Natalie MacLean's Blog, page 7

Which Wine Matches Your Mom’s Personality? A Mother’s Day Tasting Guide

   Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and what better way to toast these important women than with wines to match their unique personalities?   And who better to help us than our favourite drinks expert Natalie MacLean, editor Canada’s largest wine review site at nataliemaclean.com.   Welcome, Natalie.   Great to be back with you, Dina and Tim! Picking the right wine for your mom is like finding the perfect Mother’s Day card — personal, heartfelt, but not homemade – at least when it comes to wine. If you truly love your mother, please don’t do that!     […]

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5 Surpring Facts about Pinot Grigio + Top 10 Pinot Grigio Wines to Buy Now

  Pinot Grigio is one of the fastest growing white wines in the liquor store. It has a clean, crisp, fresh nature that works well as an aperitif or as a companion to a wide range of dishes from seafood and chicken.   Here are my top 10 Pinot Grigio reviews and ratings.   5 Surprising Facts about Pinot Grigio:   1. Pinot Grigio is a white variant-clone of the red grape Pinot Noir. The Italian region of Friuli produces the best Pinot Grigio in a crisp, refreshing style.   Other Italian regions produce it too but it can be […]

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Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings: May 10, 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 April 26th  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 […]

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How did Marcel Ott, of Domaines Ott, revolutionize Rosé wine? Rasmus Emborg & Jens Honoré Share the Story in Rosé Revolution

Introduction How did Rosé get a bad reputation as not being a “real” wine? How did Marcel Ott revolutionize the world of Rosé wine? Why is Grenache a popular grape for making trendy pale Rosés? How do Rosé’s beautiful bottles both help and hurt its reputation? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Rasmus Emborg and Jens Honoré, the author and photographer, respectively, who have published Rosé Revolution. 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 […]

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Why are major Champagne houses, like Taittinger and Pommery, spending millions on English vineyards?

Introduction Why are major Champagne houses, like Taittinger and Pommery, spending millions of dollars to buy and plant vineyards in England? How did Brexit reshape the English wine industry, from barrels to picking grapes? Why does visiting the English wine country feel like uncovering a hidden secret? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Henry Jeffreys, author of Vines in a Cold Climate. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of his terrific new book, Vines in a Cold Climate.   How to Win […]

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Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings: April 26, 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 April 12th  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 […]

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Is chalky soil really the secret to great English wine or just clever marketing? Henry Jeffreys, Author of Vines in a Cold Climate Shares His Stories

Introduction Is chalky soil really the secret to great English wine—or just clever marketing? What makes it so difficult for English wine to break into the North American market? Is it time for a classified system of English wine? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Henry Jeffreys, author of the award-winning book Vines in a Cold Climate. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of his terrific book, Vines in a Cold Climate.   How to Win To qualify, all you have to […]

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Eggs-cellent Wines & Whiskies for Easter Brunch

    Many of us will be gathering with family and friends for Easter and Passover meals this weekend. Which wines and spirits should you serve with fish, lamb and those irresistible chocolate bunnies? Here to help us than drinks expert Natalie MacLean, editor Canada’s largest wine review site at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie.   Great to be here with you! As a determined hedonist, I like something a little more than orange juice for Easter brunch—unless, of course, it’s a mimosa. The wines that work best for spring holidays are zesty and lighter than those we drink in the winter—they’ll […]

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Eggs, Ham, and a Dram: Which Wines & Whiskies to Pour for Easter?

   Just in time for Easter and Passover we’re going to crack open some common wine and whisky myths. And who better to lead our eggs-pedition than our favourite drinks expert Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest wine review site at nataliemaclean.com.   Welcome, Natalie.   Dina and Tim, as the Mad Natter, I’m egg-cited to hop into this topic with you! Clearly, the yolk’s on us for this episode 😉     Great! Where are we starting?   Many of us will be enjoying an Easter brunch of omelettes or quiche. So myth number 1 is that eggs […]

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How Can a Vineyard (or Life) Disaster Turn Into a Good Thing? Sally Evans’ Life Story is Proof That it Can

Introduction How can a vineyard disaster become an unexpected opportunity to innovate? How does storytelling transform wine marketing? What innovative pairings go beyond red wine and red meat? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Sally Evans, author of the new memoir, Make The Midlife Move: A Practical Guide to Flourish after Fifty. You can find the wines we discussed here.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of her terrific new memoir, Make The Midlife Move: A Practical Guide to Flourish after Fifty.   How to Win To qualify, all you have […]

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