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. […]
How to Buy a Gift Wine (Screwcaps are Fine): CBC Fresh Air
In this chat below with CBC Fresh Air host Mary Ito, we discuss how to choose a great wine as a gift for someone depending on their taste and style preferences, or when you don’t know those details. (Hint: Try wrapping a story around the bottle.)Wine is the ultimate gift: doubles are okay, one size fits all and re-gifting is easy! We also chat about screwcaps, whether you can get a good wine under $20, underrated wines, wine and food pairing, low-alcohol wines, the differences between Ontario’s regions and some of my favourite Ontario wines, including those below. Listen by […]
Holiday Wine and Food Pairings, Active Adult Magazine
Although the holidays have passed, the wines recommended in my column for Active Adult Magazine still serve us well through these chilly winter months. Let me know if you’ve discovered a favourite wine lately that you’d add to the list. Silvano Piacentini Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2009 Veneto, Italy Full-bodied and juicy with dark red fruit; great food wine. Food matches: cocoa-rubbed beef medallions, barbecued ribs, baked pasta dish. Drink: Now 289637 $16.95 Score: 88/100. Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2010 Coonawarra, South Australia, Australia Elegant, refined and balanced like Sue herself. Classic cassis and blackberry fruit. […]
Laura Hartwig Carmenere, Caprili Brunello di Montalcino: Best Cellar Wines LCBO January 19
By Gaby Israel This is the release for the Spanish wine lovers (like me). Spain has been one of my favorite wine regions for many years now. They consistently produce great wines for the right price. You can enjoy 8-12 years old wines for $20 to $30, and their quality is absolutely stunning. Here are my top picks from this release: Choice #1 – Spain –2010 Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha, Campo de Borja (273748) – $19.95 Last time I was in Spain in 2007, I visited this region – Campo de Borja is a county in Aragon, Spain. It […]
Top 3 Wines for Bad Customer Service: More Magazine
Much as I try, I can’t get stuffy about wine. Anyone can match an expensive Bordeaux with filet mignon, but which wine do you drink when you’ve been on hold with customer service for an hour? There’s the rub. Here are my top wine picks for the most commonly terrible customer service experiences from my column in More Magazine. Got one to suggest? D’arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2007 Mclaren Vale, South Australia Big black bruiser with dark fruit, savoury bacon, dark spices and mint. Full-bodied and smooth. Big “bang” for your buck. 981183 $49.95 Score: 91/100. Rosehall […]
Brookstreet Sommelier Rene Wallis Wine Tips
Rene Wallis, sommelier at the Brookstreet Hotel’s restaurant Perspectives, in Kanata shares, his tips on choosing from a wine list, unusual food pairings and favourite holiday wines. Where did you grow up? My mother raised my older sister, Angela, and I on her own in Ottawa’s French village of Vanier, a bilingual community where everyone knew each other. Wine wasn’t on the dinner table, but my good friend’s Portuguese parents made their own wine. At his tenth birthday party, I bit into a large piece of hot pepper on the pizza, filled my glass from a large pitcher of […]
Wine and Cheese Pairing Video
In this video we pair wine with 4 types of cheese: triple cream brie, goat cheese or chèvre, apple wood-smoked cheddar and blue cheese. I’ve selected four different styles of wine, but the fun is in mixing and matching to find new combinations. You can find more cheese pairings here or in the drinks matcher.Got a favourite? Let me know. In related news, you’ll find a video on pairing wine and pizza. Carmen Reserva Chardonnay 2010, Chile The 2010 Carmen Reserva Chardonnay wins the Best Brie Wine award! It’s caramel, toffee depths are a perfect backdrop for such a […]
