Pursuing wealth has its obvious rewards, but making money is much easier when you’re doing something you love. Starting a business requires plenty of time and energy, and as such it should be something that is worth trading your life to undertake. Follow your passion, experts say, and you’ll succeed. This aphorism certainly applies to Natalie MacLean, many times over. The accredited sommelier, wine journalist and author of Red, White, and Drunk All Over got her business start early — she opened a dance school in her Nova Scotia basement when she was 15. She photocopied handmade notices and took […]
Food & Wine 14
The Editor’s Pick Look for a perfect pair with sommelier Natalie MacLean’s online Wine and Food Matcher (www.nataliemaclean.com/matcher). Select a food from the expansive list and receive both red and wine wine recommendations. Or choose the wine variety and you’ll get a long list of food suggestions.
Eggs & Wine
The morning had been spent stomping through some of Bordeaux’s most storied vineyards in a cold Atlantic wind, and now lunch was being served at Chateau Palmer. The cozy first course was a deceptively simple one: eggs baked in a ramekin with red wine, bacon and onions. We all dug in, using tablespoons and sturdy strips of toast, as the last of the springtime chill seemed to melt away. And, of course, there was a wine to help warm us, 1994 Chateau Palmer. Drinking a $120 bottle of red wine with eggs was an epiphany. It seemed odd and excitingly […]
Food & Viognier
I like to pair wine with foods. I also like simplicity. There are dozens of food types and styles that will go with most wines. I am however not a food critic. It would be very unfair of me to give my thoughts on someones hard work and creativity in the kitchen unless I am entitled to do so! The web (blogs especially), magazines and, I must admit, even the daily broadsheets, have endless examples of self made critics. There is nothing wrong with having a view and expressing it. There is a subtle difference between that and being a […]
Wine & Life
What goes with death row? How about a silky, fleshy pinot noir from Burgundy? Natalie MacLean can do half of the food and drink thing (see Question No. 7) and has to keep fending off the FedEx guy, who often hints he would like to come in (No. 18). Sommelier and wine writer Natalie MacLean got her start with half a bottle of syrupy sparkling wine behind the shed at a high school dance. Perhaps there’s hope yet for us all. 1. What comment most often appeared on your report cards? “Enjoys writing stories.” I also couldn’t resist a good […]
Food & Wine 13
Students can enjoy wine at mealtimes without having to shell out big bucks, said Natalie MacLean, an accredited sommelier and author of Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. “Wine is an ideal way to dress up all sorts of dishes that are fairly straightforward,” she said. “It’s like putting rhinestones on jeans.” MacLean said students should look for wines that are undervalued and underpriced, such as wines from Chile, Argentina and South Africa. She suggested trying popcorn with Chilean chardonnay, nachos with California Zinfandel, potato chips with French Champagne, pizza with Italian Chianti […]
Vegetables & Wine 3
You have the color-coded cheat sheet memorized: red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat. But what do you drink when your meal is sans meat altogether? Though the Vegetarian Resource Group reports that only an estimated 2 to 3 percent of Americans are strictly vegetarian, another 30 to 40 percent are flexitarian, eating a veggie meal or two each week. Meat-free meals do have their advantages. For one, they’re healthful. The American Dietetic Association says diets that include a variety of vegetarian foods tend to result in lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, type […]
Food & Wine 12
Natalie MacLean is a productive wine writer who also has an active life on the internet. She has just launched a new wine and food matching “widget” for social media. What does this mean? Well, it’s a small piece of code that one can use if one has a blog or a web page. By putting the code on one’s page, one gets a little frame on the page with a food and wine matching tool to help you match the best wine with food. You can discover many things with the widget, sometimes quite amusing. For example, that if […]
Food & Wine 11
I’m not much of a wine connoisseur I’m afraid. Never have been. It’s simply that I haven’t found a wine that I enjoy the taste of, so when it comes to alcoholic drinks I tend to stick to beer. I enjoy most beer brands on the market today and am not overly fussy about which one I drink, but if given the choice I like to keep it real (and not drink pink drinks!). Anyway, my point is that when it comes to wine I couldn’t tell the difference between a Chardonnay and a Chihuahua. I don’t have a clue […]
Food & Wine 10
We are just a week away from St. Patrick’s Day – a time for merriment. And a time when many folks like to celebrate by serving a great meal to their friends and family. But pairing just the right wine and food can be tricky. I discovered a great tool that can help you pick the perfect wine to match with your food choice. You can try it out right here! Just start by clicking on the Food or Wine option….and have fun discovering which match will motivate them to do that Irish jig! This Wine and Food Matcher comes […]
