Introduction In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Chris Scott, a U.K.-based sommelier who published the world’s first-ever wine podcast, the UK Wine Show. Chris and his wife, Jane also founded ThirtyFifty, a company which offers fun and no-nonsense wine tastings for private and corporate events. From his adventures as a triathlete to wine tastings in a hot tub, Chris shares his often-hilarious adventures as well as his brilliant tasting tips, including nifty ways to physically see how acidic or tannic wine is and insights into the U.K. wine industry. Enjoy! Highlights Why did […]
Red, White & Drunk
Behind-the-Scenes Peek at Writing Red, White and Drunk All Over
Introduction What role have books played in my exploration of wine regions around the world? What’s it like tasting ultra high-end wine? How is wine portrayed in literature? Today we’re talking about all that and more in a behind-the-scenes peek at Red, White and Drunk All Over. Today’s show is a little different from the usual. I’m excited to share this episode from the Behind the Bookshelves podcast, where I was interviewed by Richard Davies. Richard has kindly given me permission to include this interview on my show for you. If you love books as much as I do, be […]
Secret Book Club Reading of Red, White and Drunk All Over
Introduction Are you curious about what’s behind the covers of my book, Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass, which you’ll hear me refer to as “RWD”? In this episode, I’m inviting you to pull up your most comfortable imaginary chair for a secret book club reading of the juiciest bits of RWD, which was named one of the best books of the year by the Globe and Mail, New York Times and Amazon. Highlights When did I have my first experience with tasting good wine? What were my earliest interactions with wine like? […]
Sneak Peak Behind-the-Scenes: Publishing a Wine Audiobook
Introduction Have you ever wondered how an audiobook gets made and then sold via Apple Books, Amazon and Audible around the world? In this episode, I share my journey from idea to audiobook and we’ll go behind the scenes of creating the new audio edition of my book Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass (which you’ll hear me refer to as “RWD”). I’ll also share with you some terrific sparkling wines that pair perfectly with ringing in the New Year. Highlights How did I develop a love for listening? Why did it […]
Randall Grahm: A Californian Blend of Wine, Wit and Wisdom
What a terrific chat with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Winery in California! Click on the arrow above to watch the video. Listen to Randall’s stories about hosting a funeral for an open casket of corks in NYC’s Grand Central Station, his experiments with adding rocks to wine and why he has a meteor named after him. Discover why his wines are superb, his new project on a very special piece of land and his push for ingredient labeling on wine. Next Sunday, July 30 at 6 pm EST, writer Mark Oldman joins us from New York to chat about […]
Holiday Gift for Wine Lovers: Give the Gift of Great Wines Year Round
Wondering what to give the wine lovers in your life? How about a guarantee that they’ll enjoy every bottle they open? With a gift subscription to my wine reviews, they get exclusive access to my best value and top rated wines: red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines from around the world at all price points. They’ll discover wines they’ve never heard of that go amazingly well with a wide variety of dishes: bottles they would never have pulled off the shelf based on the label alone. No more disappointing bottles, no more paying too much for too little taste […]
Why is Champagne the Wine of New Year’s Eve?
On CBC Ontario’s CBC drive-home shows we chat about bubblies for the New Year’s in the third part of our holiday wine series. We also chatted about this on CBC’s Alberta at Noon as well as The Morning Edition in Saskatchewan and Metro Morning in Toronto. Champagne is the traditional sparkling wine to ring in the new year, but there are other alternatives. Further below are the wines we talked about in the audio clip above. Do you know the answers to these bubbly questions? Why is Champagne the wine of New Year’s Eve? Savvy champagne producers have managed […]
Pairing Wine and Lunch in the CBC Fridge for the Food Bank
CBC All in a Day host Alan Neal and I sneak into the CBC kitchen to snoop into employee lunches and pair them with wine. You can listen to our chat above from the drive-home show. It’s actually not as weird (or creepy) as it sounds … we’re kicking off the final 3 days of Food Fantasy fundraising for the Food Bank, with prizes like having a sommelier come to your home and pair wine and food for you and 11 friends. In addition to being your personal sommelier for an evening, I’ll also bring along 12 signed copies of […]
Wine Tasting Club Checklist
Continued from How to Host a Wine Tasting Here’s a checklist for how to host a wine tasting or start a regular wine tasting club. 1. One Month Before the Tasting Decide who you want to invite Your tasting club could be for your existing friends, or a means to get to know new friends via work or other venues, or a mix. Invite six to twelve guests. These days, trying to find an unscheduled evening with six to twelve busy people is a challenge so you may need to give your group even more lead time than a month. […]
The Making of a Wine Lover: That First Glass
I remember the night I tasted my first good wine. My future husband Andrew and I had just graduated from university and were enjoying our “wealth” relative to our student days. We dined out a lot and our favorite place was a small Italian restaurant around the corner from our apartment. The first time we went there, the owner, a tall, burly man with fierce dark eyes, asked us if we’d like to try the Brunello. We thought at first it was a regional dish, but it turned out to be a red wine from central Italy. We were relieved […]
