By Natalie MacLean On CTV’s The Social, we we chat about winemaking movie stars … can you guess who made which wine? When I think of the Oscars, I think wine. Why? For many film industry luminaries, conspicuous consumption such as owning a yacht or even a restaurant is so 2019. These days, if you really want to show some class, you own a winery. There’s no better photo opp than one with you and your trophy wife or boy toy pruning the vines or pressing the grapes. That’s why movie actors, directors and producers are getting […]
Wine Region
Take the Quiz: Pair Wine with this Year’s Oscar Nominees
On CTV’s The Social yesterday we paired our favourite paired wines with this year’s Oscar nominees. Can you guess the pairings correctly? Watch the video above to play along with our hosts. Now you’re all set for the Academy Awards tomorrow evening! View Survey Here are my Top 20 Oscar Wines showing your which liquor stores have them in stock now … enjoy! Best Supporting Actor or Actress – Jess We’re starting with Miravel Rose … it’s a dry rose from southern France. Which Oscar-nominated best supporting actor would you pair with this wine? Sylvester Stallone in Creed Tom Hardy in […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings March 2, 2024
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 February 17th. These are just some of the benefits of supporting out 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 […]
Easter Wines for Fish, Lamb + Ham: Video
Wines for Good Friday fish, Easter brunch, lamb and ham are the focus of our chat on CTV News. In particular, red wines often clash with fish not because of the wine tannin and fish iodine, as previously thought, but rather because of high iron content in the wine. The iron comes mostly from the soil where the vines are grown, but can also be due to winemaking methods. Generalizing about which wines will be high in iron content is difficult. The iron in wine is thought to break down the unsaturated (good) fats in fish and creates that fishy […]
Can Organic Wine Survive Niagara? The Chilling Answer . . .
Under heavy gunfire, we run for the chopper. Grey clouds roil overhead as the wind whips our faces. The ground man signals us to scramble in, but then stops and waves for us to turn around. As we do, we’re blinded by white flashes. We’re not being fired at though: it’s just the smiling tour guide snapping photos of us. The shotgun blasts are automatic “bird bangers” to scare birds away from the fields of Niagara grapevines around us. This isn’t Baghdad, but it is war. These birds travel in black clouds of peckish delight swooping down to strip vineyards […]
The Merry Widows of Mousse: Champagne Widows
They were all young women whose families owned the great champagne houses at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. When they lost their husbands to war or illness, they did not do what was expected: step aside or sell the business. Nor did they marry again (though they were still in their twenties and thirties), handing over the reins to a new husband. Instead, these celebrated veuves, or widows, took control of their châteaux to produce some of the most prestigious wines in the world – wines that still bear their names: Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Laurent-Perrier, Roederer and […]
Pairing Wine with Oscar Party Snacks and Movies
On Global’s Morning Show yesterday, we paired wines with Oscar-worthy snacks from Cibo Wine Bar as well as former winners of the Best Picture Award. Here are my Top 20 Oscar Wines showing your which liquor stores have them in stock now … enjoy! Titantic 1997 Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial Champagne Grilled whole calamari, mixed greens, diced tomatoes extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice The Sting The Entertainer Red Belnd Americana Pizza Tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni, mushroom, green peppers The Godfather Castello di Gabbiano Chianti […]
5 Best Wines to Celebrate Spring
Spring has sprung and as we cast off the heavy sweaters and coats, it’s also time to lighten up our wine wardrobe. Back with us now to share what’s in liquid fashion this season is Natalie MacLean who offers North America’s most popular online wine classes. Hi Natalie Can you give us a bit of an overview of what trends we’re seeing in the wine world this spring? Everything’s coming up Rosé, Chardonnay and Riesling! They’re all wines meant to be consumed young, and I do mean the wines not the people. They’re fresh and lively, perfect for spring […]
Can You Guess This Wine’s Price? (Video)
On Global Television’s Morning Show, we chat about whether you judge a bottle of wine by its label, or at least, by its price? Does an expensive wine guarantee you a better one? We play a fun game. The hosts taste two wines and try to guess which wine they think is more expensive of the two. I share some details about the two wines as hints ;) Can you guess which wine is pricier before the hosts do? Play the game with us! Santa Margherita Brut Valdobbiadene Superiore Prosecco Veneto D.O.C.G., Italy Vines are […]
Pairing Wine with Love Songs
Leanne and I chat about pairing wine with love songs. Got a favourite that we didn’t include? Click on the arrow above to play the video. Here’s part one of our conversation on pairing wine with romantic movies. “Whose bed have your boots been under?” – Shania Twain Ménage à Trois Midnight Red 2013 California, United States “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” – The Righteous Brothers Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand “I Want to Know What […]
