Introduction Are men from Bordeaux and women from Burgundy? In my 20 years of studying and writing about wine, I’ve encountered a lot of differences in how men and women approach the subject. There are also several studies that show the same thing. In honour of International Women’s Day this week, I’m diving deep into “women’s wines”, whether they’re actually any good and how wines marketed to women are affecting the industry. Highlights Are the “chick wines” on the market any good or are they simply marketing gimmicks? What are my thoughts and tasting notes for three of the […]
Red Wine Blend
Blending Humour and Wine in South Africa with Charles Back, Fairview Wine
Introduction Charles Louis Back is the third generation owner of South African wine and cheese producer Fairview, in Paarl in the Western Cape Province. Charles Back studied winemaking at Elsenburg Agricultural College in Stellenbosch. He officially joined his family’s company in 1978 and took over full control in 1995 after the death of his father, Cyril. Today, Charles Back is known as one of the great entrepreneurs and innovators of the wine world – an individual who likes nothing more to swim against the stream. From the start, he has done things differently, introducing Mediterranean grapes such as Viognier, Tempranillo, […]
Pairing Wine and Tomato Dishes (Video)
In the video clip above, Jeff and I chat about pairing wine with different types of tomatoes and tomato dishes. What’s your favourite pairing? Jeff: Stores and Farmer’s Markets are lush right now with colourful products including tomatoes of every colour ripe off the vine or cooked up in a sauce. Nothing can complement a tasty dish like a great glass of wine. And here with her picks for perfect pairing is wine expert Natalie MacLean, nice to see you. Natalie: It’s great to see you, Jeff. Jeff: Now listen, before we get to the tomato, which, to me, […]
Austrian Wine is more than Gruner: Embrace the Unique
By Mymi Myriam Mozart, the Alps, Baroque architecture and Schnitzels are some of the things that spring to mind when thinking of Austria. This alpine country is sadly not often first associated with wine, but when it is, the perception is that it produces mainly sweet wines. That’s quite odd for a country that has been making wine for over four centuries, whose value of recent exports has grown by an impressive € 6 million, amounting to an outstanding sales record of € 145 million (according to the 2014 Austrian Wine Statistics report). Austria ranks at #19 as a wine […]
Video: Game of Thrones Wines: Royal Taste?
April 14, 2019 Update: This live Facebook show originally aired as a prelude to Game of Thrones Season 7. Now that we’re moving into the final season, I thought it would be fun to bring this chestnut back. I re-tasted the wines, and my opinion remains the same ;) Enjoy this episode of the Sunday Sipper Club! ** Click on the arrow above to watch the video. ** Are they fit for royalty? What’s the back story on these HBO series-branded wines? Game of Thrones Wine Reviews You can read the 30 comments for this tasting, and/or make a comment […]
Errazuriz Winery Puts Chile on the Wine Map with Cool Climate Viticulture
By Melissa Pulvermacher On October 31, I had the pleasure of joining Eduardo Chadwick and fellow industry professionals for lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto. Bosk restaurant catered the intimate meal and Eduardo spoke about the wines that we tasted from Errázuriz Vineyards. Eduardo Chadwick Aconcagua Costa The majority of the wines tasted at the luncheon were from a relatively new wine region –Aconcagua Costa. About 12 km from the cool Pacific Ocean, Chile is able to successfully grow and harvest in a cool-climate zone that is very well suited to white varieties, as well as Syrah and Pinot […]
Capra and Chianti: A Perfect Pairing with Gabbiano Wines
Last night, we were joined by a special guest, Chef Massimo Capra, to chat about Italian wine and food pairings Join us on the Sunday Sipper Club, April 16 at 6 pm eastern (Toronto time) when we talk about Malbec. Tune in here for our Facebook Live Video Wine Tasting: www.nataliemaclean.com/live P.S. Click on the “Follow” and “Like” buttons on this page to get notified when we go live. You’ll find upcoming and past Live Tasting Videos here. If you’d like to read 74 comments for this tasting, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10154975674214845/ Here’s a sampling of […]
The Makeover Miracle of Israeli Wines: Finding New Life in the Desert
By Rebecca Meïr- Liebman of Chef & Somm Some of the most brilliant minds come from Israel. Their creative thinking often challenges what many see as unchanging truths. The USB flash drive, GPS, WIX, and Solaris Synergy were all invented in Israel. Lucky for us, some of those creative minds are hard at work in Israel’s burgeoning winemaking industry, leading recently to substantial gains in quality and complexity. More and more Israeli wine professionals are traveling to Europe to learn from leading winemakers and educate and expand their palates. And, on a quest for the ultimate expression of Israeli […]
Col Solare Winery Takes Wine to the Top of the Mountain in Washington State
Several of Canada’s top wine writers and sommeliers met recently with Darel Allwine, chief winemaker at Col Solare Winery based in Washington state. Jane Staples Wine Columnist, Ottawa Wedding Magazine Sitting down with a winemaker to discuss his winemaking techniques is always a special experience. Winemakers are like artists, who combine both creativity and science with complete focus, to achieve their unique products. They are working with Mother Nature too, so every vintage can vary. I recently had the chance to discuss winemaking with Darel Allwine, winemaker at Col Solare. The name “Col Solare” means “Shining Hill”, […]
Pascual Toso Proves There’s More to Argentina Than Malbec
By Priya & Alex, A Vine Romance The only thing better than enjoying a good bottle of wine is getting to meet the person who made it. We were fortunate to have that opportunity recently as we sat down with winemaker, Felipe Stahlschmidt from Pascual Toso. This Argentinian winery is celebrating it’s 125th anniversary. That’s a nice age for a “New World” region. They describe their production facility as “an old Chevy with a brand new Mercedes engine inside”. It’s a great analogy for an older building that has been completely updated with state-of-the-art production equipment. Alex: Pascual Toso is a fairly large […]
