Natalie MacLean is a food and wine expert and an all-around good writer. When I have questions about what to drink with a meal, or what’s new on the wine horizon, I usually go to her website. There’s so much information crammed into one site that it’s almost overwhelming. One of the cooler features of the site is her “Drinks Matcher” tool. You choose a food or choose a wine and the matcher will tell you what, well, matches. The level of detail is surprising – Nat includes more than just a few standard meals and a wide variety of […]
Social Media and Wine
Food & Wine 7
Right now, hanging out on my wine rack, I have a bottle of 2007 Syncline Mourvedre from the Coyote Canyon Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills, and it’s just begging to be opened. I loved last year’s vintage, so I can’t wait to get at the newest. At the recommendation of Peter Moore from Poco Wine Room, though, it’s going to get even better if I give it a month to open up a bit (it’s still just a baby), so I’ve been sitting on it for about three weeks, going crazy all the while. With all this anticipation, maybe I […]
Green Food & Wine
10 Green Food & Drink Matches for St. Patrick’s Day at NatalieMacLean.com You don’t need the luck o’ the Irish to find great green food and drink pairings this St. Patrick’s Day, according to Natalie MacLean, who offers a new Drinks Matcher widget. “Just look for complementary flavors and textures.” “Green food and green wine go together, so veggies dance with wines that have herbal, grassy aromas, such as New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc,” Natalie adds. “In fact, if there were an award for Veggie Wine of the Century, it would go to this one. Not only does it have complementary […]
Matching Online
Can you suggest wine-pairing Web sites? — Robert B. Moberly Fayetteville, Ark. There are thousands of opinions on what food should be served with what wine. Keep in mind that any pairing is a highly personal suggestion and that the most important pairing advice is that if it tastes good to you, then it’s a good match. We prefer to use books for quick reference, but there are some good Web sites that you should bookmark, too. Wine writer Natalie MacLean keeps a nice database of pairings on her Web site, http://nataliemaclean.com/matcher.
Doughnuts & Wine
That ever-puzzling question of what wine to drink with a chocolate doughnut or two is settled at www.nataliemaclean.com/matcher, where you will find an easy-to-use tool that pairs wines with just about any dish from chicken-feta tostadas to Jell-O. At this award-winning site you also can sign up for Nat Decants, sommelier Natalie MacLean’s free monthly newsletter. And you can access her basic-level wine glossary. But to end the suspense – and tossing coffee aside – the beverage for chocolate doughnuts is either a Banyuls, which is a fortified wine from southern France, or a tawny port. Natalie MacLean is author […]
Food & Wine 5
Of 11 wines on the tasting table, the Col d’Orcia Rosso di Montalcino, a full-bodied, fruity Tuscan red, was Tom Natan’s top choice. Adam Manson hated it. Both have well-trained and -respected palates. Natan is a partner in the Washington-based importer and retailer First Vine. Manson is a co-owner of Veritas, a popular wine bar in Dupont Circle. But the physiological differences in their tongues, coupled with their varied experiences, mean that the same wine tastes different to each of them. To Natan, the big, juicy flavors are luscious. To Manson, they are overwhelming, even bitter. Neither one is right […]
Cellar Tips
Cellar Tips: Have you dreamed of building a cellar? Here are some tips on choosing the right size, structure and budget for you. Listen
Interview
Interview: Don Genova and I chat about buying wine in his All You Can Eat podcast as we walk through a local liquor store. Listen
Queasy Like Sunday Morning
Queasy Like Sunday Morning: What causes hangovers? Are there any cures? A tongue-in-cheek look at the bane of those who enjoy a good glass (or six). Listen
When Food Fights with Wine
When Food Fights with Wine: Matching wine with food can be particularly tough when it comes to the “problem children” of cuisine: vegetables, spicy dishes and fast food. Here are some tips to help you transform these matches into star performers on the table. Listen
