Click on the arrow above to play the video. What a wonderful evening at the Ottawa Wine Writers Festival! After a tongue-in-cheek tasting of two top-notch wines from KIN Vineyards (that starts at 5 minutes and 30 seconds into the video), I spoke with the author Julie S Lalonde about the behind-the-scenes stories about those who make, market and write about wine. You can also previous book events in Halifax, Closson Chase Vineyards (Prince Edward County), KIN Vineyards, Le Cordon Bleu, Clio Club and Toronto Word on the Street Festival. You can see media coverage here for the book. Julie […]
How to Spot a Fake Wine and Defining Wine Authenticity with Rebecca Gibb
Introduction How can you avoid buying a fraudulent bottle? What makes a wine truly authentic? How did Rudy Kurniawan get so far in his fraudulent schemes and why did it ultimately unravel? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Rebecca Gibb, author of Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud. 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 […]
Magic Among the Vines at Closson Chase Vineyards in Prince Edward County
Video: Closson Chase Vineyards I love the Witch song in the video above ;) What a spectacular evening at Closson Chase Vineyard in Prince Edward County! Our host was Sonja Smits, the owner and award-winning actor whom you may recall from the terrific TV show Street Legal. Signe Langford, columnist for the Toronto Star, interviewed me about the issues in the book, as we sat among the vines and setting sun. Then we had a lively Q&A discussion with the 90 people attending the event followed by a book signing. Magical! Cheers, Natalie Photo: Kirstyn Mayers Photo: […]
Pairing Wine and Halloween Candy: The Monster Match
Buzz Lightyear and the Wine Witch chat about great wine pairings with Halloween treats on Breakfast Television. Dina: Just call Natalie MacLean for pairing wine and Halloween treats, she’s an online sommelier and what a brilliant idea. Great to see you all festive Natalie. Natalie: Great to see you Dina. Dina: Or as well you are at the door trick-or-treating, the kids are at the door you thinking ‘what’s in it for me?’ We tend to dip into the kids snacks, well I do anyways- Natalie: Yes! Dina: A lot of parents do. Natalie: You bet. Dina: So you are […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings October 21, 2023
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 October 7th. 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 […]
Wine Crime & Con Artists with Rebecca Gibb, Author of Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud
Introduction Are you curious about the greatest con artists in the world of wine? What creative but illegal ingredients have been added to wine to cut costs and boost profits? What is it about tales of crime and greed that draw us in? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Rebecca Gibb, author of Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud. 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, […]
How Are Wine Supertasters Different from Regular Tasters?
Watch the CHCH Morning Live video here In her new book Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much, Natalie MacLean talks about being a supertaster. The book has just become a national bestseller and she’s here to tell us more about supertasters. Welcome Natalie. So what is a supertaster and why are women more likely to be one? Dr. Linda Bartoshuk, at Yale University School of Medicine, discovered the supertaster phenomenon in 1999. Women are more than twice as likely as men to be supertasters. Women have more fungiform papillae, the […]
New Australian Wines & Regions + Grenache’s Resurgence with Jane Lopes, Author of How to Drink Australian
Introduction Are you curious about new Australian wine styles and regions? Why is Grenache experiencing a resurgence in Australia right now? What was the most devastating part of several Court of Master Sommelier scandals? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with sommelier and author Jane Lopes. 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 […]
11 Best Wines to Pair with Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner
No other holiday celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving. But which wines to pair with turkey and all the side dishes? Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com What’s your top tip when it comes to pairing wine with Thanksgiving dinner? Wine is a taste of the harvest along with all the delicious dishes on the table. But actually choosing a bottle can feel like a thankless task, especially with so many flavors to match from sweet creamed corn to more bitter greens and veggies, plus […]
Wines for Thanksgiving: From Cranberry Sauce to Turducken
As the regular wine expert for 20 CBC drive-home shows from coast to coast, I loved chatting with each of the hosts about great wines for Thanksgiving! It’s a cross-country marathon, but lots of fun! You can see a list of the shows at the end of this post. No other holiday celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving. But which wines to pair with turkey and all the side dishes? Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean, author of the national bestseller Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much. Welcome Natalie Great […]
