Introduction What should you consider when buying wine as an investment? What’s the cold, hard truth about the Canadian wine industry? What makes for a successful wine brand launch? Are Kevin O’Leary’s wines as great as he says they are? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Kevin O’Leary, prickly merchant of the television shows Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank, as well as the founder of O’Leary Fine Wines, O’Leary Funds, and O’Leary Financial Group. You can find the wines we discussed here. Highlights What should you consider when buying wine as an investment? […]
Box Wine: Good or Grim? How to Drink Inside the Box
On CTV’s Your Morning, host Lindsey Deluce and I chatted about boxed wines. These are otherwise known as bag-in-a-box or casks, and in the past have had a nasty reputation with consumers; the Rodney Dangerfield of wine. However, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what’s in the box these days. That may be the reason that boxed wines are one of the fastest-growing categories in the wine industry, both in Canada and in the United States. In Ontario, sales represented $119 million last year in the LCBO. In 2016, the California Wine Market Council reported that three-litre boxes posted the strongest growth in […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings July 25
You can access the 119 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 July 11. 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 […]
How We Buy Wine Based on Secret Retail Triggers with Dr. Tim Dodd
*** Editor’s Note: You can get your free Ultimate Guide to Wine & Food Pairing here. *** Introduction What would surprise us about the way we buy wine? What techniques do wine retailers use to trigger impulse buys in the store? What are the biggest differences between the way men and women buy wine? Why is a direct to consumer sales model beneficial for you as a buyer? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Dr. Tim Dodd, James Young Regents Professor of Hospitality Management, and Director of the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute […]
How Did the Mega-Hit Movie Sideways Change Pinot Noir (and Merlot)?
Introduction How did the novel and movie Sideways change the wine market in North America? In the book, the character Miles is portrayed as a wine snob, but what really defines a wine snob? What do you need to know if you want to become a successful writer? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Rex Pickett, author of the mega-hit wine book and movie Sideways. You can find the wines we discussed here. Highlights How has time been a great friend to Sideways? What is it about the characters in Sideways that makes them […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings July 11
You can access the 109 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 27. 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 […]
Are Celebrity Athlete Wines Great or Gimmicks? With Dr. Antonia Mantonakis
Introduction Are wines named after a sports celebrity any good or is this just a marketing gimmick? Are more gentle sports like golf better suited to marketing a wine than the more rough and tumble world of wrestling? What does research tell us about the effect of celebrity endorsements on your wine-buying behaviour? How does your wine knowledge impact your interpretation of external cues, like celebrity endorsement, when buying wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Dr. Antonia Mantonakis, Fellow of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute and Professor of Marketing and Consumer Psychology at […]
What’s Trending in the Wine World with Darren Oleksyn
Introduction What are the hottest wine trends right now? What’s the difference between natural wine and orange wine? Are new drinks like blue wine and Pinot Freezio here to stay? How does canned wine hold up to its bottled counterparts? Why has Rosé been able to move from fad to mainstream? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Darren Oleksyn, journalist and author of Uncorked: The Definitive Guide to Alberta’s Best Wines Under $25. You can find the wines we discussed here. Highlights How can you differentiate between natural wine and orange wine? Why […]
Why You Need This New Wine Label Scanner App Now (Video)
On CTV Morning Live, Stefan and I chat about how this new wine label scanner app helps you in the liquor store … … from getting instant access to wine ratings and food pairings to tracking your favourites in your virtual cellar. You can get the free app now before you go to the liquor store. Apple has just selected the app as one of the best Food & Drinks apps in the category of Wine & Cocktails … yay! Wines Featured on CTV Morning Live Colio Estate Wines Lily Sparkling […]
Risky Business: Breaking the Rules of Wine & Food Pairing
By Rebecca Meïr-Liebman of Chef & Somm I’m not a follower of hard and fast rules. Charts and wheels are fun, but the best experiences I’ve had have been when I broke the rules. Applying the rules to wine and food pairing will deliver a decent experience, but for an exceptional pairing, it’s all about risks. Most charts insist that Cabernet Sauvignon is the wine for beef. But is it really? Always? But charts don’t reflect our actual dining habits. Most guides list a single ingredient – chicken, beef, duck, etc. – but how often is there just one ingredient […]
