturday, May 25. Most of what I’m going to share with you today is based on a magazine piece about wine and civility that I wrote two months after 9/11. On this episode we’re looking at the role wine has played in some of the greatest conflicts our world has ever seen from French winemakers’ fight against the Nazi wine trade, to the impact of 9/11 on the US wine economy. If you missed part one, please go back and have a listen […]
Wine for Normal People with Elizabeth Schneider (Video)
Our guest this evening is the award-winning host of one of the popular wine podcasts, Wine for Normal People. She’s also a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Specialist of Wine by the Society of Wine Educators, and co-founder of Underground Wine Events, which brings together wine lovers with terrific, small wineries, and a public speaker on wine around the US. She’s the author of the forthcoming book, Wine For Normal People, to be published by Chronicle Books this November 2019. She also holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings May 25
You can access the 115 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 May 11, 2019 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 […]