Toast to the Season: Choosing Wines for Every Celebration

    ‘Tis the season for holiday gift giving. What if you’d like to give someone a bottle of wine? How do you know which one to choose? Here to help us with that is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com   Welcome back, Natalie. So if choosing the right bottle is so tricky, why should we give wine or spirits as a gift at all?   When you give the gift of wine, doubles are fine unlike toaster ovens, there are no wrong sizes unlike that ugly sweater and regifting is so much easier compared […]

read more …

Read More

Game Snack Match: 4 Perfect Pairings for Game Night Nibbles

Click on the image above to play the video   It’s easy to pair a gourmet meal with wine, but what about our favourite game snacks? Here to help us is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com.   Welcome Natalie.   Great to be back with you! We’re going to drink outside the box with these unusual but delicious pairings.     Sounds good! We’re starting with popcorn – got a wine for that?   Yes, what would be better with popcorn than Bread & Butter?!         Bread & Butter Pinot Grigio California, […]

read more …

Read More

10 Best Cabernet Franc Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Cabernet Franc

    Cabernet Franc is one of the five grapes in Bordeaux blends, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. You’ll find my top 10 Cabernet Franc reviews and ratings here.   5 Surprising Facts about Cabernet Franc: 1. Cabernet Franc is a thin-skinned, early-ripening grape with a lighter body and acidity than the robust Cabernet Sauvignon, but is more susceptible to spring frosts. 2. Cabernet Franc, along with Sauvignon Blanc, is actually one of the genetic parents of Cabernet Sauvignon. 3. In France, which boasts the most vineyard acreage of Cabernet Franc in the world, several regions […]

read more …

Read More

What are the 4 Best Wines and Whiskies to Give as Holiday Gifts?

 Click on the image above to play the video ‘Tis the season for holiday entertaining and gift giving. What if you’d like to give someone a bottle of wine or spirits? How do you know which one to choose? Here to help us with that is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com     Welcome back, Natalie. So if choosing the right wine is so tricky, why should we give wine as a gift at all?   When you give the gift of wine, doubles are fine unlike toaster ovens, there are no wrong sizes […]

read more …

Read More

Wines and Spirits That Taste Good and Do Good

Click on the image above to play the video   We’re all becoming more conscious of the impact of our purchases, and that includes what we pour into our glasses. Many wineries and distilleries are leading the way, combining exceptional taste with sustainability and community support.   Joining us today is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com.     Welcome, Natalie.   Great to be back with you! I think of these wines and spirits as drinking with a conscience — we get to feel virtuous and tipsy at the same time.   That’s […]

read more …

Read More

10 Best Grenache Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Grenache

Grenache or Grenache Noir (pronounced gren-aash) is also known as Garnacha in Spain, and as Cannonau in Corsica and Sardinia, Italy. You’ll find my Top 10 Grenache reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Grenache: 1. The best Grenache grapes come from old vines and low yields and they are generally blended with other varieties such as Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Tempranillo and Cinsaut. It is usually in a blend, rather than a single varietal wines, because Grenache lacks tannin, colour, and acid. However, the exception to this is the Sardinian D.O.C. wine Cannonau di Sardegna, which is by law 99% […]

read more …

Read More

10 Best Syrah Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Syrah

  Today, July 25th is International Syrah Day  #internationalsyrahday #syrahday Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape grown throughout the world, used primarily in the production of red wine. Syrah is one of the most noble and most fashionable red wine grapes in the world. You’ll find my Top 10 Syrah reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Syrah: 1. In 2004, Syrah was the 7th most planted varietal in the world. Today it is estimated that Syrah is now 5th most planted wine grape in the world. 2. Syrah has a long history in the Southern Rhone region of […]

read more …

Read More

Toast to Dad: Perfect Father’s Day Wine and Book Gifts

  Father’s Day is Sunday, so why not toast Dad with wines that not only pair well grilled favourites, but also with some terrific new books?   Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com.   Welcome Natalie.   Great to be with you, Crystal!   What are you recommending first?       I have Farmhouse Vegetables: A Vegetable-Forward Cookbook by the award-winning chef Michael Smith from PEI. This collection of vibrant recipes is inspired by the culinary bounty of his farm at the Inn at Bay Fortune. […]

read more …

Read More

BBQ Bliss: 4 Caymus Wines to Impress Dad this Father’s Day

    Father’s Day is Sunday and BBQ season is in full swing, so why not toast Dad with wines that pair well with the grill? But which wines work best?   Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com.   Welcome Natalie.   Great to be with you, Mona!   Tell us about this first wine.   The first wine is the coveted Caymus Napa Cabernet, made by the Wagner family who are celebrating the 50th anniversary vintage of this wine. It’s just arrived in stores. The […]

read more …

Read More

4 Wines (and Reasons) to Celebrate National Wine Day

    This Saturday is National Wine Day and here to help us celebrate is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com.   Welcome, Natalie. Wine has a long and rich history, doesn’t it? Yes, ancient clay jars containing wine residue dating back to 6,000 BCE have been found in the country of Georgia. Egyptians were among the first to document the winemaking process in tomb paintings around 2500 BCE. The ancient Greeks and Romans not only improved winemaking processes, but they also spread wine culture in the countries they explored and […]

read more …

Read More