Canadian wine star Natalie MacLean’s fine and self-deprecating prose reaffirms my penchant for all things Canadian. Her new book details her adventures in locations both far-flung and within the Great White North, stalking value wines and winding up in helicopters over the Niagara Peninsula and in a car zooming down the Autobahn. The reader gets to ride shotgun with her and learn about Malbec, German Riesling, South African wine and other key wine values. Her chapter-ending “Field Notes from a Cheapskate” provide a satisfying summary of these types. A must for those seeking to learn about affordable wine through the […]
Books: Wine
Around the Wine World in 7 Days; A Wine for Each Day of the Week – The Chronicle Herald
Natalie MacLean likes to drink wine every day, and she figured the same must be true of her readers. That was the inspiration for her newest book, Unquenchable, which describes MacLean’s travels to eight of the world’s winemaking regions and, at the same time, suggests a wine for each night of the week. “I wanted to have a narrative arc, if you will, to put a fancy term on it, something that would pull you through but also there’s the practical aspect of suggesting a bottle for this evening, for this day of the week,” said MacLean, a Nova Scotia […]
One of the best wine books I’ve read; wonderful characters and incredible meals – Forbes Magazine
One of the best wine books I’ve read is Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines by award-winning Canadian writer Natalie MacLean. In it, she writes about her travels to eight world wine regions in search of the best value wines, along the way meeting wonderful characters and eating incredible meals (you can find a lot of the recipes on her website). I enjoyed it so much I read it in an afternoon—and then rushed right out and bought several of her suggested wines. I recently spoke with her about the book and her thoughts on how […]
Washington Post Wine Columnist Picks Top 3 Wine Books of the Year
Excerpt from Dave McIntyre’s column … With the holidays approaching, it’s time to recommend books to give the wine lovers on your list. Here are my top three picks from among wine books released this year. The economic downturn has spawned a genre of wine books designed to reassure us that it’s okay to drink cheap wines, and that any wine is good so long as it’s cheap. Canadian writer Natalie MacLean takes another perspective in her new book, “Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines.” To MacLean, bargain means high value at a reasonable price, not […]
Her book took me to countries and vineyards that I could only dream of visiting – Chic galleria
Loved reading Natalie’s new book! She had me at the opening chapter with her witty comments about why she enjoys her profession. I’m admittedly a novice when it comes to choosing wines and Natalie’s book helped me realize that it’s OK to leave the decision making to the experts! Her book took me to countries and vineyards that I could only dream of visiting. Unquenchable is not only educational, but extremely entertaining. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves the study of wine as well as consuming a fine glass. You can read more reviews of my […]
Bright Sense of Humour, Charming Anecdotes and Nose for a Bargain – The Calgary Herald
In the world of wine, Natalie MacLean, with her bright sense of humour and nose for a bargain, is a breath of fresh air. The author of two books — the second, Unquenchable, just out on shelves now — MacLean has travelled the world to visit myriad wineries, sipped a wine that retails for $2,000 a bottle and met the winemakers behind their eponymous labels. But, she is quick to point out, people who feel they need to be experts before they can make a choice on what to order from the wine list just need to take a page […]
Helping Wine Shoppers Buy $15 wines that taste as good as $30 wines – David Schwartz
After reading Unquenchable, I can state three things with confidence about Natalie MacLean: 1) She likes to drink wine 2) She knows a great deal about it 3) She wants to share some of her experiences and perspectives with you to help you find bargain wines that don’t taste like they came out of a box. That makes this book an enjoyable read. It’s joyfully subjective, with MacLean sharing her insights into both her visits to several wine-making regions and the taste of the wines. Her mission, simply put, “is to demystify wine price in relation to quality,” in other […]
The third thing I always like about her books: they always make me laugh – Bella On Line
One of the things I love most about Natalie MacLean’s books is that they’re always about wine. That’s a subject I will never get tired of, be it in the bottle or on the page. Another thing I love is Natalie’s writing. Too many writers and their reading audience seem to think or expect words about wine will be stodgy and snooty but Ms. MacLean completely ignores that rule and I’m so glad she does. Which leads me to the third thing I always like about her books: they always make me laugh. I love laughter. Every one of those […]
A Juicier Take on Wine Writing with a Rare Blend of Wit and Wisdom – Vancouver Sun
Natalie MacLean brings a rare blend of wit and wisdom to the genre Wine writing can some-times be lip-puckeringly dry. Maybe that’s why Natalie MacLean, an irreverent, lively and often self-deprecating wine writer, is so popular. Her first book, Red, White and Drunk All Over, won Best Wine Literature Book at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and sold 50,000 copies in Canada alone. MacLean was in Vancouver recently, for Whistler’s Cornucopia wine and food event in Whistler. Her second book, Unquenchable had just hit bookstores. The book is sub-titled A Tipsy Quest for The World’s Best Bargain Wines. Those bargain […]
