In the video above, we discuss the best wines of fall food pairings from around the world on the Business News Network (BNN). You don’t have to pay a lot to get great value in your glass these days. Click on the arrow above to play the video and find out which wines over-deliver on their price point. Pamela: As the season changes your wine list should change too. We could all use some tips on picking a good bottle of wine, with great value. I caught up with Natalie MacLean who is a wine writer and also author of […]
Cabernet Sauvignon
Best Kosher Wines + What’s the Difference with Regular Non-Kosher Wines? (Video)
On CTV News, we discuss what makes a wine kosher, how these wines are different from non-kosher wines, and what modern kosher wines taste like. Two of the most important Jewish holidays take place this month, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Both are celebrated with kosher wine, which traditionally was viewed as sweet and characterless. However, our wine expert says that’s no longer true. Here with her kosher tips and sips is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com. Let’s start with what is kosher wine and how is it different from non-kosher […]
8 Best California Wines to Drink Now
A new crop of Californian wines are hitting liquor store shelves this month. Here to tell us about which ones we should look for is Natalie MacLean, who offers North America’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com. Give us an overview of California wine, Natalie. California wine country is vast, stretching from the Oregon border in the north, down to Mexico in the south: wine grapes grown in 49 of California’s 58 counties. California accounts for more than 80%of U.S. wine production and is the fourth leading wine producer in the world. That said, many wineries are […]
Easy Entertaining with Wine and Cheese (Video)
In the second segment, Leanne and I talk about chat about what makes wine and cheese pop on a plate visually, and how to mix textures, tastes and flavours. You can watch our first video segment on wine and cheese pairing here. Pasqua Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie Veneto DOC, Italy Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand Miguel Torres Chile Las Mulas Sauvignon Blanc Central Valley, Chile […]
Celebrity Wines from Brad Pitt, Pink, Sarah Jessica Parker, Francis Ford Coppola
Today we’re chatting about wines owned by celebrities. Are the wines any good or is this just a marketing gimmick? Here to give us the inside scoop is Natalie MacLean who offers North America’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome Natalie. So let’s start off with why celebrities would want to own a winery? Owning a sports team or restaurant is just so 2021. These days, if you really want to show some class, you need to own a winery. There’s no better photo opp than one with you getting dirty pruning […]
Best Barbecue Wines: Pairing Wine with Your Grilled Grub (Video)
Now that we’re officially into barbecue season, you may think of having beer with your grilled grub, but wine can also work. Whether you love BBQ seafood, veggies, chicken or beef, there’s a wine for that. Here with her tips for you is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com/class. Welcome Natalie! Let’s start with lighter fare like grilled veggies and seafood. Which wines work well with those? Loimer Grüner Veltliner Kamptal D.A.C., Austria Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling […]
7 Best Wine and Book Pairings: What to Drink While You Read (Video)
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 […]
The Best Online Wine Tasting & Pairing Classes (Video)
As the kids head back to school, let’s chat about how the adults have changed the way they learn about wine, especially with online courses. It’s a virtual world of wine learning at your fingertips. Yesterday, I chatted with Nicole Dube on CTV’s Morning Live show. First, tell us why online wine courses have become so popular? Online courses offer the best of both worlds: they’re accessible to everyone no matter where you live, they’re more comprehensive than a one-off class, but not as technical and time-consuming as college courses. Plus, there’s no drinking, then driving home, […]
9 Best Napa Valley Wines to Drink Now
On CTV news, Leanne and I chat about terrific Napa Valley wines at the LCBO. You can watch our first chat about California wines on CTV News here. We’re narrowing our focus on Napa Valley wines in this segment. Tell us about this region. What would surprise us about Napa Valley? It’s the most famous wine growing region in the U.S. but it’s actually tiny, producing just 4% of Californian wine and only 0.4% of the world’s wine production. The valley floor is just 30 miles long and just 5 miles at its widest point. […]
California Wines: Grapes, Styles, Regions and What to Buy
On CTV News, Leanne and I chat about why Californian wines are among the most popular at the liquor store. You can also watch our second chat about Napa Valley wines here. How the wildfires impacted California wineries? Thankfully, 2021 is a “drama free harvest.” It’s small but mighty, as drought is the defining feature in Napa and Sonoma, as it was the third-driest year in more than a century, and the stress has meant fewer grapes. But drought also causes smaller grapes with more concentrated flavor and tannins. People talk about intense aromas and depth, […]
