Have you ever wondered which wines pair best with the roller coaster of romance? From first dates to final goodbyes, we’re exploring wines that match every stage of your love life. Joining us today is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie. Great to be back with you, Crystal! My motto for Valentine’s Day is candy is dandy and liquor is quicker – but wine is divine. Let’s start with first dates. What wine would you recommend for those nerve-wracking initial encounters? Lenz Moser […]
Best Wines
Why Did Greece Have the First Sommeliers, Wine Tastings and Writers? Konstantinos Lazarakis Reveals the Answers
Introduction What are some of the significant contributions that Greece has made to the world of wine? How does the Greek volcanic island of Santorini produce wines of stunning depth and freshness at the same time? How are Greek wines shifting the perspective on what’s possible for warm climate wines? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Master of Wine Konstantinos Lazarakis. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of his terrific book, The Wines of Greece. How to Win To qualify, all you […]
Dry January: A Shift Toward Alcohol-Free Wines and the ‘Dry-ish’ Trend
The start of 2025 brings a shift in drinking habits, with a new movement called “Dry January.” It’s gaining popularity with those seeking reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption while still enjoying the occasional glass or two. Joining us today is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie! Great to be back with you, Mona! I’m thrilled to chat about wines that have great taste without the alcoholic heft. Tell us about the scale of this movement. The numbers are revealing – 46% of Generation Z embraced Dry January […]
What are the Surprising Wines and Regions of Greece? Konstantinos Lazarakis Shares His Favourites
Introduction What makes wine worth waiting for? How much wine is produced in Greece? What would surprise you about the wines of Greece? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Konstantinos Lazarakis, author of the new book The Wines of Greece. You can find the wines we discussed here. Giveaway Two of you are going to win a copy of his terrific book, The Wines of Greece. How to Win To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. It […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings February 1, 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 January 18th. 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 […]
BNN Bloomberg: How is the wine industry responding to the Dry January trend?
As we kick off the new year, many Canadians are looking to make healthier choices. There’s a growing trend called Dry-ish January for those who want to either moderate or eliminate their alcohol consumption. Joining us today is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com. Welcome, Natalie! Great to be with you, Amanda! How big is this trend? Market research shows that 46% of Gen Z participated in Dry January last year, with Millennials and Gen X at about 20%. Even more are choosing “Dry-ish” or “Damp” January […]
Romantic Pairing: Wine and Chocolate
In this month’s Costco Connection Lifestyle Magazine I chat with the editor about my favourite wine and chocolate pairings for Valentine’s Day. Here are my favourite wines for chocolate in liquor stores now. While many of us like to think we’re going to be creative with our Valentine’s Day gifts this year, let’s be honest. On February 13, we’re going to rush out and purchase our favourite standbys: wine and chocolate. And why shouldn’t we? Everybody likes this duo; they’re wildly delicious and indulgent, and they usually lead to a good time (insert suggestive eyebrow raise here). But what […]
Liquid Seduction: 9 Wines for your Valentine
Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker. Wine has long been associated with romance. Here are my top 10 wines for Valentine’s Day, not only because of their sexy names, but also because the wine in the bottle is equally as seductive. Fifty Shades Of Grey Red Satin 2011 California, United States No mention of the book that inspired this wine, but no matter, it was launched this month as the liquid seduction tie-in to the book. Of course, there are lots of aromas of fresh and tanned leather on the nose and it’s voluptuously full-bodied … Natalie’s full […]
Making Scents of Wine: How to Describe Wine’s Aromas
We had a great chat on Global Television’s Morning Show Friday about how to recognize and describe the aromas in wine. Describing wine often has a faint whiff of condescension over a robust layer of barnyard by-product. The adjectives seem to be the fruit of over-ripe imaginations: when I hear “muscular,” “tight,” “rakish,” it’s hard to tell whether the critic is talking about wine or Brad Pitt. “Perfectly integrated” is how I’d describe my son’s multi-racial nursery school; and “legendary concentration” is what I need to figure out my income tax return. However, “opulent” is indeed a legitimate wine […]
6 Low-Alcohol Wines That Taste Great
If you love vino but want to lower your alcohol intake, there are lots of wines out there that fit the bill. But which ones are worth giving a try? Here to recommend some of her favourite low-alcohol wines is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes. Lovely to see you, Natalie! Let’s start by explaining what is considered low alcohol in wine? • Most dry table wines are about 13% alcohol • Anything under that, I consider low alcohol and you’ll find that usually on the front or back label in tiny mice type Do low-alcohol […]
