January is when many of us try to cut back on alcohol after holiday indulgences. It is the month when calendars are clean, intentions are pure, and the recycling bin is still judging us quietly from the curb. So today we’re building the ultimate Dry January Survival Kit, with low- and no-alcohol options. Who better to help us than our favourite drinks expert Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest drinks review site at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie. Great to be back with you! As we put together a collection of foolproof low-proof drinks, we’re going to play […]
Wine Articles
Sediment and Silicon: Five Futures Wine Writers Don’t See Coming
By Natalie MacLean I recently argued that the wine writing conversation has been too focused on whether AI can describe aromas convincingly. That piece covered five larger shifts happening now. The following five are more quietly threatening, structurally unsettling, and in at least one respect, genuinely exciting. 1. The Digital Twin Critic Wine writing has always had ancestors: André Simon, Pamela Vandyke Price, Alexis Lichine. Their language, standards, and quirks live on in the prose of those who followed. AI can now make that inheritance literal. By training on the complete published output of a previous critic, an AI […]
How Do You Create A Successful International Wine Brand? Nam Stanley Tells The Story of Solicantus
Introduction What goes into creating a successful international wine brand that tells a story before the bottle is even opened? What does it look like to build a young wine brand vintage by vintage? What makes Bordeaux such a hard place to break into as an outsider? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Namratha Stanley, author of the new memoir Vineyard Melody. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Namratha Stanley’s terrific new book, Vineyard Melody: How One Woman Rebuilt Her Life, […]
How is Namratha’s “Vineyard Melody” memoir the wine version of Eat, Pray, Love?
Introduction How can a wine story rooted in darkness leave you feeling hopeful about your life? Why is France such a symbol of freedom, possibility and reinvention for her? How can discovering France through art, cinema, and wine become an escape into a completely different world? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Namratha Stanley, author of Vineyard Melody: How One Woman Rebuilt Her Life, One Grape At A Time. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Namratha Stanely’s terrific new book, Vineyard Melody: […]
The Ghost in the Glass: Five Ways AI Is Rewriting the Story of Wine
By Natalie MacLean I remember the hum of server rooms at the supercomputer company now the headquarters of Google. When I joined the wine industry twenty-five years ago, I thought I was leaving a binary world for a visceral one. I wanted the harvest heat, the fudgy soil, the cool zip of Riesling on my tongue. Now silicon has caught up to the soil. Wine writing has always been a strange translation. You taste a changing liquid then try to trap it in words. Critics have spent centuries arguing about whether that translation is possible. AI has shifted the argument. […]
Why Do Some Non-Alcoholic Wines Keep Their Fruity Aromas While Others Lose Everything?
Introduction How did winemakers first figure out how to remove alcohol from wine without destroying it? Why is it so difficult to perfect the flavours and aromas in wine once the alcohol is removed? Why do some non-alcoholic wines keep their fruity aromas while others seem to lose everything? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Dr Wes Pearson, a senior research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute in Adelaide. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on […]
Wes Pearson: What Happens When the World’s Most Expensive Wines Are Tasted Blind
Introduction What really happens when the world’s most expensive wines are tasted blind, without their labels or reputations? Why is the Len Evans Tutorial considered such a valuable experience in the wine world? How did Grenache go from a filler grape to one that producers take seriously? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Dr Wes Pearson, a senior research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute in Adelaide. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at […]
How Did One Viognier Go From the Brink of Extinction to Being Planted Around the World?
Introduction How did one Viognier go from the brink of extinction to being planted around the world? Why is the Mistral one of the most miserable experiences for people, yet a saviour for Rhône vineyards? Why is working with bush vines so much harder than trellised vineyards? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Matt Walls, author of the terrific new book The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to the Rhone Valley. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of Matt Walls’ terrific new book, The […]
Why Did the Rhone Region Ban Flying Saucers? Matt Walls Reveals the Story Behind Why That Rule Still Exists
Introduction Which French wine region banned flying saucers from landing in its vineyards and why is the rule still there? How did the devastating February 1956 frost reshape the southern Rhône into the vineyard landscape we know today? What sets the northern Rhone apart from the south in terms of grapes and winemaking style? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Matt Walls, author of The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to the Rhone Valley. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of Matt Walls’ terrific […]
Why Are So Many Swiss Vineyards Planted on Dangerous Terrain? Simon Hardy Reveals Why in the Smart Traveller’s Guide to Switzerland
Introduction Why are so many Swiss vineyards planted on dangerous terrain? How do the “three suns of Lavaux” shape the ripeness and character of Chasselas? Which unexpected historical figure owns the world’s smallest vineyard in Switzerland? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Simon Hardy, author of the terrific new book The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to Switzerland. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of Simon Hardy’s terrific new book, The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide to Switzerland. How to Win To qualify, all […]
