Best Summer Wine Pairings

Global News Host Carolyn and I chatted about great summer wines yesterday to please your palate and keep your cool. Here are the wines we featured: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc Cave Spring Cellars CSV Riesling       Cave Spring Cellars Estate Bottled Cave Spring Vineyard Pinot Noir Ruffino Ducale Riserva Chianti Classico Clos du Bois Rouge Alamos Malbec McWilliams Wines JJ McWilliam Shiraz Cabernet Barefoot Zinfandel Cave Spring Cellars Indian Summer Late Harvest Riesling             Video: These Summer Wines Will Surprise Your Taste Buds Carolyn: Natalie Maclean is the editor […]

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Video: Why is Rosé One of the Fastest Growing Wine Categories?

One of the fastest growing categories in the liquor store is rosé wine. Here to tell us why and which ones we should buy is Natalie MacLean, the editor of Canada’s most popular wine review site at nataliemaclean.com – why has rosé had such a bad reputation in the past? – how are modern rosés different in terms of how they taste? – how are they different in terms of how they’re made? – you’ve brought some today: which regions should we be looking for in the liquor store? – how are Canadian rosés different from French ones? – is […]

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Pairing Wine & Creative Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Carolyn, Jeff and I chat about pairing wine and grilled cheese sandwiches for Canada Day on the national edition of Global Television’s Morning Show.   These aren’t your ordinary grilled cheese sammies: step it up on July 1 or 4, and create one of these for yourself and for your guests.     Loblaw’s Executive Chef, Mark Russell, created these terrific grilled cheese sandwich recipes. The accompaniments are part of Loblaw’s From Our Chef line.   Here are my favourite Canadian wines that I’ve tasted recently, plus wines from around the world in the spirit of international peace and diversity through food and drink!     […]

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What’s Hot in the World of Wine? Latest Trends (Video)

The hosts of CTV’s The Social and I had great fun chatting about hot, new wine trends. Have you tried any of these wines? Let me know in the comments.   What’s heating up in the world of wine this summer? What should we be thinking—and drinking—when it comes to wine? Our next guest is here with the trends to look out for this summer. Joining us now is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com.   Let’s start with the first type of wine that’s trending right now: orange wines. What […]

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Pizza Wine: Perfect Pairings for Your Pie

Liza, Jeff and I chat about pairing pizza and wine on Global TV’s Morning Show (while the cameramen and studio crew edge in ever closer to the set). Click on the arrow to watch the video above. Queen Margherita Pizzeria made these mouth-wateringly delicious pizzas fresh and hot, featuring first the classic Margherita Pizza. This pizza was named in honor of Queen Margherita, the wife of King Umberto I, in 1889, when the couple visited Naples and wanted to taste the local pie.   Queen Margherita Pizzeria’s Margherita Pizza   A chef selected patriotic toppings with the colors in the […]

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6 Spring Wines You Should Try This Season + Food Pairings

Spring has sprung and as we cast off the heavy sweaters and coats, it’s also time to lighten up our wine wardrobe. Here to share what’s in fashion with vinos this season is Natalie MacLean who offers North America’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com   So nice to see you, Natalie! Can you give us a bit of an overview of what trends we’re seeing in the wine world this spring?     · Today we’re talking about Riesling, Rosé, and Gamay! · They’re all wines meant to be consumed young, rather than aged. · They’re fresh and […]

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Biodynamic v Organic Winemaking – Southbrook’s Ann Sperling Video

In this video below with Southbrook Vineyards’ winemaker Ann Sperling, we chat about biodynamic and organic winemaking. (What’s with burying cow’s horns, witchcraft and astrology?) Also: – can you taste the difference in the wine? – why take this approach and is it difficult and expensive to do in a cool climate like Ontario?       Here are my Top 20 Organic Wines for Earth Day April 22, and year round. When Ann Sperling was a child, she had a miniature version of every farm tool—a child-sized hoe, shovel and so on so that she could help with almost […]

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Which Wine Pairs Best with Each Stage of a Relationship?

    Have you ever wondered which wines pair best with the roller coaster of romance? From first dates to final goodbyes, we’re exploring wines that match every stage of your love life.   Joining us today is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular wine review site at nataliemaclean.com.   Welcome, Natalie.   Great to be back with you! My motto for Valentine’s Day is candy is dandy and liquor is quicker – but wine is divine.   Let’s start with first dates. What wine would you recommend for those nerve-wracking initial encounters?       Lenz Moser Gruner […]

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Making Scents of Wine: How to Describe Wine’s Aromas

We had a great chat on Global Television’s Morning Show Friday about how to recognize and describe the aromas in wine.   Describing wine often has a faint whiff of condescension over a robust layer of barnyard by-product. The adjectives seem to be the fruit of over-ripe imaginations: when I hear “muscular,” “tight,” “rakish,” it’s hard to tell whether the critic is talking about wine or Brad Pitt. “Perfectly integrated” is how I’d describe my son’s multi-racial nursery school; and “legendary concentration” is what I need to figure out my income tax return. However, “opulent” is indeed a legitimate wine […]

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6 Low-Alcohol Wines That Taste Great

If you love vino but want to lower your alcohol intake, there are lots of wines out there that fit the bill. But which ones are worth giving a try? Here to recommend some of her favourite low-alcohol wines is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes. Lovely to see you, Natalie! Let’s start by explaining what is considered low alcohol in wine? • Most dry table wines are about 13% alcohol • Anything under that, I consider low alcohol and you’ll find that usually on the front or back label in tiny mice type Do low-alcohol […]

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