Restaurant Wine Lists, Poutine, Niagara & Pairing Tips

Introduction What are my top tips for choosing a bottle from a long restaurant wine list? What are the best wines to pair with extremely rich dishes like poutine? What would surprise you about the Niagara-on-the-Lake wine region and why should you visit? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m being interviewed by Scott Greenberg, on his podcast, The Vine Guy. He also hosts the “Wine of the Week” show on WTOP radio in Washington, DC. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Highlights How have I incorporated my love of tech into my wine career? What […]

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Field Blends, Pet-Nats and Memoir with Rachel Signer

Introduction What is it like to make wine totally by hand, without electricity? What is a field blend and why should you try one? What’s the most difficult part of writing a memoir? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Rachel Signer, who has just published a gripping, addictive memoir, You Had Me at Pet-Nat. You can find the wines we discussed here.   I’d also like to highlight some of our country’s best wines that are owned or produced by Blacks, Indigenous or People of Colour. We vote with our dollars, and these wineries deserve your […]

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Bottle of the Sexist: Marketing Wine to Women with Felicity Carter

Introduction What do fortune-telling and wine writing have in common? How does wine culture change when women are part of its founding? Should you believe the health claims about clean wines? Are they really better for you? What are the fairy tales we tell about wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with wine writer, Felicity Carter who is the Executive Editor at Pix.wine, a global wine discovery platform based in California. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Watch Party Join me for the debut Watch Party of the video of this conversation that I’ll […]

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Promiscuous Wine Buying, Orange, Natural and Raw Wines

Introduction Why are orange wines appealing to beer drinkers? Why does it pay to be promiscuous when shopping for wine? Why is there so much confusion around natural and raw wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m being interviewed by Elizabeth Schneider on the Wine For Normal People podcast. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Highlights Why is there so much confusion around natural and raw wine? What is the natural wine movement about? What makes a good celebrity wine? What’s the problem with diet and alcohol-free wines? How is global warming affecting the wine […]

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Behind the Scenes of Wine Writing + Wine Trends with Elizabeth Schneider

Introduction What are the latest trends in wine, from blue wines to raw wines? And should you be drinking them? Why are high-tech and wine a perfect pairing? What’s it like behind the scenes of the wine writing industry? How do you recover from devastating professional and personal attacks? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m being interviewed by Elizabeth Schneider on the Wine For Normal People podcast. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Highlights What happy accident introduced me to the world of great wines? How did I go from visiting wineries on the weekend […]

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Pet-Nats, Piquettes, Croatia & Comfort Wines with Kate Dingwall

Introduction Are you curious about trendy new wines like pet-nats and piquettes? Which lesser-known Croatian wine should you try? What are comfort wines and what do you pair with them? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Kate Dingwall who writes about food and drink for Forbes, Toronto Life, The Toronto Star, Wine Enthusiast, among others. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Watch Party Join me for the debut Watch Party of the video of this conversation that I’ll be live-streaming for the very first time on Zoom on Wednesday, September 29th at 7 […]

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Penedes, Spain, Croatia & Kosher Wines with Kate Dingwall

Introduction What’s it like biking through the Penedes wine region of Spain? How can you find great Georgian wines without leaving North America? What makes a wine kosher, and why should you try kosher wines even if you’re not of the Jewish faith? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Kate Dingwall, who writes about food and wine for Forbes, Toronto Life, The Toronto Star, Wine Enthusiast, among others. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Watch Party Join me for the debut Watch Party of the video of this conversation that I’ll be […]

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Embarrassing Wine Moments, Oak as Ketchup & Powerful Stories

Introduction Why are sugar and oak often the ketchup of the wine world, used to hide bad grapes or poor winemaking? How did researching my first book lead to my most embarrassing wine moment? What’s the problem with biodynamic and natural wines? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m being interviewed by Paul K on the Wine Talks with Paul K podcast. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Highlights How can you navigate the shelves at the wine store when every bottle has a 90+ score? Why do I believe the individual experience is so important […]

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Restaurant List Tips, Wine Courses & Buying Local Wines

Introduction Why are restaurant wine lists often tricky to navigate, even for wine professionals? Is it worth pursuing wine certifications and courses? Wine is the most value-added agricultural product we produce so why are there so many barriers for these small farmers who try to sell their wines across the country? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m being interviewed by Paul K on the Wine Talks with Paul K podcast. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Highlights What was my winding journey to sommelier certification like? What is it about wine that can feel so […]

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Luxury Wine Marketing, Dom Pérignon, Must-Have Gadgets with Robert Vernick & Peter Yeung

Introduction What are the six key elements that define a luxury wine? What’ll surprise you about Dom Pérignon that makes it different from other luxury wines? Which two wine gadgets must you own as a wine lover? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung, co-hosts of the XChateau podcast. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Watch Party Join me for the debut Watch Party of the video of this conversation that I’ll be live-streaming for the very first time on Zoom on Wednesday, September 1st at 7 pm […]

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