Click the arrow above to play the video Most of my topics on the TV morning shows are about enjoying wine with family and friends. However, recently I’ve started speaking out on the 6 pm newscasts, like this one from CTV, about the taxes levied on the Canadian wine industry. They’re higher than any other wine-producing country. This issue deserves your attention given its impact on the future of our wineries. I encourage you to contact your Member of Parliament (email addresses are noted with each member’s name). CTV News at 6 pm: The latest excise tax increase on […]
The Secret to Sauvignon Blanc Wine? (Video)
Leanne and I had great fun chatting about Sauvignon Blanc on CTV as a lead up to Sauvignon Blanc Day May 4. You can watch the video segment above by clicking on the arrow. You can also watch our second wine video. Santa Rita Reserva Sauvignon Blanc Casablanca Valley, Chile Sacred Hill Wine Company Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand Henry of Pelham […]
Splendid Vin Jaune, Jura Wine’s Wild Variety and Mysterious Grapes of the French Alps with Wink Lorch
Introduction What makes Vin Jaune from France’s Jura region so special? What can you discover about the diversity of wine coming out of Jura and the French Alps? What are some insider tips for planning a journey to the French Alps? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Wink Lorch. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway One of you will win a copy of Wink Lorch’s terrific book about the wines of Jura and the French Alps. How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and […]
The Best Gamay Wines to Buy Now + Food Pairings (Video)
Now let’s chat about a summer red wine. What is the Gamay grape and why has it had a less-than-stellar reputation in the past? Gamay, the grape most famously associated with Beaujolais, has suffered the same reputation as it’s parent wine: the Rodney Dangerfield of wine. It often gets no respect. It’s been stigmatized as cheap and cheerful, with a banana bubble-gum flavour, mostly due to Beaujolais Nouveau, which is released on the third Thursday of November each year, only weeks after the harvest. That’s an ingenious cash flow concept for winemakers rather than tying up the wine in barrels […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings April 13, 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 30th. 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 […]
Pairing Bestselling Books With Best-Cellaring Wines
We’re back with Natalie MacLean. You can watch our first segment on book and bottle pairings here. This time we’re going outside the wine category of books with these pairings. What do you have for us first? We’re starting with one of my favorite authors, Candace Bushnell, who wrote this book, Is There Still Sex and the City? a fantastic follow-up to her blockbuster hit, TV series, several movies and now a theatrical production. I’d pair this book with this Rosé sparkling wine from La Marca because it’s just fabulous, as the four women in the […]
4 Blockbuster Books and Bottles to Celebrate World Book Day
World Book Day is April 23rd, and you might like to toast your love of reading with a great book and bottle pairing. Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean, who is the author of the upcoming memoir Wine Witch on Fire. Welcome Natalie. What do you recommend first? I have Mary Soderstrom’s book, Against the Seas, which is about what we can learn about coping with rising sea levels from ancient times. As glaciers melt within a few decades due to climate change, sea levels around the world may rise and coastal cities could be […]
Wines of Jura and the French Alps with Wink Lorch: From Ski Resorts to Worldwide Sensation
Introduction What is it about wines from the French Alps and Jura that makes them so different from any other wine region in the world? How has climate change impacted wines in the region? How did their perception as “ski resort wines” negatively impact Jura and Savoie wineries? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Wink Lorch. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway One of you will win a copy of Wink Lorch’s terrific book about the wines of Jura and the French Alps. How to Win To qualify, all […]
How are Organic, Biodynamic, Sustainable, Vegan and Vegetarian Wines Different?
With April being Earth Month, it’s the perfect time to get a lesson in environmentally-conscious wines. Today we’re raising a glass to Mother Nature with Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes. Welcome, Natalie! There are several ways that wine can be made in a more environmentally-conscious way. We’re going to focus on a few of them today, starting with vegan and vegetarian wine. Natalie, this is blowing my mind because I assumed all wine was vegan! What makes wine not vegan-friendly? · It’s all in the clarifying—the removal of the particles which create cloudiness. · Fining […]
Wine and Lamb, Brisket, Asparagus, Chocolate – Readers Digest Magazine
I imagined all those thirsty readers in doctors’ and dentists’ offices when I wrote my first column for Readers Digest Magazine in April. I hoped that by thinking about wine as they waited for a root canal or a vaccine they would be a little distracted with thoughts of a mouth-watering wine for lamb or brisket. I love the approach of this magazine: practical, short sips of info you can use now. I guess that’s why it has more than 7 million readers. They’ll drink to that! […]
