Introduction Why do many wineries plant roses at the end of each vine row? What does bee activity tell you about a vineyard? What does it mean for winemakers to have an “aesthetic vision”? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Sophie Menin. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Three of you will win a copy of Sophie Menin and Bob Chaplin’s terrific new book A Year In The Vineyard. How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you’ve posted […]
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 […]
5 Perfect Pairings for Wine and Ice Cream: Pistachio, Strawberry, Coffee, Butter Pecan, Rocky Road
Welcome back everybody. Today is National Ice Cream Day and we’re celebrating in an unexpected way – by pairing our favourite flavours with wine! You heard that right! Our next guest says they’re the perfect summer duo. Here to explain is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes. Welcome back, Natalie! I think a lot of people are watching this thinking huh? But pairing wine and ice cream has become a trend recently. Some people even make wine and ice cream floats! So explain for us why the two can work well together. Why drizzle […]
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 […]
Pairing Quebec and Nova Scotia Wine with Books (Video)
We’re back with more Canadian books and bottles to help you celebrate your long weekend. You can watch our previous segment with BC and Ontario books and wines here. Natalie, you’re starting with Quebec. What do you recommend? I have a zesty sparkling wine from Domaine Pelchat in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, with aromas of freshly baked bread and green apples. Domaine Pelchat Lemaître-Auger La Noce Sparkling Wine Quebec, Canada It would pair well with shellfish, spicy dishes and La Belle Bête (Mad Shadows), written by Marie-Claire Blais when she was just twenty years old. It […]
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 […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings July 6, 2024
You can access the wines that I reviewed as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each wine in your closest LCBO store. You can also see my wine reviews for June 22nd. These are just some of the benefits of supporting our wine community as a Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a day or two before the release based on the LCBO doing so. Curious about what […]
The Best Gruner Veltliner Wines: How They Taste, How to Pronounce It + Food Pairings (Video)
Ah summer, we want to hang on to it as long as we can. What better way then with wines that are best enjoyed at this time of the year, especially Austrian Gruner Veltliner, as Natalie MacLean of nataliemaclean.com discusses on CTV. You’ve picked a white wine for us today that some people may not be familiar with. Tell us about it. I have a bouquet of Gruner Veltliners from Austria for your summer sipping pleasure! Grüner means “green” and I think that’s fitting because it offers a lot of lime zest and green apple refreshment in the summer. […]
Why Wildfire Smoke Taint in Wine Intensifies as it Ages with Dr. Wes Zandberg
Introduction Should we, as consumers, be concerned about buying wines from regions which have experienced wildfires? Why does smoke taint intensify as a wine ages? How can wineries mitigate the risk of producing smoke-tainted wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with researcher Wes Zandberg. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be jumping into the comments as we watch it […]
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 […]
