Chateau Cardbordeaux: Is All Boxed Wine Bad?

January 14, 2015March 11, 2015 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

What you want: A holiday get-together with friends over a cheering glass of wine. What you don’t want: A budget deeper in the red than an old vine zin. The answer may be in the box. Once the runt of the wine world, boxed wines have come a long way, says Natalie MacLean, author of the Internet wine newsletter Nat Decants. “Get over your hang-ups about boxed wine being plonk. It’s a great way to go with a large party,” she says. Today’s boxed wines are mostly sold in 3-liter containers, the equivalent of four bottles. And while the quality’s […]

Wine Tasting Club Checklist

October 15, 2014November 5, 2014 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

Continued from How to Host a Wine Tasting Here’s a checklist for how to host a wine tasting or start a regular wine tasting club. 1. One Month Before the Tasting Decide who you want to invite Your tasting club could be for your existing friends, or a means to get to know new friends via work or other venues, or a mix. Invite six to twelve guests. These days, trying to find an unscheduled evening with six to twelve busy people is a challenge so you may need to give your group even more lead time than a month. […]

Sommelier to Restaurant Owner: Steve Beckta Keeps the Fire

September 21, 2014September 26, 2014 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

Continued from Part 6: Steve Beckta Restaurant When I step back through the wall of heat into the kitchen, Quinn is telling Vardy: “They loved the béarnaise—they ordered the steak just for the sauce. But they thought the steak itself was a little salty.” “Tell ‘em to go to hell,” says Vardy smiling. In fact, Vardy and all the staff take customer feedback seriously. They’ve adapted a number of dishes because of such comments, and made other changes too. For instance, the tasting menu, rather than just listing the food and wine, now explains why certain wines were paired with […]

Drinking the Numbers: What’s Your Wine Score?

September 9, 2014September 12, 2014 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

Continued from Part 1 of Wine Ratings In 2001, Robinson started using a 20-point scale in response, she told me in an interview, to her readers’ request for scores. But only on her web site: her books are “point-free zones” as is her Financial Times column. “The 100-point scores don’t mean much to us in Europe,” she observes. “Points will never be as emotive on this side of the Atlantic. Traditionally, if scores were used here at all, it was simply to achieve consensus on a tasting panel.” She also believes that the most useful assessment of wine comes from […]

Why is Mobile and Social the Future for Buying Wine and Discovering New Wineries?

September 4, 2014October 16, 2014 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

Why Does Responsive Design Work So Well for Wine? – You get a mobile app-like experience without having to download an app: full content and features of the site. – So …. we’ve rebuilt the site from the ground up so that it instantly resizes to any smartphone, tablet or computer. – The new responsive design doesn’t replace our mobile apps on iPhone and Android, it complements it on other smartphones. – Responsive design also makes sharing content on social media far easier. – The profound impact that both Twitter and Facebook have on the wine world is why we […]

Pairing Wine and Seafood, Shellfish and Steak with Sommelier Allison Vidug

August 29, 2014August 29, 2014 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

Allison Vidug, sommelier at the Shore Club in Toronto, shares her tips on pairing wine with fresh seafood and shellfish, as well as great cuts of juicy steak. Tell us about the wine list at The Shore Club. Since I took over the wine program, my focus has been on creating a classic list with wines that suit the menu. The Shore Club’s menu is all about simplicity and quality of ingredients used in steak and seafood dishes. The wine list will include classics from the Old World, New World and, great Canadian wines — which I am most excited […]

Design on Wine: How Much Does a Wine Label Influence You?

August 14, 2014November 12, 2022 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

Continued from Part 2 of Wine Label Art That’s not a bad deal when you consider that the latest vintage retails for about $600 a bottle, and increases with maturity. Many other wineries around the world have engaged artists to design their labels, including several from Canada, most notably Hillebrand Winery Estates and Colaneri Estate Winery in Niagara, and Calona Vineyards in the Okanagan Valley. Stylistically these images range from the traditional (château on a hilltop) to impressionist (sun-dappled pickers in a field) to modern (bold contrasting colors, strong lines). Other elements, such as embossed or gold-coated printed […]

Is High Alcohol a Wine Fault or Freedom of Liquid Expression?

August 9, 2014August 9, 2014 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

Continued from Part 4 of High Alcohol Wine … It’s like the difference between attending a concert and putting on some music as background while I’m working. At the tasting, I’m sampling my forty-seventh Chilean cabernet. A crimson flower blooms inside my mouth, its fiery tendrils licking at the back of my throat. I think my lips are starting to peel off. I’ve definitely lost a layer of enamel from my teeth: bathing them in acidity for five hours will do that. For the drive home, I’m not calling a cab, I’m calling an ambulance. This physical anguish gets me […]

Wines + Drinks for Big Parties: How Many, What Mix?

July 26, 2014July 26, 2014 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

My most memorable parties were not the extravagant affairs with grand cru wines and caviar canapés. Nor were they the celebrations with all the right people in chi-chi black outfits. Rather, they were the get-togethers where the host had invested thought into small touches for our pleasure. If you’re hosting a soiree, here are some entertaining tips that will help make your guests feel pampered. If you’re holding your event at a hotel or resort, the banquet manager can advise you of how much alcohol you’ll need, as can caterers or liquor store staff when you celebrate at home. Count […]

10 Best Sangiovese Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Sangiovese

June 19, 2014April 10, 2015 Natalie MacLean Leave a comment

Did you know that the Latin name for Sangiovese, Sanguis Jovis (San Gioveto), translates to “blood of Jove or Jupiter”? The first written reference to the grape was in 1722. You’ll find my Top 10 Sangiovese reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Sangiovese: 1. Sangiovese represents 10% of Italy’s entire vineyard acreage, the most-planted grape in the country, with 247,000 acres. 2. Until the 1980s, Chianti was bottled in squat oval straw-covered fiasci. It was viewed a modest bistro wine rather than one for collectors. Then winemakers started experimenting with premium blends of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon or […]