Unreserved Wine Talk

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Madeline Puckette, the content director and co-founder of Wine Folly whose passion for helping beginners learn about wine is the inspiration behind the award-winning website winefolly.com, and the NYT best-selling book, Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine. Enjoy!   Highlights How can Wine Folly empower you on your wine tasting journey? Do the flavours you taste in wine come from additives like other fruits? How does your sense of smell affect the way things taste? What can you deduce from the colour of wine? What out of the box wine pairing do you need to try? Why should Spain be at the top of your wine trip bucket list? Which next-door wine region should you visit next? How can you use Wine Folly when tasting wine?   About Madeline Puckette Madeline Puckette is the content director and co-founder of Wine Folly. Her passion for helping beginners learn about wine is the inspiration behind the award-winning website winefolly.com, and the NYT best-selling book, Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine. Madeline's background in visual design, music and restaurant hospitality have helped shape her communication of wine through infographics, entertainment and social media. Since the inception of the site on December 25, 2011, Madeline's enigmatic wine designs have been featured in places like NPR, Fast Company Design and The Washington Post. The Wine Folly book has been published in 20 countries including Korea, Germany, Russia, China, France and Italy.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the https://www.nataliemaclean.com/58.

What does BYOB, Bring Your Own Bottle, to a restaurant mean? What special laws and etiquette do you need to know about it? Which provinces and states allow it? How does BYOB benefit you as a wine lover, aside from reducing your restaurant bill? How should you calculate the tip when you bring your own wine? On today's episode of Unreserved Wine Talk, I'm sharing everything you need to know, plus my best tips for enjoying BYOB wines at restaurants. Enjoy!   Highlights Why is BYOB perfect for you if you don’t cook much at home? How does BYOB benefit you as a wine lover? Should you BYOB when venturing into more casual fare? How much does wine contribute to restaurant profits? How should you calculate an appropriate tip when you BYOB? How can BYOB help emerging wine regions and small producers? What aspects of BYOB especially benefit dining and wine culture? What BYOB etiquette tips should you keep in mind? How is wine helping some chain restaurants to differentiate themselves? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/57.

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Mark Pascal and Francis Schott, on their excellent radio show The Restaurant Guys. They’ve been in the fine dining and wine retail business for more than 25 years, and co-own Stage Left Restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which the New York Times has ranked in their excellent category and Citysearch named among the Top 10 Restaurants in America and Worth The Drive from any Major City. Since I’ve chatted with them, they’ve launched a second restaurant called Catherine Lombardi and their Stage Left Wine Shop is booming. Although their radio show was wildly popular, they decided to retire it and focus their time on the restaurants and wine boutique, and actually get a full night’s sleep now and then. I wanted to share this one with you because we dig into some of my most personal and earliest wine stories as well as tips on how to choose a great festive wine, pairings for turkey dinner and navigating a big restaurant wine list. This is actually two episodes rolled into one as I’ve been a guest on their show a number of times. Enjoy the episode!   Highlights How do you become a wine expert? How can you tackle a daunting restaurant wine list? Should you always follow the advice of a restaurant’s resident wine “expert”? Are you able to fit wine into your weight loss diet? Why is wine the perfect companion for your holiday meals? Can you serve Champagne before the start of the meal? Where can you look for Sparkling Wine that tastes as good as Champagne? What’s the correct temperature for you to serve Champagne? How do you figure out how much wine you should buy? What can you do to make sure the wine you bring to dinner is well-received? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/56.

Why does wine make such an ideal holiday gift? Which wines are the best to give, especially when you don’t know the personal taste of the recipient? Are there some wines you should never give as a gift beyond Two Buck Chuck? How can you match the gift wine to the personality of the giftee? We’re always talking about pairing wine and food, but how about pairing wine with the people on your holiday gift list? After all, when you give the gift of wine, doubles are fine unlike toaster ovens, there are no wrong sizes unlike that ugly sweater and regifting is so much easier compared to fruit cake or a bathroom scale. On today's episode of Unreserved Wine Talk, I'm sharing some special bottles for those special people on your shopping list. Enjoy! Highlights Why should you give wine as a gift? What makes bubbly the perfect wine for you to bring to a dinner party? Which blue-chip wine has the perfect price-quality ratio for a gift to your financial planner? Where should you look for a zesty wine with a backstory to gift your travel agent? What characteristics make a great gift wine for your hairdresser? Who would make the perfect recipient for a tasteful wine from one of the fastest-growing wine regions? Which robust red wine can you gift to a fitness enthusiast without worry? How can you make sure to pick a gift wine that stands up to analysis for your therapist? Which California wines can you rely on for your online date? What consistent red wine can be enjoyed come snow, rain, sleet or heat? Which imaginative wine choices should you consider for your mechanic? Which wine will pair perfectly with your Christmas spirit? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/55.

What it minerality mean when it comes to wine? Is it a taste? A feeling? Or some bogus concept meant to keep wine mysterious? What’s the latest with the devastating wildfires in Sonoma wine country? Why are winemakers wary of cannabis producers? It’s not what you might think. And what is a new wine group doing to help with a balanced life? On today's episode of Unreserved Wine Talk, I'm taking a deep dive into the controversial concept of minerality, assessing the impact of recent wildfires on California wine country, discussing the controversy between cannabis producers and winemakers and sharing a resource I recently found for helping you live a balanced life as a wine lover. Enjoy!   Highlights What impact has the Kincade Fire had on Sonoma County? How will that affect the wines we drink in the future? Which of the Sonoma wineries were affected by the Kincade Fire? Should cannabis producers be allowed to use wine appellations? How is cannabis added to wine? What effects should you expect to feel from drinking cannabis-infused wine? What are you experiencing when wine is described as having great minerality? Does geology influence grapes and wine? What are some simple tips you can use to keep your wine consumption in balance? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/54.

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Christine Sismondo, writer, teacher and barfly who, when not teaching literature at York University, is tracking down the city’s best drinks and the bars in which they’re served for her columns. She also writes wine and cocktail articles for the Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest national newspaper. Enjoy!   Highlights Why shouldn’t you lump Cava, Prosecco and Champagne together? Why did Lambrusco have a bad reputation in the 70s and 80s? What is the Charmat Method for producing sparkling wine? How did Lambrusco become popular in North America? Can you expect to find Italian sparkling wine at the LCBO? What foods can you pair with Lambrusco and Franciacorta? What has caused Sherry’s recent comeback? How is Pisco different from other spirits?   About Christine Sismondo Christine Sismondo is a professor of English literature at York University and she writes about wine and spirits for the Globe & Mail, Canada’s largest national newspaper. She’s also written regularly for the Toronto Star, the Report on Business Magazine and The Grid, and has won a National Magazine Award for her work. She’s the author of Mondo Cocktail: A Shaken and Stirred History and wrote a six-part podcast series on Prohibition for Wondery’s American History Tellers based on the book. Her most recent book is America Walks Into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops published by Oxford University Press.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the https://www.nataliemaclean.com/53.

On today’s episode, I’m chatting with Matt Cauz, on his excellent podcast called Matt Talks Wine and Stuff with Interesting People. Matt interviews sommeliers, winemakers and wine writers so this is a bit of a turnaround from my usual format because Matt is interviewing me. I wanted to share this episode with you because we dig into lots of great wine tips, like how to make sense of the wine region Burgundy, how social media has changed the way we think about wine and a sneak peek at some of the topics in my third book, including the issues that women in the wine industry face. Enjoy the episode! Highlights Why is your first memorable wine often the one that kick-starts your passion for wine? Why does visiting Burgundy help to make sense of it? What is it about tasting a wine where it's made that deepens your memory of it? Why is Domaine de la Romanee-Conti considered one of the world's finest wines? What can you expect from my third book about wine? How has being a woman in the wine industry changed over the past ten years? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/52.

I’m chatting with Elizabeth Schneider, who has just published her first book called Wine for Normal People. Elizabeth also hosts one of the popular wine podcasts, Wine for Normal People. She’s a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and co-founder of Underground Wine Events, which brings together wine lovers with terrific, small wineries around the US. She talks and thinks about wine in a practical, often tongue-in-cheek way and her info-packed classes and tastings are always informative and fun, never overwhelming and dry. Meanwhile, I’m getting amazing feedback from wine lovers who are taking my new, free online video wine class called The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes that Can Ruin Your Dinner and how to fix them forever. You’ll learn about that plus about my new in-depth, paid course called The Wine Smart Course: A Full-Bodied Framework to Taste, Pair and Buy Wines like a Pro. Enjoy! Highlights What are “normal” people when it comes to wine? How are wine and table grapes different? How can you identify regions that produce crisp wines with the jacket-in-summer question? Are the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier programs professional designations or private clubs? What misconception about the lake effect often gets repeated by wine experts? How is Elizabeth’s new book, Wine for Normal People, different from all other wine books? Why would Dom Perignon disapprove of the bubbles in Champagne? What winemaking accident created the effervescence in Champagne? To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/51.

How do you pair wine and chocolate? Do the wines change with different types of chocolate, say milk chocolate versus dark chocolate? How is the 2019 harvest going in BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia? What can we expect as consumers in terms of style, quality, and price? How have the wildfires affected the California harvest of 2017, especially since those red wines are now hitting liquor store shelves? That's exactly what I'm talking about in today's edition of Unreserved Wine Talk. I’m also hosting my first live wine class for the 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes that Can Ruin Your Dinner (and how to fix them forever). This free class is also when I’ll share details about my new, in-depth paid course called The Wine Smart Course (catchy right?) A Full-Bodied Framework to Taste, Pair & Buy Wine Like a Pro. You’ll know when you can join me on the free class if you get my wine newsletter. Enjoy!   Highlights Should you even try to pair wine and chocolate? Won't the sweetness of the chocolate make the wine taste bitter? Why are fortified wines the best partners for chocolate? How do their sweetness and higher alcohol content match the flavours of chocolate? Why does port, in particular, go well with chocolate? Why is milk chocolate harder to pair with wine than dark chocolate? Which wines pair best with white chocolate? What about desserts with just a touch of chocolate, like strawberries dipped in chocolate? What critical factors affected the 2019 harvest in BC, Ontario and NS? Did Hurricane Dorian have an impact on the harvest? Which wines and grapes will do well this year, and which won't? How does a wet, cold spring impact the style of wines? Why is 2019 proving to be a challenging harvest for winemakers across the country? How did the 2017 wildfires affect Californian wines? What can you expect in terms of taste and style for the reds now hitting liquor store shelves?   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Stephanie Piché, a chef who in her never-ending quest for new flavours and experiences, has travelled the world to over 30 countries to gather insight and knowledge in international travel, luxury dining, local recipes and the world’s best wines. Enjoy!   Highlights How did Stephanie stumble upon a secret cellar in Nice, France? How can you pair wine and kangaroo? What is Stephanie’s top restaurant dining etiquette tip? Why is Spain Stephanie’s favourite country from her travels? What’s the best wine trip to take in Spain? Which wine festivals are Stephanie’s favourite? Why does Stephanie like unfiltered Chardonnay and Pinot Noir? Why are California vintners experimenting with ageing wine in the ocean?   About Stephanie Piché Stephanie Piché was literally born into the kitchen. All the women on both sides of her family are happiest when they are together cooking and serving food. Stephanie grew up in this atmosphere of love and laughter while learning family recipes that have been handed down for generations. It is this legacy that she safeguards and honours with the name of her company – Legacy Events Inc. On her never-ending quest for new flavours and experiences, she has travelled the world to over 30 countries (actually…33 and counting!) to gather insight and knowledge in international travel, luxury dining, local recipes and the world’s best wines. With her own website and podcast dedicated to all things food, drink and travel, Stephanie meets, chats and consults with people all over the world through Skype, social media and in-person whenever she can.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the https://www.nataliemaclean.com/49.