What a terrific chat with Nicola Lovato, Brand Ambassador, Santa Margherita! Click on the arrow above to watch the video. P.S. Join us Sunday October 8, at 6 pm eastern with John Williams, Winemaker, Frog’s Leap Winery. www.nataliemaclean.com/live Want to know when we go live Monday with John Williams? Click on the Follow and Like buttons on this page to get notified when we go live. We’ll be simultaneously broadcasting on Facebook Live, YouTube Live Stream and Twitter Live Video via Periscope. Watch previous episodes of the Sunday Sipper Club (SSC) and find out who’s coming up next. […]
Wine Marketing
Video: Dragon’s Den Arlene Dickinson talks about wine, women, business
Arlene Dickinson, in the video chat below, is best known as a judge on the hit TV show Dragons’ Den as well as advising struggling companies on The Big Decision. She’s the owner and CEO of Venture Communications, a powerhouse agency focused on marketing strategy, has been inducted into Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame and is the mother four children. She recently published a book called Persuasion as well as a line of luxury products with the same brand name, including skin care, chocolate, coffee, and what we’re going to talk about today: wine… Before we […]
Women’s Wines: Are They Pink Plonk?
Pretty in pink is a common theme. As are images of stilettos, vamp red lips, long limbs and sexy cocktail parties. In a bid to corner the chick wine market while at the same time helping women overcome their supposed fear of buying wine, wineries around the globe are tarting up their labels with a wink towards debaucherous girls’ nights out – rebranding or creating new blends with names such as Strut, Bitch and Pink. “I’m always skeptical of marketing-driven wines,” says Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest wine review site. “Authentic wine has its roots in the ground, not […]
Icewine and Chocolate Pairing Video
In this second video chat, Karen King talks about pairing icewine with chocolate as well as being on the CBC TV show The Big Decision. You can also see the icewine cocktails we discussed in part one of our conversation … Blue Cheese and White Wine Pairing: Video Part 3 Building a Persuasive Wine Brand: Arlene Dickinson Restaurant Wine Service: The good, the bad and the ugly with Scott Carney, MS See all wine video chats here. Icewine and Chocolate Pairing Video Natalie: We’re back with Karen King of The Ice House. We’re talking about her ice wines and some […]
Austrian Wine is more than Gruner: Embrace the Unique
By Mymi Myriam Mozart, the Alps, Baroque architecture and Schnitzels are some of the things that spring to mind when thinking of Austria. This alpine country is sadly not often first associated with wine, but when it is, the perception is that it produces mainly sweet wines. That’s quite odd for a country that has been making wine for over four centuries, whose value of recent exports has grown by an impressive € 6 million, amounting to an outstanding sales record of € 145 million (according to the 2014 Austrian Wine Statistics report). Austria ranks at #19 as a wine producing […]
How to Import Wine into Canada for Pleasure and Profit
Importing Wine, Beer & Spirits for Pleasure & Profit Seminar Saturday November 5th, 2016 Novotel Toronto Centre 45 The Esplanade – Toronto 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM Join Charles Steven Trenholme for the day-long seminar Importing for Wine, Beer & Spirits For Pleasure & Profit, which provides insights into the dynamics of importing wine, craft beers & spirits into Canada. Charles Steven brings to the seminar 35+ years of experience working in various capacities including managing national sales agency, brand management, sommelier and as educators. Charles Steven knows first-hand that there are still hundreds of suppliers around the world actively […]
How to Pick a Wine Class? Learn About Wine to Satisfy Your Thirst
You’ve started to learn about wine and find yourself thirsting for more knowledge. Choosing a wine course can be challenging, especially with so many options these days. Selecting the right wine class depends on your goals: 1. Is it to become more knowledgeable as a wine drinker and to increase your personal enjoyment of wine? 2. To find a new hobby that you and a friend or partner can pursue together? 3. To learn more about various wine regions in order to plan gastro-vacations? 4. To make a career change or start one in the wine industry? I’ve always felt […]
Pairing Wine and Social Media: Engagement in a Glass of its Own
On CBC radio drive-home shows across Canada yesterday, we discuss how social media is changing the way we discover new wines and share them with others. Click on the arrow above to listen to the clip. You can also watch this Google + video hangout that I did with the Californian-based wine consultant Paul Mabray several years ago on Digital Darwinism for the Wine Industry. The concepts have aged well and still hold true now. Do you find social media useful for discovering new wines? If so, which one in particular: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, Google +, LinkedIn or […]
Wine Casks have Captured the Attention of Canadian Wine Consumers
Casks, most often referred to as boxed wines, have traditionally had a bad reputation with consumers. The perception is that wine in a box must be poor quality wine and that no one buys them. As one of the fastest-growing segments of the Canadian wine industry, high-quality boxed wines are finally getting the attention they deserve in this country. Australia has lead the way with casks since the majority of wine Down Under is sold in boxes. Now, Canadians are getting hip to the idea that good wine can come in something other than a bottle. For the first time […]
Label Gazing: How to Read a Wine Label
Admit it. You’ve probably bought a wine based on nothing more than a beautiful label. Most of us have been lured at least once by a wind-swept name like Jagged Peak scripted across a postage-size painting of a rustic hillside. Drink the wine, live the life. Not quite. After several disappointments, I started looking for austere labels as a sign of purity: since the winemakers had obviously spent no money on marketing, I reasoned, they must have invested in the fruit. But that didn’t work either: I ended up drinking bad wine in ugly bottles with unpronounceable names. Eventually, I […]
