Search Results for: women

Wine as a Career

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Pursuing wealth has its obvious rewards, but making money is much easier when you’re doing something you love. Starting a business requires plenty of time and energy, and as such it should be something that is worth trading your life to undertake. Follow your passion, experts say, and you’ll succeed. This aphorism certainly applies to Natalie MacLean, many times over. The accredited sommelier, wine journalist and author of Red, White, and Drunk All Over got her business start early — she opened a dance school in her Nova Scotia basement when she was 15. She photocopied handmade notices and took […]

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Summer Drinks

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Top 10 summer drinks Cool down on a hot day with this summer’s tastiest thirst-quenchers. 1. Unisex coolers “Bottled cocktails, wine cocktails or premixed drinks are always hot in the summer, especially because they are getting better,” says Konrad Ejbich. Though coolers have a rep as a fruity drink women favour, the trend this summer, he says, is ready-to-drink concoctions like Absolut Cut and Hydra, which appeal to both sexes. “They’re going unisex,” Konrad says. 2. Strong flavours No more flavours for the faint of heart — now, it’s all about serving up big tastes. Ranging from pomegranate to guanabana, […]

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Ottawa Restaurant Lists 2

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What’s that aroma wafting through the city? Is it poutine? No. Is it beaver tails? No. It’s the scent of a well-stocked passion. Ottawa used to be better known for hot chocolate than for wine, but a vinous Group of Seven is changing the dining landscape: seven local restaurants recently won Wine Spectator Magazine awards for their wine lists. Waiting for the awards to be issued is like waiting for Moses to come back down the mountain: first a lot of speculation, then everyone scrambles to see what’s on the list. The chosen few this year are: Juniper, Medithéo, Trattoria […]

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Food & Wine 5

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Of 11 wines on the tasting table, the Col d’Orcia Rosso di Montalcino, a full-bodied, fruity Tuscan red, was Tom Natan’s top choice. Adam Manson hated it. Both have well-trained and -respected palates. Natan is a partner in the Washington-based importer and retailer First Vine. Manson is a co-owner of Veritas, a popular wine bar in Dupont Circle. But the physiological differences in their tongues, coupled with their varied experiences, mean that the same wine tastes different to each of them. To Natan, the big, juicy flavors are luscious. To Manson, they are overwhelming, even bitter. Neither one is right […]

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Chocolate & Wine 5

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Nearly half of Americans are expected to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special night out. If money is no object and the finest wines are available which vintage should you select? Wine experts reveal what they will be sipping on Feb 14. Richard Brierley, the head of wine sales in the Americas for Christie’s auction house, said he could opt for Champagne. “I don’t want to be predictable and go down that Champagne route, but if I did, it would be Salon 1996. It is just exceptional, alluring, full of verve and there’s so much energy about it,” he said […]

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Chocolate & Wine 6

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Being a person of the male persuasion, I am sometimes told I don’t “get” chocolate. I’ll admit that I like a rich, complex truffle now and then, but I’m at a loss to understand the near-orgasmic moans some women produce when swallowing such sweet sustenance. I understand that I am not hormonally equipped to enjoy chocolate at all levels, a limitation I accept along with not being able to play the violin, dance the tango or give birth. Given such limitations, I thought this year, in producing my pre-St. Valentine’s Day wine-and-chocolates column, I’d call on several experts who could […]

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MFK Fisher: Consummate Eater, Drinker and Writer

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It was such a thrill to travel to Palm Springs October 23 to accept the MFK Fisher Award for Excellence in Culinary Writing from Les Dames d’Escoffier International! I was touched by the support and warmth of the members that evening at the dinner ceremony. I was also moved by the outpouring of support on Twitter, Facebook and good old-fashioned e-mail: the real win was in sharing it with food-and-wine-loving friends! Here’s the press release from Les Dames d’Escoffier International. Thanks again guys! Cheers, Natalie   Les Dames d’Escoffier International Announces Winner of the M.F.K. Fisher Award LOUISVILLE, KY–(Marketwire – November […]

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Favorite Wine and Drinking Quotes Part II

Natalie MacLean 2 Comments

Here are more of my favourite wine and drinking quotes. Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed or shared their favs on Twitter and Facebook! This is really getting to be quite an inebriating selection. You can find round one of quotes here, and round three here. Let me know if you’ve got another one to add. Cheers, Natalie   A woman was sipping a glass of wine while she was sitting on the patio with her man. She says, “I love you so much, I don’t know if I could ever live without you.” Her guy asks: “Is that you […]

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Top 10 Best Value LCBO Wines Under $15

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  ‘Tis the season for count-downs as we approach 2010! Here are my top 10 best value wines for 2009. These are wines that I thought offered amazing taste and quality for the money. I’d love to hear what your favourite value wines were this year. Here are my top 10 best value wines at the LCBO. What are yours? Post a comment here or e-mail me and I’ll add them to this list. You can find more details about each wine along with complementary recipes in my wine reviews. Here’s to a wine-soaked 2010!   2008 Ogio Pinot Grigio, […]

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