Natalie MacLean's Blog, page 15
August 13, 2024
Unrivaled Russian River Pinot Noir and Sonoma Wines with Theresa Heredia of Gary Farrell Winery
Introduction Does harvesting wine based on the biodynamic calendar make sense? What about actually drinking the wine based on the lunar cycle? How does fog play a profound role in growing grapes and winemaking in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma, California? Why do some winemakers add Mega Purple to wine, and what the heck is Mega Purple? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with superstar winemaker Theresa Heredia who has worked for some of California’s most prestigious wineries. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway One of you will win a bottle of […]
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5 Essential Tips to Moderate Your Wine Consumption: Moderation Management Keynote Address
Click the arrow above to watch the keynote address Moderation Management, a nonprofit organization of more than 350,000 members, provides compassionate support and tools for those who want to moderate their alcohol consumption, but not necessarily give it up. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, it held its first virtual summit on July 27th and 28th. From the summit media announcement: We’ll be bringing together a full two-day agenda of some of the top minds in the harm reduction space to share their strategies to help you maintain your plan. Saturday’s keynote will be 5 Essential Tips to Moderate Your […]
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August 6, 2024
Glorious Ontario Wines and the Stubborn, Pathological Optimists Who Make Them with Matthew Gaughan
Introduction Why do Ontario winemakers need to be exceptionally unreasonable, stubborn, and pathological optimists? Which Ontario wines should you try next, other than Icewine? Why should Ontario be at the top of your list of wine regions to visit? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m being interviewed by Matthew Gaughan on Matthew’s World of Wine and Drink. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live […]
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Uncork the Cosmos: 6 Stellar Wines for Meteor Shower Magic
The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak in just a few days so we thought we’d uncork some stellar wines for this star-gazing event. Here with her cosmic wine picks is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com Natalie, great to see you again! Thanks for having me! I’m over the moon to be here with you 😉 Tell us a bit about the meteor shower and how we can celebrate it with some stellar wines. The Perseids are one of the brightest meteor showers of the year. They […]
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July 30, 2024
Riesling’s Big Personality and Germany’s Hidden Wine Gems with Anne Krebiehl
Introduction How do the soils of Germany change the expression of Riesling in your glass? What would surprise you about the size and of German wine production in relation to other leading wine-producing countries? How is climate change dramatically changing the way Germany cultivates vines? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Anne Krebiehl. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway One of you will win a copy of Anne Krebiehl’s terrific book, The Wines of Germany. How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let […]
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July 23, 2024
Untangling German Wine Styles, Laws and Mysteries with Anne Krebiehl, Author of The Wines of Germany
Introduction Why has German beer been so much more successful marketing-wise than German wine in foreign markets, particularly in the U.K. and North America? How does German law make it complex to navigate the country’s wines for consumers? What is selective harvesting, and why is it fundamental to understanding German wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Anne Krebiehl. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway One of you will win a copy of Anne Krebiehl’s terrific book, The Wines of Germany. How to Win To qualify, all you […]
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July 18, 2024
Why Don’t Canadians Drink More Canadian Wine?
From CTV News at 6 pm: The Canadian wine industry has been hit hard this year with frost, wildfires and new taxes. The biggest challenge though may be convincing Canadians that the wines are worth buying. Here with her take on the issue is our resident wine expert Natalie MacLean. How do Canadian wines stack up against foreign imports? Despite the fact there are 700 wineries across this country, more than 100 in Quebec, foreign imports dominate 70% of our domestic wine market sales. Why don’t we drink more of our own wines? We’re not […]
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July 17, 2024
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings July 20, 2024
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 July 6th. 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 about what […]
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July 16, 2024
How Pigs, Sheep and Bats Help in the Vineyard with Wine Writer Sophie Menin
Introduction Why are pigs roaming up and down the rows of more and more vineyards? Do biodynamic preparations really help vineyards by treating them more holistically or is this junk science? How does fog help vineyards, especially in Napa and Sonoma? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Sophie Menin. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Three of you will win a copy of Sophie Menin and Bob Chaplin’s terrific new book, A Year In The Vineyard. How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me […]
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July 9, 2024
Why Wine Growing is a Nail-Biter Experience with Sophie Menin, Co-Author of a Year in the Vineyard
Introduction Why do many wineries plant roses at the end of each vine row? What does bee activity tell you about a vineyard? What does it mean for winemakers to have an “aesthetic vision”? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with author Sophie Menin. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Three of you will win a copy of Sophie Menin and Bob Chaplin’s terrific new book A Year In The Vineyard. How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let me know that you’ve posted […]
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