Shiraz or Syrah? New Film Exposes the Truth

Do you know the differences, and the secret stories behind these grapes? Would you like to know why you love one style and not another? Our guest this evening is making a movie that will turn the wine world on its head, and change the way we think about Shiraz and Syrah. Director and producer Rudolf McClain joins me live from his home in Sonoma County, California. Click on the arrow above to watch the video. P.S. Join us Sunday October 22, at 6 pm eastern with Heidemarie Fischer Pfaffl of Weingut R&A Pfaffl. www.nataliemaclean.com/live Want to know when we […]

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Video: Clark Smith on Why Some Wines are Like Angelina Jolie

What a terrific chat with Clark Smith, Winemaker and Author! Click on the arrow above to watch the video.   Our guest this evening has created a firestorm in the wine industry, dividing winemakers and wine lovers around the idea of wine manipulation. Clark will explain how some of the hottest new technologies help winemaking, and how splitting the atom changed the way we make wine and altered our perception of what a white wine is supposed to be. Clark Smith has spent four decades as a winemaker, author, inventor, musician, and professor to the wine industry around the world. […]

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Video: Blending Wine & Medicine with Argentina’s Dr. Laura Catena

What a terrific chat with Dr. Laura Catena, a fourth generation Argentine vintner, physician and author! Click on the arrow above to watch the video. Listen to Laura’s stories about why Catena wines are so special. Discover more juicy tips that will make you wine smart. Cheers, Natalie We’ll be simultaneously broadcasting on Facebook Live, YouTube Live Stream and Twitter Live Video via Periscope. Watch previous episodes of the Wednesday Wining Show (WWS)  and find out who’s coming up next. If you’d like to read the comments for this tasting, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10155436261769845/ Here’s a sampling […]

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Benjamin Bridge: The Nova Scotia Winery That Crossed the Country (Video)

What a terrific chat with Jean Benoit Deslauriers, Head Winemaker at Benjamin Bridge! Click on the arrow above to watch the video. Listen to Jean’s stories about Nova Scotia wines. Discover more juicy tips that will make you wine smart. Cheers, Natalie P.S. Join us next Sunday, September 17, at 6 pm eastern right here with Laura Catena, a fourth generation Argentine vintner, physician and author.. www.nataliemaclean.com/live Want to know when we go live next Sunday with Laura Catena? Click on the Follow and Like buttons on this page to get notified when we go live. We’ll be simultaneously broadcasting […]

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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 […]

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Niagara Wine Pioneer Reif Estate Winery Video Tasting

Last night, we were joined by special guest Klaus Reif, Head Winemaker and Owner of Reif Winery, who chatted about making wine in Niagara and his vision for Ontario wines. Click on the arrow above to watch the video. What an amazing conversion last night! Klaus’ audio is fixed after 4 minutes, so hang in ;) Klaus shared some wonderful stories about when he first made #wine at age 10 and (hid the bottles behind some bottles in his father’s winery), and then at age 24 making a new style that upset his uncle and then won an award at […]

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What is Wine’s Role in Modern Madness? Finding Our Humanity Drop by Drop

​Editor’s Note: I wrote this magazine piece on wine and civility two months after 9/11. You can also listen to this as a podcast here. In Vino Civilitatis The trouble with moderation is that it’s hard to get excited about it. Until now. After September 11, moderation seems to be rarer than a California cult cabernet. Finding the moderate and the civilized in everyday life has become all the rage. Few things embody these values more than wine, and the food we eat with it. A river of wine flows through most of human history — from the ancient clay […]

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Capra and Chianti: A Perfect Pairing with Gabbiano Wines

Last night, we were joined by a special guest, Chef Massimo Capra, to chat about Italian wine and food pairings ​Join us on the Sunday Sipper Club, April 16​ at 6 pm eastern (Toronto time)​ ​when we talk about Malbec. Tune in here for our Facebook Live Video Wine Tasting:  www.nataliemaclean.com/live P.S. Click on the “Follow” and “Like” buttons on this page to get notified when we go live. You’ll find upcoming and past Live Tasting Videos here.   If you’d like to read 74 comments for this tasting, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10154975674214845/ Here’s a sampling of […]

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7 Unusual Food Pairings for Nobilo Wines from New Zealand

Heather Wall Wine Columnist, Huffington Post Canada A big KIA ORA Welcome was on hand for Dave Edmonds as he rolled through Ottawa for another stellar tasting of Nobilo Wines of New Zealand. More specifically, Marlborough, easily becoming one of the great wine-growing regions of the world – just ask Dave! Clean crisp air, oodles of sunshine, cool ocean breezes and volcanic soils cultivates grapes bursting with juicy crispness and zesty, flinty minerality. Dave came armed with Sauvignon Blancs from both the Nobilo Regional Collection and the Nobilo ICON Collection.  Two Pinot Noirs from the ICON Collection and a 2016 […]

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The Makeover Miracle of Israeli Wines: Finding New Life in the Desert

  By Rebecca Meïr- Liebman of Chef & Somm Some of the most brilliant minds come from Israel. Their creative thinking often challenges what many see as unchanging truths. The USB flash drive, GPS, WIX, and Solaris Synergy were all invented in Israel. Lucky for us, some of those creative minds are hard at work in Israel’s burgeoning winemaking industry, leading recently to substantial gains in quality and complexity. More and more Israeli wine professionals are traveling to Europe to learn from leading winemakers and educate and expand their palates. And, on a quest for the ultimate expression of Israeli […]

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