The Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz (above), was among hundreds who gathered near Parliament Hill in Ottawa last night to celebrate Canadian cheese and wine with the terrific pairings below. It was a privilege to meet the farmers and producers across this country who create these artisanal cheeses. It proved to me, once again, just how well our own food and drink pairs together, and the incredible range of styles and flavours we create. Le Mont-Jacob Fromagerie Blackburn Jonquière, Québec The Blackburn Farm has been in the family for over 80 years. In 2006, 4 generations later, the […]
Top BC Wines in the LCBO
A number of spectacular wines from British Columbia hit LCBO store shelves recently. Several of them below hosted their own Twitter tasting. They chose the hashtag #ONtastesBC so you can join them. I’ve been reviewing these wines for several years now, and it’s interesting to track their progress to the most recent vintage. As well, you can find my Top 25 BC Wine List as well as all other wines reviewed from the province. You may find this directory of BC wineries helpful in planning your next trip there. It’s a gorgeous region with plenty of activities aside […]
Pairing Wine and Molecular Gastronomy: Steve Robinson
My story about Steve Robinson was originally published in Ottawa Magazine, the sister publication of Toronto Life Magazine. Ottawa sommeliers are proving to be among the best in the province. Steve Robinson placed second in this year’s Ontario’s Best Sommelier Competition, and was named one of the top 30 under 30 in the province’s hospitality industry by the Ontario Hostelry Institute. Robinson studied chemistry at the University of Ottawa, then completed the sommelier fast-track program at Algonquin College and finally became certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2011. The 26-year-old’s passion for science and wine pair perfectly for […]
L.A. Cetto Petite Sirah: Wine Value from Mexico
Frida and Diego, poinsettias and tequila, corn, salsa and home to many a winter vacation, these things may have you thinking of Mexico, but did you know that Mexico is also the birthplace of winemaking in the Americas? In 1597 the first winery of the New World was established in Parras – which is in Central Mexico – with vines brought from Spain. Granted, the sandy soils and scorching temperatures proved to be less than ideal for a large wine industry and soon the focus moved to more conducive climes elsewhere, but today there is still a boutique […]
Wine, Chips and Snack Pairings Video
In our second video chat below, sommelier Mike Pierce gets into some specific and fun snack food and wine pairings. There were some surprising insights (really) as I thought all snacks would go best with sweet wines … Skittles proved me wrong, though I loved the Cracker Jacks pairing best. Have you discovered an unusually great pairing? What things do you have to keep in mind for the chemically-enhanced flavors of snack food? Any wines that really don’t work with snack food? Why do more obscure and expensive wines seem to go better with junk food? You can […]
Simi Chardonnay, Jip Jip Shiraz, Megalomaniac Icewine: Best LCBO Wines Feb 2
Here are my top wine picks from the February 2 Vintages Release. You can also get all 91 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Wines for red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. I’ve also posted my picks for the February 16 Vintages Release. You can add my wine picks to your shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. You can also create a custom list just for this release that will be saved in your account. Print a text-only version of the reviews. Familia […]
Wine and Junk Food Pairing from Maverick Mike
Our guest this evening is Mike Pierce, Sommelier and Co-Owner of San Francisco’s Maverick Wine Bar and he joins me now live from San Francisco. Welcome to the Sunday Sipper Club P.S. Tune in here for our next Live Video Wine Tasting: www.nataliemaclean.com/live Click on the “Follow” and “Like” buttons on this Facebook 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. Watch previous episodes of the Sunday Sipper Club (SSC) and find out who’s coming up next. Anyone can pair filet […]
BC Wines Toast Large Twitter Tasting
BC wineries celebrated a vibrant wine tasting on Twitter last night. The positive energy and support from the wine community coast to coast poured out in tweets that came rapid-fire one after the other. A tasting event like this proves what we can build and create together using these new social media tools. Not only did we support our homegrown producers, but we showed our strength and commitment to having access to all of our wines across this country. Ontario wants more BC, BC wants more Ontario and Canada wants more Canada. We were fortunate to have @DanAlbas join us […]
Canadian wine community gets behind (and into) BC wine
Here’s a toast to the terrific team of wine reviewers who joined in a terrific wine tasting on Twitter last night. Their enthusiasm and positive energy came through in both their tweets and their reviews for these incredible BC wines (scroll down on the page for each wine to see their notes and scores): Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay 2010, BC VQA Gray Monk Gewürztraminer 2011, BC VQA Quails’ Gate Chardonnay 2011, BC VQA Eau Vivre Pinot Noir 2008, BC VQA Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2008, BC VQA Mission Hill Quatrain 2009, BC VQA I raise my glass to an […]
Sommelier Guild Honours Wine Person of the Year Dan Albas
The National Capital Sommelier Guild is delighted to honour Mr. Dan Albas, Member of Parliament for Okanagan–Coquihalla, as its 2012 Wine Person of the Year. The award was presented at the Guild’s annual gala dinner at the National Arts Center on January 19. Mr. Albas introduced and was the driving force behind Private Members Bill C-311, which passed with unanimous support of the House of Commons and Senate on June 28, 2012. The bill amended the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act and removed federal restrictions prohibiting Canadians from moving wine purchased for personal use from one province to another. […]
