After we stopping debating which wine pairs best with a rare shark steak (and the ethics of using a wine writer as bait), we jumped into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South Africa. No, I didn’t stay on the boat, but avoiding getting eaten, taking pictures and thinking about wine pairings was too much to do all at the same time. Yes, I’m the one looking like a drowned rat. And yes, I’m insane. The experience though is one I’ll never forget… the black marble eye of one of those 20-foot sharks side-on, each of us wondering who’d […]
Wine Articles
An Unquenchable Search for the Best Cheap Wines – Houston Press
To research her new book Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines, Natalie MacLean traveled to wineries in eight countries including Australia and Italy over a five-year period. Each chapter in Unquenchable pairs a wine with a day of the week and a meal. While the book explains how the wines are produced and describes how they taste, MacLean goes a step further, finding fascination in “what goes on around the glass.” The culture of the region’s wine making and its characters round out each wine’s story. Funnily enough, the animals she encountered in her travels […]
Sample Some of Ontario’s Best VQA Wines at this Tasting Event
Toronto Event Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 6:00pm to 9:00pm The Ontario Wine Society Toronto Presents: “Sip & Try Before You Buy“ 42 Ontario Wineries – Over 200 of some of Ontario’s best VQA wines. The Toronto Chapter of the Ontario Wine Society is repeating its successful 2009 no-frills, serious, but, at the same time fun, Taste and Order event that brings together a large number of Ontario wineries so you can sip and try before acquiring wine for the festive season. Not interested in buying wine? No problem. You can come and enjoy the wide selection of wines from […]
A worldwide adventure to wineries and vineyards in the search for the best value bottles – Metro News
The Metro Top 7 List Best inexpensive vinos: A new book with the great title Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines was released this week by renowned Canadian writer Natalie MacLean. It’s based on her worldwide adventure to wineries and vineyards in the search for the best value bottles. I’ll be reading it over my bottle of 1811 Château d’Yquem. I wish. You can read more reviews of my new wine book Unquenchable here.
Like a knight of the Middle Ages, Natalie travels the globe in search of affordable wines – Boomer Magazine
A new book from Natalie MacLean is always an event. She is a recognized Canadian sommelier who has won many awards for her writing on the world of wine. Her latest book is out, a quest for the best wines affordable. Like a knight of the Middle Ages, she travels the globe in search of affordable wines. At one country of call, she met Wolf Blass in Australia and Nicolas Catena in Argentina. She shares with us the best wines she found in each country, and a tips and reference notes at the end of each chapter. In Provence, she […]
Wine Book to Learn about Wine is Entertaining – Indian Wine Academy
Unquenchable by the awarded writer and Canadian author Natalie MacLean is her second book on wine, that lucidly chronicles her adventures in search of great wine bargains as she travels through 8 different countries and regions, taking her readers for a trip, meeting several quality producers that ought to fire the flame in them to learn more about fine wines instead, writes Subhash Arora reviewing the book. ‘The best wine is the one someone else pays for” goes the cliché but it is a lifestyle statement for Natalie MacLean, the Canadian prolific writer, TV expert and author of Unquenchable – […]
A Cheap Wine Won’t Fool even the most Inexperienced Palate – The Weal
There’s something classy about seeing someone with a long stem held gracefully between their fingers, bold flavours and aromas filling their glass. As long as that dainty sip isn’t followed by a round of shooters. Once consumed only by royals and those of the church, wine has never lost its association to the aura of higher class. For many students the sophisticated libation can offer a hit to fading bank accounts at semester’s end. The Weal spoke to the experts to find the best wines at an affordable price. Self-proclaimed “wine cheapskate” and author of Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for […]
Unquenchable has laugh-out-loud funny sections, unheard of for a wine book – Halifax Magazine
Love, love this review from Halifax Magazine wine critic Danny Hewitt! I’m so glad that at least one person gets my humour! Library of the grape By Danny Hewitt October 2011 I’ve been passionate about books since I was a child, so it makes sense that I love books about wines. I’ve read everything from an Australian wine comic book to several wine encyclopedias. As with most other large-scale topics, the number of printed books available on the topic of wine is huge. The most enjoyable wine books are often ones that tell a story about a winery, or the […]
Pairing Wine with the Thanksgiving Dinner with a Change of Seasons
We have recently returned from holidaying on the shores of Lake Erie where our family’s roots run deep into the sandy banks of Long Point Bay. This has become an annual event for us and it’s always a pleasure to relax on the quiet beach amidst the rolling waves while the shorebirds gracefully soar high above. We really had not been away for that long but as we unpacked the mountain of ‘stuff’ necessary for survival (and comfort), I did notice that a few leaves had begun to turn. Autumn is arguably the most beautiful season of the year and […]
Cellar Wine Reviews of German Riesling, and Robust Red Wines from Austraia, France and Italy for the October 1 Vintages Release
By Gaby Israel 2002 Schloss Reinhartshausen Riesling Spätlese, Prädikatswein, Erbacher Schlossberg, Rheingau, Germany – $19.95. 2002 was a great vintage for Riesling in Germany. Experiencing a 10 year old Riesling for only $20 is a no brainer when it comes to buying decision. I would buy 3 bottles, try one now and try the other two after 3 and 5 years later. Try it with a good slow cooked smoked pork… and call me in the morning :) 2007 Elderton Shiraz Command Single Vineyard vs. 2006 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz Ebenezer. Here’s a tricky one. Two outstanding-giants Shiraz wines […]
