In the world of wine, Natalie MacLean, with her bright sense of humour and nose for a bargain, is a breath of fresh air. The author of two books — the second, Unquenchable, just out on shelves now — MacLean has travelled the world to visit myriad wineries, sipped a wine that retails for $2,000 a bottle and met the winemakers behind their eponymous labels. But, she is quick to point out, people who feel they need to be experts before they can make a choice on what to order from the wine list just need to take a page […]
Book: Unquenchable
Helping Wine Shoppers Buy $15 wines that taste as good as $30 wines – David Schwartz
After reading Unquenchable, I can state three things with confidence about Natalie MacLean: 1) She likes to drink wine 2) She knows a great deal about it 3) She wants to share some of her experiences and perspectives with you to help you find bargain wines that don’t taste like they came out of a box. That makes this book an enjoyable read. It’s joyfully subjective, with MacLean sharing her insights into both her visits to several wine-making regions and the taste of the wines. Her mission, simply put, “is to demystify wine price in relation to quality,” in other […]
Holiday Wines, Why it’s a Great Time to be a Wine Buyer, Pairing Tips – CBC Alberta at Noon
This CBC listener call-in covered some terrific wine tips and picks. We had three computer screens’ worth of people waiting to get on the show so we’re going to do another show December 9 at noon. If you don’t live in Alberta, you can still listen online: www.cbc.ca/albertaatnoon
The third thing I always like about her books: they always make me laugh – Bella On Line
One of the things I love most about Natalie MacLean’s books is that they’re always about wine. That’s a subject I will never get tired of, be it in the bottle or on the page. Another thing I love is Natalie’s writing. Too many writers and their reading audience seem to think or expect words about wine will be stodgy and snooty but Ms. MacLean completely ignores that rule and I’m so glad she does. Which leads me to the third thing I always like about her books: they always make me laugh. I love laughter. Every one of those […]
Happily Sandwiched Between Michael Ondaatje and Jeffrey Eugenides in the December issue of Chatelaine Magazine
Two of my favourite authors have new books out this season, and I’m adding them to my holiday wish list: The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje and The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. I’m feeling cozy sandwiched between them in the December issue of Chatelaine magazine. I also contributed a festive wine cocktail to this issue. Enjoy and cheers!
Does the Host Open a Bottle of Wine, Great Holiday Wines, Wines for Turkey Dinner – News Talk 95.7
Erin and I had a great chat about whether the dinner party host should open a bottle of wine from a guest (and conversely, as the guest should you expect the host to open it), which wines are great for the holidays and especially for turkey dinner on her Maritime Morning show on News Talk 95.7. Erin discovers that she’s suffering from Cenosilicaphobia … we concluded that it’s genetic. Callers Richard and Todd had some great questions … Richard was looking for a wine to help him get over Kim Kardashian’s break-up :)
A Juicier Take on Wine Writing with a Rare Blend of Wit and Wisdom – Vancouver Sun
Natalie MacLean brings a rare blend of wit and wisdom to the genre Wine writing can some-times be lip-puckeringly dry. Maybe that’s why Natalie MacLean, an irreverent, lively and often self-deprecating wine writer, is so popular. Her first book, Red, White and Drunk All Over, won Best Wine Literature Book at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and sold 50,000 copies in Canada alone. MacLean was in Vancouver recently, for Whistler’s Cornucopia wine and food event in Whistler. Her second book, Unquenchable had just hit bookstores. The book is sub-titled A Tipsy Quest for The World’s Best Bargain Wines. Those bargain […]
Dr. Loosen, Wolf Blass Shiraz, Benjamin Bridge Nova Among Terrific Value Wines – CTV Morning Live
Heidi and I chatted about three terrific wines to add to your shopping list, food and wine matching tips (including breakfast wines), what it’s like to taste 15,000+ wines and we came up with a new slogan: my liver for the people! You can watch and listen to more interviews about pairing wine and food.
Buying the Best Wines in the $10 to $20 Range that Taste Twice as Expensive – CTV Live at 5
Bruce and I chatted about the differences in writing a wine book today and in 2006, which wine regions offer excellent value for your money and we even did some tricky mental math :) Posted with permission of CTV News.
Her writing is disarmingly enchanting; dang I wish I wrote this one! CBC Ontario Today
Veteran wine critic Konrad Ejbich joins CBC Ontario Today’s host Rita Celli monthly to recommend his top wines and to answer listener questions. On the show today he also reviewed Unquenchable: “Natalie’s writing is disarmingly enchanting: it’s a wine travel discovery journal. I admire the creative way she describes her experiences. This is also a really important book for the Ontario wine industry as it’s being published in numerous languages all around the globe. You know how readers like to re-trace the steps of famous writers? Well, this is going to draw people to this region. Natalie has a vivid […]
