Alex and I had so much fun chatting about pairing bottles with books on CTV’s morning show. What’s the first pairing you recommend? We’re starting on the west coast with The New York Times bestselling memoir, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. After Cheryl loses her mother to cancer and her own marriage is destroyed, she decides to hike the Pacific Northwest Trail, more a thousand miles, from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State alone and without any training. It’s a deeply moving story of how this young woman heals through this treacherous journey I’d pair […]
Canadian Wines
Stories Behind Family-Owned Canadian Wineries (Video)
Welcome back. The long weekend is almost here and if you’re looking for vino to sip on, our next guest has you covered with her amazing recommendations! Here to highlight some family-owned vineyards from across the country is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes. Hi Natalie! Natalie, we love getting your wonderful wine recommendations but before we get to talking about the specific vineyards you’re going to highlight today, can you tell us a bit about the wine production in Canada? • There are four major regions in Canada that produce wines made from grapes: […]
Video: A Toast to Niagara Wines for Canada Day
On CTV News, Leanne and I chat about some of the best wines from Niagara to celebrate July 1. I’ll post these wines below soon. You can watch our other wine video segment here: Prince Edward County Wines and Free My Grapes Happy Canada Day! Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Blanc de Blanc Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada Cave Spring Cellars CSV Riesling Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada Cave Spring Cellars […]
Summer Smoked Cheese Platter Recipe Paired with Shiraz, Merlot
Pool-Side Pickers Backyard pool parties are the best. But staying in the sun all day can leave you and your guests fatigued and most of all, hungry. If you find yourself hosting or invited to a backyard bash, serve something that’s always a satisfying crowd pleaser: a delicious Canadian cheese platter. Of course, when preparing the perfect platter there are questions that arise, like which cheeses should you serve and which wine pairings work best with them? That’s why I’ve compiled a list of my summer go-to’s that will satisfy the most discerning palettes. So here it is, my list […]
Video: Prince Edward County Wines and Free My Grapes
On CTV News today, Leanne and I chat about the glorious wines of Prince Edward County, as well as why it’s a great region to visit. I’ll list the wines we mentioned here soon. You can watch our second wine video segment here. We also discuss the new campaign from the Canadian Vintners Association (CVA) to encourage interprovincial trade ministers to make direct to home delivery legal, as the federal government has already passed legislation to do so via Bill C-311 six years ago. You can add your voice to this important campaign at actnow.freemygrapes.ca. Interesting Facts and Stats Canada is […]
Favourite Canadian Wines for Canada Day
Last night we talked about our favourite Canadian Wines. Click on the arrow above to watch the video. If you’d like to read the 84 comments for this discussion, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10155198241184845/ P.S. Want to know when we go live next Sunday with our next special guest? Tune in here for our Facebook Live Video Wine Tasting: www.nataliemaclean.com/live 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. You’ll find upcoming and […]
How to Buy the Perfect Summer Wine
In this episode of our wine education video series, we look at to buy a terrific summer wine, whether it’s for fresh seafood, barbecued meats or crisp salad. Also find out why you should take another look at rose wine this summer. What’s your favourite warm weather wine? Post with permission of Canadian Press (CP). So, this summer I think it is a great time to crack open a bottle of Canadian wine. Whether you’re grilling meats on the barbecue or you’re having some fresh seafood this summer, or even field green summer salads, the range of styles here […]
Wine Paired with Fast Food: CTV’s The Social Video
We had so much fun pairing wine with fast food this past Friday on The Social, CTV’s new national talk show in the video. Think “The View”, but with smarter hosts and a much stronger social media angle. Hosts Melissa Grelo, Lainey Lui, Traci Melchor and Cynthia Loyst all have impressive backgrounds with other successful shows. I’m honoured to be their new wine go-to gal on the show. Jackson-Triggs Entourage Grand Reserve Brut Sparkling Niagara Peninsula, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada You can also watch our second episode where we do a […]
Support Ontario Wineries: Buy Direct and Ship to Your Home (Video)
On CTV News, Leanne and I chat about how Ontario wineries were particularly hard hit by Covid-19, what they’re doing to pivot and how you can help support these local businesses: – Tasting rooms are closed as are major clients, restaurants in general – Most wineries didn’t have wines in the LCBO to begin with because they don’t produce enough wine to fill that channel – The majority of the 180 wineries have fewer than 20 employees – Many are turning to direct shipping You can get free shipping and other deals here: nataliemaclean.com/niagara When you buy a […]
5 Surpring Facts about Pinot Grigio + Top 10 Pinot Grigio Wines to Buy Now
Pinot Grigio is one of the fastest growing white wines in the liquor store. It has a clean, crisp, fresh nature that works well as an aperitif or as a companion to a wide range of dishes from seafood and chicken. Here are my top 10 Pinot Grigio reviews and ratings. 5 Surprising Facts about Pinot Grigio: 1. Pinot Grigio is a white variant-clone of the red grape Pinot Noir. The Italian region of Friuli produces the best Pinot Grigio in a crisp, refreshing style. Other Italian regions produce it too but it can be over-cropped and taste insipid. 2. […]
