On June 12th, about 125 people gathered for an amazing launch event for Wine Witch on Fire at Halifax the Halifax Central Library in the beautiful in the Paul O’Regan Hall. The library staff, especially Nathalie, Nina and Isaac, were incredibly helpful and professional. Our date coincided with a sold-out Shania Twain concert so we were thrilled with the turnout … though it “don’t impress me much” that Shania wouldn’t change her concert date for us ;) Menna Riley interviewed me about the book. Her grace and poise on stage made it feel like a talk show. Menna is a […]
New Vision for Beautiful Vineyards and Regenerative Viticulture with Mark Gudgel
Introduction What does regenerative viticulture mean? How do healthy vineyards today look dramatically different from those five years ago? How did the Wine Olympics make the results of the Judgement of Paris undeniable? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Mark Gudgel. 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 together so […]
The Paris Tasting that Changed the Fate of California Wines with Mark Gudgel, Author of The Rise of Napa Valley Wineries
Introduction Are you curious about the most important historic tasting that put California wines on the map? What unique challenges did pioneer winemakers face in California? What would surprise you about how the California wine industry developed? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Mark Gudgel. 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 […]
Technology Will Transform Tasting Rooms of the Future with Jessica Kogan
Introduction How can wineries use technology to better connect with customers online? What can you expect from the tasting rooms of the future? What matters most when you taste wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Jessica Kogan, a digital brand marketing executive who has successfully launched brands such as Gucci, Prada, Charles Schwab, Cameron Hughes, and now Vintage Wine Estates. 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 […]
Wine Witch on Fire Explores Wine Mom Culture on Global Morning Show
A regular for many years here on The Morning Show as our wine expert, Natalie MacLean is back but this time with her newly released memoir, Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much Welcome back, Natalie and what a way to come back with this open and honest memoir. What prompted you to write this? At first, I thought, just walk away from this dumpster fire and forget it. It was too painful to even look at my journal notes during that year. To write about it publicly would be vandalizing […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings May 27, 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 May 13th. 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 […]
How a Wine Professional Moderated Her Wine Consumption
In the excerpt below from Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation and Drinking too Much, I talk about moderating my wine consumption without going sober. I realized I wanted my evenings back. I had to tell myself that the night wouldn’t get any better or more fun with more wine. I’d just end up saying things I’d regret, fall asleep early in front of the TV, wake up in the morning gutted. I also wanted to command my own boundaries rather than worry about developing a soggy reputation with friends. She sure likes to […]
Wine and Fashion Share Aspirational Marketing and Self-Identification with Jessica Kogan of Vintage Wine Estates
Introduction How will new technology affect the way you buy and learn about wine in the future? What does it take to launch a winery into the digital space? Which aspects of the fashion industry could the wine industry benefit from emulating? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Jessica Kogan, a digital brand marketing executive who has successfully launched brands such as Gucci, Prada, Charles Schwab, Cameron Hughes, and now Vintage Wine Estates. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of […]
How Memoir Can Be Deeply Satisfying and Scary? CTV News Ottawa
While this book deals with serious issues, there’s lots of humour. How do you strike a balance between the two? Has anything really changed in the time since the events in this book took place? Can you share an example of how sexism is embedded in wine tasting notes? Throughout your memoir, you describe the slick marketing that encourages women to drink too much. Can you elaborate on this? Why include stories of women behind wine labels? Are there book launch events coming up? I’ll be doing a book launch at the Cordon Bleu in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 31st. […]
How Does Some Wine Marketing Encourage Women to Overdrink? CTV News Ottawa
What is the book about? How did you come up with the title? Who is the book dedicated to? Why write this book? Inspiration Why write this book now? Do you feel more exposed for having written this memoir? You’re a wine professional in the public eye, and you write about your own issues with drinking too much. This is a deeply personal, revealing memoir. Was it difficult to write with such openness and vulnerability? Although this isn’t a self-help book, you do share tips on how you moderated your own alcohol consumption. Share a few of those with us […]
