6 Tips to Make You Wine Smart Quick (Video)

1. Expensive Doesn’t Mean Better: Do you need to pay a lot to get a great wine?         Ruffino Prosecco Tuscany, Italy                   Santa Margherita Brut Valdobbiadene Superiore Prosecco Veneto D.O.C.G., Italy         2. Look for Second Labels         Woodbridge Winery Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 California, United States                 Robert Mondavi Winery Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Central Coast, California, United States           3. Quick Pairing Tip: Is the Wine ​Mouth-​Watering or  […]

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Best Canada Day Wines: CTV

Marci and I chat about the winners of The Great Canadian Wine Match on CTV this morning. We focused on the winning wines that paired best with cheese, chicken, beef, seafood, pizza and dessert. You can find the complete list of Canadian wines here that were nominated. Here’s a text shopping list of more wines in stores now to celebrate July 1. Happy Canada Day! Natalie   Marci: Thousands of Canadians have spoken and out of 279 entries six Canadian wines have emerged victorious in the first ever Great Canadian Wine Match. Here this morning to unveil the winners is […]

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Video: How to Pair Wine + Quarantine Snacks

Anyone can pair a juicy steak with a Cabernet, but which wines should we drink with our favourite quarantine snacks?   On Global Television’s Morning Show, I share my insider tips: What’s the key in terms of flavour, pairing a snack and a wine? Do you want opposite flavour profiles or similar? (ie: creamy snack, creamy wine or creamy snack, acidic wine)? What’s one important thing that people tend to forget when they pick a wine/snack pairing?   Okay, let’s dive into these pairings! Which wine do you suggest pairing with pretzels and why?             […]

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Have You Tried These Niagara-on-the-Lake Wines? (Video)

What a terrific chat we had about Niagara-on-the-Lake wines, simultaneously broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube LiveStream. The YouTube version is posted above. On Facebook, we had 274 comments and another 64 reactions/shares for a grand total of 346 engagements, plus 4,600 wine lovers have watched the video so far: Niagara-on-the Lake Wine Facebook Live We had so much fun that we went live a second time on pairing food with Niagara-on-the-Lake wines both on Facebook and YouTube. Of course, the conversation continues on both posts, so feel free to comment there or below. All of these wineries are currently […]

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Canadian Icewine: Heroic Harvest = Epic Wine

On Global Television yesterday, we discussed the Canadian Icewine harvest. Here’s a sneak peak at some of the wines that we’ll be featuring, along with reports from the field.     Fun Facts: The Upside of the Deep Freeze   Our deep freeze recently turned out to be bonus for Ontario icewine winemakers. The sustained cold snap and arctic temperatures allowed them to harvest grapes in an unusually short time. Who makes the most Icewine? Ontario produces about 80% of Canadian icewine, with the remainder mostly in British Columbia though some is also made in both Quebec and Nova Scotia. About […]

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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 […]

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Pairing Wine and Tomato Dishes (Video)

In the video clip above, Jeff and I chat about pairing wine with different types of tomatoes and tomato dishes. What’s your favourite pairing?   Jeff: Stores and Farmer’s Markets are lush right now with colourful products including tomatoes of every colour ripe off the vine or cooked up in a sauce. Nothing can complement a tasty dish like a great glass of wine. And here with her picks for perfect pairing is wine expert Natalie MacLean, nice to see you. Natalie: It’s great to see you, Jeff. Jeff: Now listen, before we get to the tomato, which, to me, […]

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Shipping Wine Across Provincial Borders with Dan Paszkowski, Canadian Vintners Association

Our guest this evening is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Vintners Association (CVA), the national association of the Canadian wine industry representing wineries across Canada, responsible for more than 90% of annual wine production. He represents Canada’s national wine industry on all federal policy issues. And he joins me live now from his home in Ottawa: Welcome to the Sunday Sipper Club Dan Paszkowski!   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 Dan’s story. Want to know when […]

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Video: What’s New With Nova Scotia Wines?

Our guest this evening is a certified sommelier and instructor of culinary and tourism studies at the Nova Scotia Community College. She leads tastings of Nova Scotia wines for restaurant staff around the province as well as other educational seminars on behalf of “Taste of Nova Scotia” through the support of the Department of Agriculture. And she joins me live now from her home in the Gaspereau Valley.  Welcome Amy Savoury! Watch previous episodes of the Wednesday Wining Show (WWS)  and find out who’s coming up next.   Did you grow up with wine on the family table at dinner? […]

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Fancy Farm Girl Sue-Ann Staff Makes Down-to-Earth Wines (Video)

Our guest this evening is a fifth-generation grape grower who grew up on the largest privately-owned vineyard in Canada, the Sue Ann Staff Estate Winery. Today, she is one of Canada’s top winemakers, winning more than 500 national and international wine awards, including being twice recognized by the International Wine and Spirits Awards of London, England as one of the top four “Women in Wine” in the world . And she joins me live now from her winery: Welcome to the Sunday Sipper Club Sue-Ann Staff! What was the exact moment when you realized that you wanted to make wine? […]

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