If you love vino but want to lower your alcohol intake, there are lots of wines out there that fit the bill. But which ones are worth giving a try? Here to recommend some of her favourite low-alcohol wines is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes. Lovely to see you, Natalie! Let’s start by explaining what is considered low alcohol in wine? • Most dry table wines are about 13% alcohol • Anything under that, I consider low alcohol and you’ll find that usually on the front or back label in tiny mice type Do low-alcohol […]
Wine Articles
Why is Chardonnay the Winemaker’s Grape + What a Family Brand Means with Chris Benziger
Introduction Why is Chardonnay the one grape that is equally made in the vineyards and the winery? What’s the difference between biodynamic and regenerative farming? What does it mean to be part of a family brand of wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Chris Benziger You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Three of you are going to win a bottle of one of his spectacular wines from California (open to Canadian residents only). How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know […]
50 Ways to Keep Your Lover: Matching Wine and Chocolate
50 Ways to Keep Your Lover this Valentine’s Day Want to seduce someone this Valentine’s Day? Just share a glass of wine (or three) with your sweetheart. Wine is liquid sensuality: Its heady bouquet stimulates the appetite and its velvet caress soothes that desire. What other drink is described as both ‘voluptuous’ and ‘muscular’? And when you pair wine with the mouth-coating luxury of chocolate, the combination is impossible to resist. The creamy flavors of chocolate go best with sweet, full-bodied, high-alcohol wines. Find wines to complement 50 chocolate dishes in my matching tool at www.nataliemaclean.com/matcher. Just click on “desserts” […]
Does Wine Make You Fat? Looking Through a Glass Thinly
My dieting heroine is Bridget Jones from the movie of the same name—not because she was that successful in losing weight, but because she never abandoned her glass of chardonnay (and still managed to snag Colin Firth). For me, dieting is unbearable if I have to give up all the sweets and my wine. (And if I stopped drinking, I’d be out of a job.) The good news is that you can drink wine without getting fat. When it comes to both calories and carbohydrates, moderate wine drinking won’t ruin your diet. Wine has no cholesterol, sodium or fat, […]
Pioneer California Biodynamic Winemaking + 100 Adorable Sheep with Chris Benziger
Introduction What was it like to move to biodynamic wine farming at a time when hardly anyone was doing it? What crucial role do 100 adorable sheep play at the Benziger winery? How do biodynamic preparations that might seem a bit “woo” actually benefit the vineyard? What are the benefits of biodynamic farming practices for vine health and wine quality? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Chris Benziger, winemaker with the Benziger family wines in Sonoma, California. You can find the wines we discussed here . Giveaway Three of you are going to win a bottle […]
Pairing Wine with Love Songs
Leanne and I chat about pairing wine with love songs. Got a favourite that we didn’t include? Click on the arrow above to play the video. Here’s part one of our conversation on pairing wine with romantic movies. “Whose bed have your boots been under?” – Shania Twain Ménage à Trois Midnight Red 2013 California, United States “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” – The Righteous Brothers Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand “I Want to Know What […]
Video: Wine Supertasters, Vinotype Quiz and Your Taste in Wine?
On CTV’s The Social yesterday, we chatted about how to find your Vinotype, or taste in wine. Click the arrow above to play the video. We also discussed what a Supertaster is: “Someone who lives in a neon taste world,” according to researcher Linda Bartoshuk, “whose taste sensations are roughly three times as intense to them as non-tasters.” I’ve also heard compared to having 500 fingers rather than 10. So yes, I was tested, did the blue dye tongue test and measurements with Tim Hanni in California (see our video chat below). You can take Tim’s quiz to find your vinotype […]
The Biggest, Most Surprising Wine Myths with Hailey Bohlman
Introduction What’s the important difference between dry wines and the dry feeling you get when tasting certain wines? Do all or even most wines taste better when they’re older? How can you make the most of a trip to Washington wine country? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Hailey Bohlman 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 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be jumping into […]
Video: The Ultimate Guide to Pairing Wine and Chocolate
The hosts of CTV’s The Social and I shared lots of scandalous laughs pairing wine and chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Click on the arrow above to play the video. Laurent-Perrier Millésimé Champagne 2007 Champagne A.C., France What’s you favourite pairing? We love chocolate not just for its taste, but also for its sensual texture. Cocoa butter, one of its main ingredients, melts close to body temperature, so sliding a piece into your mouth and feeling it seep out to coat your tongue can almost be orgasmic. Maybe that why’s the eighteenth century […]
Shaking Up Dry January with Terrific Low and No-Alcohol Wines
As we kick off the new year, many of us are looking to make healthier choices. There’s a growing trend called Dry-ish January for those who want to moderate their alcohol intake without giving up on flavour. Joining us today is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie! Great to be with you, Bindu! How big is this trend? Market research shows that 46% of Gen Z participated in Dry January last year, with Millennials and Gen X at about 20%. Even more are choosing “Dry-ish” or “Damp” […]
