Carolyn, Jeff and I chat about pairing wine and grilled cheese sandwiches for Canada Day on the national edition of Global Television’s Morning Show. These aren’t your ordinary grilled cheese sammies: step it up on July 1 or 4, and create one of these for yourself and for your guests. Loblaw’s Executive Chef, Mark Russell, created these terrific grilled cheese sandwich recipes. The accompaniments are part of Loblaw’s From Our Chef line. Here are my favourite Canadian wines that I’ve tasted recently, plus wines from around the world in the spirit of international peace and diversity through food and drink! […]
Barbecue Wines for Father’s Day: Best Bottles for Grilled Grub
On CTV’s The Social, we chat about great wines for BBQ fare on Father’s Day. Nat, some dads are just not wine guys, they’re more beer guys. But are you saying these selections you’ve brought today can change that? It’s mostly a perception that wine is for fancier occasions than beer, but that’s just not true. Anytime you think of having a beer, you can probably substitute it with a bubbly. I’m not talking Champagne, but value-priced sparkling wines from other regions. They’re both frothy and fun, like our first wine here. Great segue! Tell us about the first […]
What Do Wild Orchids Reveal About the Health of a Vineyard and How Does Preschool Turn France Into a Nation of Gourmets?
Introduction How does biodynamic farming transform a vineyard into a thriving, interconnected ecosystem? What do wild orchids reveal about the health of a vineyard? How do France’s preschool lunches help to create a nation of gourmets? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Caro Feely, author of the terrific memoir Grape Expectations: A Family’s Vineyard Adventure in France. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of her terrific book, Grape Adventures. How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and […]
Wine and Egg Pairing: Does it Work?
This story by Shawna Wagman originally appeared on Ottawa Magazine. Eggs are not an ideal mate for wine but mimosas do the trick. For MacLean, eggs are a stomach-filler needed for drinking. The Eater: Natalie MacLean is Canada’s best-known wine writer and self-styled “wine cheapskate”. She is the author of Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines, which was recently awarded a Taste Canada food writing award for the best English-language culinary narrative. The Place: I learned my lesson dining out with MacLean a few months ago at Brothers Beer Bistro; for her food is an […]
How to Pair Wine with Any Hamburger (Video)
On Global Television’s Morning Show Thursday, we paired wine with many types of hamburgers. Nothing says summer like a juicy two-fisted burger and beer – it’s casual and a good pairing. But what if you want wine with your patti? Wine is also a great pairing, but we think it’s too fancy for the backyard and burgs. However it’s not, and it has a wide range of flavours and styles for the imaginative burgers we have here today. The Daniel – Vegan Patty Grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, crushed hot peppers, spicy vegan sauce. In the beginning, Shant […]
What Are 4 Ways That Winemakers Die in Wineries and Why Is It So Dangerous? Caro Feely, Author of Grape Expectations, Has Answers
Introduction What makes vine growing and winemaking so physically demanding? What are the hidden dangers of winemaking that most wine lovers never hear about? Why are some winemakers choosing to label their wines as Vin de France rather than follow strict appellation rules? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Caro Feely, author of the terrific memoir Grape Expectations: A Family’s Vineyard Adventure in France. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of her terrific book, Grape Expectations: A Family’s Vineyard Adventure in France. […]
What’s Hot in the World of Wine? Latest Trends (Video)
The hosts of CTV’s The Social and I had great fun chatting about hot, new wine trends. Have you tried any of these wines? Let me know in the comments. What’s heating up in the world of wine this summer? What should we be thinking—and drinking—when it comes to wine? Our next guest is here with the trends to look out for this summer. Joining us now is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com. Let’s start with the first type of wine that’s trending right now: orange wines. What […]
Which Wines and Cocktails Deserve the Crown This Weekend?
The Victoria Day long weekend is just around the corner. Whether you’re firing up the grill or lounging on a dock, we’ve got drinks to match the mood and the food. Here to help us is Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest wine review site at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie. Great to be back with you! I love Victoria Day. We get to celebrate a queen and the official start of patio season. So I’m here for both the crowns and the corks. Let’s start on a refreshing note. What’s a great white wine to serve […]
Austrian Wine and Food Pairing: Wiener Schnitzel Recipe
This post is sponsored and written by the Wines of Austria When you think of Austrian cuisine, you need to think bigger than the Austria we know today. Austrian cuisine, or Viennese cuisine, as it’s known throughout the country, is a mixture of all the culinary traditions of the many “Crown Lands” of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. Recipes flowed in to the imperial kitchens from all the Empire’s peoples, and from there they made their way to dukes’ castles and eventually to middle-class tables. The 19th century saw a vast increase in the variety of household cookbooks, with Austrians […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings: May 24, 2025
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 10th These are just some of the benefits of supporting our 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 […]
