{"id":5356,"date":"2011-12-12T01:16:47","date_gmt":"2011-12-12T01:16:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/?p=5356"},"modified":"2011-12-12T01:16:47","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T01:16:47","slug":"a-writer-with-undeniable-moxie-and-spirited-prose-her-quirky-and-honest-style-that-celebrates-people-and-place-that-truly-captivates-oregon-wine-press-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/a-writer-with-undeniable-moxie-and-spirited-prose-her-quirky-and-honest-style-that-celebrates-people-and-place-that-truly-captivates-oregon-wine-press-magazine\/","title":{"rendered":"A writer with undeniable moxie and spirited prose; her quirky and honest style that celebrates people and place that truly captivates – Oregon Wine Press Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Globe-Trotting Page Turner<\/strong><\/p>\n

With an affinity for fine shoes, I\u2019ve developed a keen eye for bargains over the years. When shopping fashion, I\u2019m always on the hunt for the best deal; but when it comes to food and wine, my budget is a bit more lax. I have so much appreciation for the labor and the process it takes to bring these products to the table that I am willing to pay the often-high price; but perhaps I need to review my culinary budget \u2014 I\u2019m sure the amount I\u2019ve spent in the past could have flown me to France and back.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s the reason a well-knowing editor suggested I read Unquenchable<\/em><\/strong><\/a>: A Tipsy Quest for the World\u2019s Best Bargain Wines, Canadian wine phenomenon Natalie MacLean\u2019s latest book. The lively narrative is a blend of memoir and travelogue, a heartfelt pursuit to discover affordable treasures in unexpected places.<\/p>\n

Named the World\u2019s Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards and winner of four James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards, MacLean is also an award-winning sommelier and expert for any food and wine pairing, easily searchable on her dynamic website, www.nataliemaclean.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unquenchable<\/em> delivers not only with ample food and wine pairings for each wine region visited but also includes creative resources and countless colorful portraits of wine characters, some so enigmatic \u2014see the bowtie clad \u201cWolfie\u201d Wolf Blass \u2014 the personalities deserve their own novel.<\/p>\n

The overall intent of the book is to educate and entertain the reader on two main points: (1) Wine does not have to be expensive to taste great; (2) Behind every bottle is a person and a story that make that wine come alive. These are two counts I wholeheartedly embrace.<\/p>\n

For many, the allure of wine is how it titillates our primary senses \u2014 smell, taste, touch \u2014 and story. Engaging us in a way that is both hedonistic and cerebral, two apt words MacLean uses. She references how \u201crich, layered experiences hold our attention, whether they\u2019re books, paintings or wines.\u201d Our mind is stimulated by complexity.<\/p>\n

She then asks: \u201cBut who says that only expensive wines can be complex?\u201d<\/p>\n

MacLean states early on that one of the missions of the book is to demystify wine pricing in relation to quality. \u201cSome regions have natural advantages that make winemaking inexpensive, whether that\u2019s climate or cheap land and labor,\u201d she writes. Other regions, she explains, are still establishing their reputations and must keep their prices low to be competitive with better-known wines.<\/p>\n

From the volcanic vineyards of Sicily to the green slopes of South Africa and many points between, MacLean transports readers into ancient cellars, dusty pickups and out to dinner with winemakers, all the while tasting wines and telling stories.<\/p>\n

How is the book different from other wine travelogues? Along the way, MacLean squeezes in diving with sharks, milking goats, predatory hawks and riding polo horses in the mountains. She is a writer with undeniable moxie and spirited prose. As much as I admire her food and wine expertise and accessibility, it is her quirky and honest style that celebrates people and place that truly captivates.<\/p>\n

The book is balanced with a splash of practicality, too. At the end of each chapter, MacLean provides takeaways and insider notes about the region with \u201cField Notes from a Wine Cheapskate.\u201d Inside these chapter wrap-ups, she provides insider tips, wineries visited with web links, best value wines, top value producers, a dinner menu for each day of the week, pairing suggestions, resources and related reading.<\/p>\n

While reading the chapter \u201cVino Under the Volcano,\u201d I yearned for an escape to Sicily \u2014 especially during the overcast dreary Oregon winter. Under MacLean\u2019s advice, I would find a local wine shop and buy a bottle of Nero d\u2019Avola and pair with it a recipe from MacLean\u2019s website. Afterward, I would settle in with her book suggestion, \u201cPalmento: A Sicilian Wine Odyssey by Robert Camuto.\u201d<\/p>\n

The armchair travel across the globe is certainly a delightful romp, but what lingers most is MacLean\u2019s poetic ability to capture the winemakers\u2019 devotion to their vines.<\/p>\n

After peeking a few sections ahead, I knew Provence was the final destination in the book. I also gleaned that she sipped a glass of ros\u00e9 with the legendary Peter Mayle, and I could not wait to read it.<\/p>\n

As much as the worldly travel, wit and wine tips entertained, MacLean and Mayle sipping ros\u00e9 and passing time in a small village in Provence completely charms. The genteel Mayle leaves the reader with wine\u2019s often-forgotten yet greatest quality: pleasure \u2014 not to be tainted with published scores and points.<\/p>\n

MacLean asks the writer: Why France? Mayle replies that until you\u2019ve watched a Frenchman enjoying his lunch on a Sunday, you cannot truly understand. \u201cThe French are not ashamed to admit to liking pleasure,\u201d he says. \u201cThey like to have a good time, and they\u2019re not guilty about it. Let me put it this way: When an American looks at a duck he says, \u2018Oh, how cute.\u2019 When a Frenchman looks at a duck, he wonders, \u2018How shall I cook him?\u201d<\/p>\n

You can read more reviews of my new wine book<\/a> <\/strong>Unquenchable<\/em> here.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Globe-Trotting Page Turner With an affinity for fine shoes, I\u2019ve developed a keen eye for bargains over the years. When shopping fashion, I\u2019m always on the hunt for the best deal; but when it comes to food and wine, my budget is a bit more lax. I have so much appreciation for the labor and the process it takes to bring these products to the table that I am willing to pay the often-high price; but perhaps I need to review my culinary budget \u2014 I\u2019m sure the amount I\u2019ve spent in the past could have flown me to France […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-unquenchable","category-books-wine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5356"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5382,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5356\/revisions\/5382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}