In the video below, New York Chocolate Sommelier Roxanne Browning chat about the difference between great chocolate and candy, pairing it with wine, Fair Trade and serving tips. Roxanne’s life-long search for the “ultimate bar led her down to the Ecuadorian Amazon rain forest where she helped with the cacao harvest. Here’s part two of our wine and chocolate conversation. Masi Costasera Amarone Classico, Veneto, Italy A full-bodied and richly flavoured red with aromas of black cherry liqueur, cigar box and dark spices. Hedonistic and satisfying. Food matches: dark chocolate, hearty meat dishes. […]
1 on 1 Interview
Creating a Persuasive Brand of Wine: Arlene Dickinson Part 2
We’re back with Arlene Dickinson in this video chat below, one of Canada’s top entrepreneurs who has had phenomenal success in many fields, from television to books; consultancy to consumer products. We’re going about her wine Persuasion. Let’s start with your own experience with wine: Was wine on the family table when you were growing up? First time drinking wine? How did you acquire a taste for good wine? Do women buy wine differently from men? Women buy 80% of wine as the household purchasers of most consumer goods, the social organizers and dinner planners. Is their approach […]
Restaurant Wine Service: the Good, the Bad and the Gross
In part two of our video chat below, Scott shares his most memorable wine experiences in restaurants, including a hilarious story about the worst one (watch him in the small screen with the bottle when he explains what the waiter did) The International Culinary Center Bastianich Adriactico Friulano A floral white with mouth-watering acidity and a pleasantly dry, bitter and refreshing finish. Drink 2012 – 2014 277467 13% XD 750 ml $18.95 Score: 87/100 You may also enjoy these video chats: Master Sommelier Video: What it Takes to be a Restaurant Wine Expert […]
Master Sommelier Video: What it Takes to be a Restaurant Wine Expert
In the video below, Scott Carney, Director of Wine Education at the International Culinary Center, shares his insights on the education and training required to become a Master Sommelier. As well: How is the Master Sommelier different from the Master of Wine? What makes your approach to teaching wine different from other schools? Why is it important for chefs to know about wine if they’re not going to be sommeliers? What are the three most important traits of an excellent sommelier? What trends and changes are you seeing in the sommelier field? We’ll post part two of our conversation in […]
Video Part 2: Santa Margherita Walks the Talk with HIV/AIDS Community
In part two of our video chat below, Bruno talks about why Santa Margherita selected the AIDS Walk for Life among many charities to support and how the winery contributes beyond simply writing a cheque. You can also watch part one of our conversation. Santa Margherita Impronta del Fondatore Pinot Grigio Santa Margherita Brut Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Find Santa Margherita Wines here on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. You may also enjoy these video chats: Tasting Pinot Noir, Tips for Writers […]
Video: Winery Backs AIDS Walk for Life: Living Well; Doing Good
As many as 68,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. One third of them don’t even know it. To date, there is no cure and no vaccine to prevent new infections. This topic may sound completely unrelated to wine, but it’s not. In the video below, we talk to Bruno Zaratin from the Italian winery Santa Margherita, which been a major supporter of the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life that happens across the country every September for the past six years. What is Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life? Santa Margherita goes well beyond writing a cheque: […]
Video: Wine Industry Must Adapt or Face Digital Darwinism Part 2
The flood of e-mails, tweets and Facebook requests to post this second part of this video conversation below with Paul Mabray of Vintank on the wine industry and Digital Darwinism is heartening. Sometimes, you think you’re just talking to yourself … but when Paul Mabray is part of the conversation, people listen. Didn’t catch Part One of this conversation about wine and social media? Pull up a comfy chair, top that glass up and let it play. Here’s Paul’s presentation: Wine + Digital Here are the Robert Mondavi wines that we tasted: […]
Wine Marketing Brand Launch: Henry of Pelham Sibling Rivalry
In the video below, Daniel Speck shares a behind-the-scenes look at the incredibly successful launch of the wine brand Sibling Rivalry. How can you use consumer package goods marketing to such a fragmented, quirky and artisanal category like wine? In 1984, many people thought that the Speck family in Niagara was crazy when they ripped out their Concord grapes at their own expense and instead planted Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, they’re considered prescient for having been one of the first wineries in the region to make the leap to premium grapes and wine. Three […]
Tasting Pinot Noir, Tips for Writers Wine and Otherwise with Sideways Author
We continue our conversation with the author of the mega-hit wine book and movie Sideways, Rex Pickett, in the video below. Rex shares tips for aspiring writers who want to get published and we taste the famous Hitching Post Pinot Noir from the movie together. You’ll find part one of our conversion on the Sideways Wine Book and Movie here. You may also enjoy these video chats: Biodynamic and organic wines: do they taste better? Healthier? We chat with winemaker Ann Sperling, Southbrook Vineyards Social Media & Wine: Part 1 of Vintank’s Paul Mabray […]
Sideways Wine Book and Movie: Pinot Noir, Rex Pickett and Yes Merlot
In this exclusive video interview below with Rex Pickett, author of the mega-hit wine book Sideways that was made into an Oscar-award-winning movie, we chat about his journey to publishing the book, how he learned about wine and why he loves pinot noir (not f****** merlot, as his character Miles would shout). Sideways is more than just a buddy road trip through California wine country with Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church. It touches on themes of love, friendship, career disappointment, loyalty, loss and of course, pinot noir. But before the movie, there was the book. A bestseller, Sideways […]
