This week on Global Television’s Morning Show, Carolyn, Jordan and I chatted about pairing wine and cheese for Thanksgiving or a celebratory meal at another time of the year. Why are you suggesting we serve our guests a little wine and cheese? Certain pairings in life indicate that the world is a good place: peanut butter and jam, chocolate syrup and ice cream, wine and cheese. The separate ingredients enhance one another: each tastes better together than it would on its own. And the good news is that wine and cheese can be enjoyed with little preparation. The […]
How a Wine Critic Chooses Wines for TV Segments
Watch this CTV News video here Many of you are familiar with our resident bon vivant Natalie MacLean who recommends great wines for us, but how does she select those wines? She talks about this in her bestselling book Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much and joins us now to give us those behind-the-scenes factors that go into her decisions. Welcome, Natalie. So you’ve been recommending wines to us for several years now. How do you choose which bottles you’ll suggest? First, I put on a blindfold, then I walk […]
Dazzling Beaujolais Food Pairings and Wild Indigenous Yeast Flavours with Natasha Hughes
Introduction Why are Beaujolais wines so versatile when it comes to food pairing? How are younger producers bringing renewed optimism to Beaujolais? What is indigenous fermentation, and how does it contribute to the complexity of Beaujolais wines? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Master of Wine and author, Natasha Hughes. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway One of you will win a copy of a terrific, new book to which Natasha Hughes is a contributor- On Burgundy: From Maddening to Marvellous in 59 Tales. How to Win To qualify, all you […]
Wine for Tax Time: Which Wines to Return To?
The deadline for taxes is coming up and that thought alone may drive you to drink. Here with her suggestions on which wines to pair with your return is Natalie MacLean, author of the new memoir, Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much. Welcome Natalie. So how do you determine which wine to pair with tax time? At this time of the year, most of us need some liquid assets. So pairing the right wine with your tax return should not be taken at face value. As well as vinous savvy, you’ll […]
How to Find the Best Organic Wines: Buying Tips
By Natalie MacLean Who makes organic wine? The number of wineries making organic wines is increasing steadily, with the result that they’re available in a far greater range of styles than ever before. Formerly, they were only the domain of small producers, but now large companies are taking an interest as a way to diversify their offerings and to improve their environmental images. Some of the producers implement some organic principles and not others, some grow organic grapes but don’t make organic wine and still others make both organic and non-organic wines. So check the labels carefully. Why don’t more […]
Discovering the Secret Side of Malbec Wine
By Priya & Alex, A Vine Romance “Come, let me show you another side of Malbec, my friend.” Winemaker Aurelio Montes Jr. spoke the lovely quote above. What distinguishes him from many of his peers is that he makes wines for consumers rather than for winemakers, because he considers himself “a consumer first and foremost.” Perhaps this is why both of us (Alex, the Sommelier and Priya the casual drinker) were able to enjoy the horizontal tasting of Kaiken wines in Toronto at Nota Bene restaurant last week. Over a lunch spanning a leisurely 3 hours (a lovely Argentinian custom we wish Canadians would […]
Which Wines Pair Best with Pretzels?
It’s National Pretzel Day today. So back with us to chat about pairings for this treat is Natalie MacLean, author of the new memoir, Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much. Welcome back Natalie. First off, what is a pretzel? In the 7th century, monks rewarded their students with baked bread in the shape of crossed arms, to symbolize prayer and the three holes representing the Holy Trinity. Pretzels were originally called “bracellae” which is Latin for “little arms,” but were renamed to “pretiola” which meant little reward. They were made from […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings March 30, 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 March 16th. These are just some of the benefits of supporting out 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 […]
The Surprising Complexity of Beaujolais with Natasha Hughes, Contributor to On Burgundy: From Maddening to Marvellous in 59 Tales
Introduction What’s behind the surprising complexity and variety of Beaujolais wines? How has Beaujolais Nouveau distorted the public perception of Beaujolais? What makes Beaujolais such a good value wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Master of Wine and author, Natasha Hughes. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway One of you will win a copy of a terrific, new book to which Natasha Hughes is a contributor- On Burgundy: From Maddening to Marvellous in 59 Tales. How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let […]
Mad for Malbec: Celebrating the Winemakers Behind the Wine
“Wine, show me the art of seeing my own history; as if it were already a handful of ashes in memory.” – Jorge Luis Borges, 1964 By Greg Hughes April 17th is International Malbec Day and in Ottawa it was celebrated at the residence of the Argentine ambassador to Canada, Her Excellency Norma Nacimbene de Dumont. The mood was cheerful for the lucky twenty individuals invited to share this special day sipping wine and eating empanadas with Her Excellency in her home. There was special cause for excitement. This was the first Malbec Day to be celebrated for half a […]
