This news just arrived in my inbox this morning … nice way to start a Friday! Taste Canada hosts the awards ceremony for Canada’s food and wine Oscars every year. I’m delighted that Unquenchable is among such an august list of nominees — congratulations to all the authors!
Wine Writing
Wine Quotes: Funny, Philosophical and Philandering
Round #3 of those wine-soaked sips of wisdom … you’ll find round 1 and round 2 here if you’re thirsting for more. As you can see above, well-dressed, attractive people in a bar somewhere are enjoying them. Cheers, Natalie In beer there’s strength; In wine there’s wisdom; In water there’s bacteria. You haven’t drunk too much wine if you can still lie on the floor without holding on. ~ Dean Martin Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin. ~ Napoleon Gentlemen, in the little moment that remains to us between the […]
Marqués de Murrieta – A Ghost in the Bottle
The longer you spend exploring the subject of fine wine, the more familiar you become with the concept that there are no great wines but only great bottles, and that with every great bottle, comes an even greater story. I have one to share… For my wife Jacquie’s 40th birthday celebration last year, I bought two bottles of the 1970 Marqués de Murrieta, Castillo Ygay, Gran Reserva. The Spanish claim that 1970 was their vintage of the century and those who are fond of this region also recognize that Castillo Ygay is the flagship of Rioja. I have read […]
Welcome to the new site and blog!
After six months of research, development and pinot noir, we’re finally ready with the new site and blog. I hope you find it useful, yet fun. Please let me know what suggestions you have by commenting here or just e-mail me at [email protected]. I raise my glass to you! Natalie
Red, White and Drunk All Over on Mt. Everest
Sometimes, I get the most amazing e-mails … people who’ve been out at sea for months and have read my book, others who decided to changed careers as a result. I’ve always thought of Red, White and Drunk All Over as a light-hearted, diverting read, but these human stories touch me. So I was floored to get the e-mail below a few days ago … From: Hannah Iland Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2011 To: Natalie MacLean Subject: Lukla, Nepal Dear Natalie, I worked at Navarra restaurant for close to two years and had the pleasure of serving you and […]
Napa Valley Wine Writers Symposium — Cheers!
To prove how excited I was to be heading to this year’s Napa Valley Wine Writers Symposium, I tipped over my wine glass. To acknowledge my celebration, the restaurant owner didn’t refill it, reassuring me that I had had enough excitement for the evening. The Symposium, as the site says, draws top wine book authors and editors, wine magazine writers and critics, newspaper wine columnists, and bloggers to Napa Valley to speak, listen, debate, explore themes prevalent in contemporary wine writing and network with their peers for four days. A combination of lectures, panel discussions, group and individual writing sessions, […]
Favorite Wine and Drinking Quotes Part II
Here are more of my favourite wine and drinking quotes. Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed or shared their favs on Twitter and Facebook! This is really getting to be quite an inebriating selection. You can find round one of quotes here, and round three here. Let me know if you’ve got another one to add. Cheers, Natalie A woman was sipping a glass of wine while she was sitting on the patio with her man. She says, “I love you so much, I don’t know if I could ever live without you.” Her guy asks: “Is that you […]
Favorite Wine and Drinking Quotes
I love collecting quotes about wine and drinking … some really delicious wit among these below. Got a favourite one of your own that I can add to this list? E-mail me at [email protected]. You can find round two of quotes here, and round three here … not that I would know about these posts at this point in time since they will be done in the future, but whatever. Cheers, Natalie I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. – Dorothy Parker I saw a sign that read “Drink Canada Dry” and […]
Twitter Trend Chart
Just discovered a nifty Twitter trend chart on the web called TwitterCounter above and plugged in my Twitter handle @NatalieMacLean. It tracks the growth and trends of your tweets and followers over time. You can do comparisons as well if you’re curious. (Don’t try Ashton Kutcher: your growth line will be crushed.) I can’t believe how many tools and add-ons there are for Twitter these days: It’s a testamount to social media’s growing influence, and Twitter in particular. I’ve been on Twitter now for just over a year and I love that I’ve found almost 8,000 new friends. And this […]
Take the Holiday Wine Quiz and Win 1 of 5 Signed Books
Try your luck with this holiday wine quiz: only 5 questions and you could win 1 of 5 signed copies of my book Red, White and Drunk All Over. I’ll be drawing randomly from those who complete the quiz correctly so there’s still time to enter before December 24 at 5 pm! You don’t have to be a wine expert, pour yourself a glass and have fun with this wine quiz. There are only 5 questions: you can do it! E-mail me your answers at [email protected]. (You need only send me your list of 5 answers as your letter choices so […]
