Which wines are most popular these days? How do you choose a great wine from a restaurant wine list? Who has all the answers? Sommeliers. They’re the ones on the front lines and they see how our wine community is changing before we do. For my column in this month’s Ottawa Magazine, the sister publication of Toronto Life, I asked five of Ottawa’s best sommeliers their opinions on various vinous issues, as well as for some insider tips on pairing wine with food and selecting great wines from their lists. Here’s what they said … Grayson McDiarmid Play […]
Easter Means Fine Cheese is in Bloom
Holidays and baking go together like, well, wine and cheese. The trick with Easter baking is to find new ideas to entice a crowd looking for a change from chocolate bunnies. Adding a bit of your favourite fine cheese to Easter brunch is a great way to please your guests, and this year why not add to the enticement by exploring some new varieties of fine Canadian cheese. The delicate taste and texture of bloomy-rind soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert suggest refinement with just enough decadence. And we’ve got the perfect recipe to showcase them. BLUEBERRY, LEMON AND […]
Globe & Mail says this wine app is the “clear winner”
We were thrilled to read the Globe & Mail’s analysis of wine apps in today’s paper! With thousands of apps to choose from, and new ones added daily, it’s incredible to just be reviewed these days let alone be picked as the clear winner. Our team intends to keep improving the app and adding new features based on our customers’ feedback. In a sense, this is already a crowd-sourced app with so many great ideas from wine and food lovers built into it based on their suggestions. We’ll be making some exciting announcements in the next few weeks, so […]
New Wine Reviews
Number of Wines Recommended: 51 Review date: April 3, 2010 The highlights in this Vintages release include: – 14 wines under $20 – Best value white: A zesty Italian Pinot Grigio for salads, chicken $12.95 – Favourite white: A buttery, balanced Niagara Chardonnay for roast chicken and corn dishes 90/100 – Best value red (tied): A black plum-rich Chilean CarArgentina red for lamb, sausage, hamburgers $13.95 – Best value red (tied): The ultimate tasty red party wine from Spain $13.95 – Favorite red: A top-notch California Cabernet for steak, brisket, lamb 92/100 – Best Value Dessert Wine: Apricot […]
Wine Show Know-How
It’s that time of year again – no, not spring – wine show season! OK, it is spring too, but we’re here to talk wine. Wine shows can be overwhelming – so much great wine – so little time. That’s why it’s important to have a plan of action. Now your plan should just be a plan – it isn’t carved in stone, but really more like a place to start. First – and this is a difficult realization – you must realize you will not be able to try every wine in the room. Even if you spit […]
New Wine Reviews
Number of Wines Recommended: 53 Review date: March 20, 2010 The highlights in this Vintages release include: – 19 wines under $20 – Best value white: Lime-fresh German Riesling for pork and shellfish $13.95 – Favourite white: A spectacular Niagara Chardonnay for cornish hen, lobster in butter 94/100 – Best value red (tied): Australian Shiraz with fleshy plums for prime rib and hamburgers $14.95 – Best value red (tied): Italian Primitivo (Zinfandel) with blackberry goodness and robust supple layers for pepperoni pizza $12.95 – Favourite red: Drop-dead Tuscan beauty with a finish that won’t stop 96/100 – Best Value Rosé: […]
The Holy Grail of Wine Apps: Scan & Ye Shall Find? Nope.
Ever since I launched my first wine mobile app last year, my readers have asked me if their smartphones could scan a bar code or label and voila, there’s all the information on the wine? It’s a lovely fantasy that both wine lovers and wine app developers share (what we used to call vapour-ware in the high-tech biz mostly used for demo and PR purposes). It’s just not a reality. However, I owe my readers a quick overview of the options, especially with the launch of my new mobile app a few weeks ago. As a double geek (wine and […]
South Africa’s Stellar Wines
Just back from a fantastic trip to South Africa, where I visited wineries in many of the major regions, including Stellenbosch, Hermanus, Robertson, Franschhoek, Durbanville and Paarl. I’ll be be posting my reviews of the wines I tasted over the next week or two. But in the meantime, here’s the complete list of the 44 wineries I visited/met with during my trip. Got a favourite South African wine? Amani Vineyards Boekenhoutskloof Bon Cap Boschendal Wines De Toren Delheim Bellingham Boschendal Bouchard Finlayson Creation Wines Durbanville Hills Fairview Flagstone Goats do Roam Graham Beck Hamilton Russell Vineyards Haut Espoir Kanonkop Estate […]
Uncorked Movie Premiere March 6
I’m excited to team up with Hallmark for the premiere of the movie Uncorked March 6. I’ll be tweeting wine tips daily via @HallmarkChannel on Twitter and you can find these posted at the Uncorked Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/hallmarkchannel?v=app_11007063052 The movie is the story of a no-nonsense businesswoman (played by Julie Benz) who heads to a conference with the intention of sealing a huge deal, but ends up being given a view of a different way of life when she meets a famous chef and his family. Scott Elrod plays the character Andrew, and Elliott Gould and JoBeth Williams are Paul […]
Twitter Trend Chart
Just discovered a nifty Twitter trend chart on the web called TwitterCounter above and plugged in my Twitter handle @NatalieMacLean. It tracks the growth and trends of your tweets and followers over time. You can do comparisons as well if you’re curious. (Don’t try Ashton Kutcher: your growth line will be crushed.) I can’t believe how many tools and add-ons there are for Twitter these days: It’s a testamount to social media’s growing influence, and Twitter in particular. I’ve been on Twitter now for just over a year and I love that I’ve found almost 8,000 new friends. And this […]
