Introduction Are you curious about what’s behind the covers of my book, Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass, which you’ll hear me refer to as “RWD”? In this episode, I’m inviting you to pull up your most comfortable imaginary chair for a secret book club reading of the juiciest bits of RWD, which was named one of the best books of the year by the Globe and Mail, New York Times and Amazon. Highlights When did I have my first experience with tasting good wine? What were my earliest interactions with wine like? […]
Travel to Wine Regions
Flying with Flavour: Travel and Wine Stories with Stephanie Piché (Video)
Our guest this evening is Stephanie Piché, Dining & Travel Expert, Founder of Legacy Service Academy and Podcast Host & Producer of “Flying For Flavour“ Click on the “Follow” and “Like” buttons on this Facebook page to get notified when we go live. Click on the arrow above to hear Stephanie’s story. Want to know when we go live with our next guest? Click on “Get Reminder” on the page below: www.nataliemaclean.com/live Click on “Get Notified” at the link above to know when we go live. You can also click on “Follow” and “Like” buttons to know when we make […]
Wine and Books: Holiday Gifts – Breakfast Television
This past Thursday, we chatted about book and bottle pairings as holiday gifts on Breakfast Television. Words and wine seem like a natural pairing to me … here are my favourites. What are yours? 1. Books are Beautiful The publisher selected 30 classic works of literature and assigned each a beautiful colour. Then the editors organized them in a rainbow of words so spectacular that you’re going to want to line them up on your shelves and just look at them. Wolf Blass Yellow Label Sparkling Brut, South East Australia, Australia: Green […]
New Zealand Wine: An Unexpectorated Journey
Awatere River vineyards Photo: David Skinner By David Skinner When Peter Jackson decided upon his native New Zealand to serve as middle earth for his rendering of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, nationalistic nepotism served him less than the splendor of the rich and varied landscapes found in his home islands. The films depicted rugged terrain and lands carved from the mountains by the relentless influence of wind and water and there is still a sense of that primal constitution to the landscapes that now support modern viticulture in the “Shaky Isles”. Marlborough The South Island […]
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 […]
5 Great Reasons to Explore Armenian Wines
A View of Ararat from Armenia Wine Company By Rebecca Meïr-Liebman of Chef & Somm I’ve tasted thousands of wines – perhaps even hundreds of thousands – from all over the globe yet, until now, none had been Armenian. So when I was invited by the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia (VWFA) to explore Armenian wine culture, I was thrilled to say yes! There is a great energy here, with new wineries, wine bars, and wine shops popping up everywhere, many of them owned by Armenians who, returning from abroad, are investing heavily in this renaissance. Chances are […]
Do Flights of #Wine on This Airline Give You a Vertigo Tasting?
Leanne and I chat about what happens to our perception of wine when we fly, as well as other travel-related tips with wine. In our first segment, we chat about my online wine course. My dream flight begins with the wine selection: “We’d like to direct your attention to the wine list in the seat pocket in front of you. You’ll note we have a fine selection of first-growth Bordeaux at the rear of the plane (using the double-arm, two-finger signal), 40-year vintage port is being decanted in the middle aisles and, for our first-class passengers, a vertical of […]
Shiraz or Syrah? New Film Exposes the Truth
Do you know the differences, and the secret stories behind these grapes? Would you like to know why you love one style and not another? Our guest this evening is making a movie that will turn the wine world on its head, and change the way we think about Shiraz and Syrah. Director and producer Rudolf McClain joins me live from his home in Sonoma County, California. Click on the arrow above to watch the video. P.S. Join us Sunday October 22, at 6 pm eastern with Heidemarie Fischer Pfaffl of Weingut R&A Pfaffl. www.nataliemaclean.com/live Want to know when we […]
Oregon’s Path to Pinot Perfection (and beyond)
By David Skinner Nearly 15 million years ago, nature exploded in a maelstrom of chaos that cast a blanket of molten rock upon the marine-rich land where a receding ocean once lay. As the newly born volcanic terrain matured, the hillsides softened and westerly flowing flood waters receded enrobing the land in nutrient-rich soil. It would take until 1965 for winemakers to begin transforming the gentle slopes of the Willamette Valley from woodlands to the now familiar landscape lined with rows of vines eager to yield some of the best quality vinifera grapes anywhere. Since then, more than a dozen […]
A Tale of Two Niagara Wineries: Ravine Wines Have Deep Roots
By Trish Kroeger As a relatively new lifestyle and travel photographer, the opportunities I’m about to embark on while visiting far away destinations and delightful wineries will undoubtedly be the envy of many wine connoisseurs. Luckily for me as a proud Canadian, I will never have to venture too far away from home to experience the thrill of visiting world class wineries and meeting passionate and inspirational people along the way. So it made perfect sense to me, with the imminent end of summer fast approaching, that I grab my camera and head off to the most picturesque place I […]
