Introduction In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Madeline Puckette, the content director and co-founder of Wine Folly whose passion for helping beginners learn about wine is the inspiration behind the award-winning website winefolly.com, and the NYT best-selling book, Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine. Enjoy! Highlights What is the connection between music, art and wine? What inspired the creation of WineFolly.com? How did Madeline transition from hugely popular infographics on her site to writing a book? What role did Seth Godin play in making the Wine Folly book a reality? What can […]
Taste Wine
Champagne Special with the Restaurant Guys Mark Pascal and Francis Schott
Introduction In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Mark Pascal and Francis Schott, on their excellent radio show The Restaurant Guys. They’ve been in the fine dining and wine retail business for more than 25 years, and co-own Stage Left Restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which the New York Times has ranked in their excellent category and Citysearch named among the Top 10 Restaurants in America and Worth The Drive from any Major City. Since I’ve chatted with them, they’ve launched a second restaurant called Catherine Lombardi and their Stage Left Wine Shop is booming. Although their radio show was […]
What’s Minerality in Wine? Plus California Wildfires
Introduction What it minerality mean when it comes to wine? Is it a taste? A feeling? Or some bogus concept meant to keep wine mysterious? What’s the latest with the devastating wildfires in Sonoma wine country? Why are winemakers wary of cannabis producers? It’s not what you might think. And what is a new wine group doing to help with a balanced life? On today’s episode of Unreserved Wine Talk, I’m taking a deep dive into the controversial concept of minerality, assessing the impact of recent wildfires on California wine country, discussing the controversy between cannabis producers and winemakers and […]
Festive Wines with the Globe & Mail’s Christine Sismondo
Introduction In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Christine Sismondo, writer, teacher and barfly who, when not teaching literature at York University, is tracking down the city’s best drinks and the bars in which they’re served for her columns. She also writes wine and cocktail articles for the Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest national newspaper. Enjoy! Highlights Why shouldn’t you lump Cava, Prosecco and Champagne together? Why did Lambrusco have a bad reputation in the 70s and 80s? What is the Charmat Method for producing sparkling wine? How did Lambrusco become popular in North […]
Visiting Burgundy and Tasting Barolo with Matt Cauz
Introduction On today’s episode, I’m chatting with Matt Cauz, on his excellent podcast called Matt Talks Wine and Stuff with Interesting People. Matt interviews sommeliers, winemakers and wine writers so this is a bit of a turnaround from my usual format because Matt is interviewing me. I wanted to share this episode with you because we dig into lots of great wine tips, like how to make sense of the wine region Burgundy, how social media has changed the way we think about wine and a sneak peek at some of the topics in my third book, including the issues […]
Video: Wine Tasting, But Not The Usual
On Sunday, Canada’s top wine writers and sommeliers gathered in our nation’s capital to review 86 wines. However, it wasn’t the usual group of wines… many are just coming on to the market or will be launched in the new year. So it was exciting for our team to try them and post the first reviews for these wines in this market. Be sure to check out the reviews here and put your faves in your virtual shopping list that you can access on our mobile app for iPhone or Android. The tasting took place from 1 to 6 pm […]
A Full-Bodied Framework to Taste, Pair & Buy Wine Like a Pro
Introduction Would you like to know how to taste, pair and buy wine like a pro? Would you like to walk into a liquor store and know exactly which new wine you want to buy, confident that you’ll love it even though you’ve never tried it before? Would you like to look at a restaurant wine list, filled with wines you haven’t tasted, but have the strategies to pick a great wine for your dining companions and the dishes that you’ve all ordered? That’s exactly what I’m talking about on today’s special edition of Unreserved Wine Talk. We’re taking a […]
Behind the Scenes: A Wine Writer’s Life
Introduction When I attend a social event that’s outside the wine industry and I’m asked about my job, I often joke that I drink for a living. After I clarify that I write about wine, I usually get questions about what exactly that involves and some misconceptions about drinking Champagne all day in between planning luxe trips to Tuscany and Napa Valley. However, it’s not all beer and Skittles, rainbows and unicorns. On today’s episode of Unreserved Wine Talk, I thought that since there’s always been quite a bit of curiousity about what I do, I’ll take you behind the […]
Texas Wines and Wine Writing Ethics
Introduction In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Gus Clemens, who went to business college when he was just 12 years old to learn how to type because he knew even then he wanted to be a writer. He’s held editorial positions with the San Antonio Express-News and the Star Magazine in New York and has written or contributed to about twenty books about Texas and a range of other subjects. Enjoy! Highlights When did wine become a part of Gus’s life? What led to Gus writing his first wine column? Why was a […]
Thanksgiving Wines, Mouse Wine Defect, Trends to Ignore
Introduction For those of us in Canada, Thanksgiving is this weekend. In my opinion, there is no other holiday that celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving. Wine is a taste of the harvest, along with all the delicious dishes on the table. But actually choosing a bottle can feel like a thankless task, especially with so many flavours to match. Do you celebrate Thanksgiving, perhaps in November if you’re American? On today’s episode of Unreserved Wine Talk, I’ll be chatting with you about how to pair wine with Thanksgiving turkey and all the side dishes, as well as the […]
