Natalie MacLean's Free Wine Newsletter

New Wine Reviews

Natalie MacLean — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:36:27 GMT

Number of Wines Recommended: 48

Review date: November 7, 2009

The highlights in this Vintages release include ...

- 17 wines under $20

- Best value white: Chilean Chardonnay with toasted almonds and buttery richness for roast chicken $15.95

- Favorite white: German Riesling with mouth-watering aromas of ripe peach for glazed ham and soft cheeses 93/100

- Best value red: Argentine Malbec with fleshy dark berries for hamburgers, lamb and pizza $12.95

- Favorite red: An Italian Super Tuscan bursting with notes of violets, aged leather, black cherry for prime rib and filet mignon 93/100

- Favorite Sparkling Wine: James Bon's classic bubbly, timeless and edgy 93/100

- Best value dessert wine: A luxuriously rich port for after dinner or with chocolate desserts $18.95

You can see a complete free sample set of reviews here.

Here is the text-only shopping list for these reviews with wine names, tasting notes, scores, food matches & recipes for the November 7 reviews here.

Join Me at the Ottawa Food & Wine Show Nov 7

Natalie MacLean — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I'll be at the Ottawa Wine & Food Show Saturday November 7th from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Tasting Alley, the area of the show where you can meet winemakers, taste some special wines and there are no lineups guaranteed. Please come to say hello ...

You can also get some holiday shopping done early as I'll have my books on hand and will sign them personally to whomever you like. E-mail me in advance if you want me to reserve copies for you. I'm also happy to do this for anyone who can't make it to the show: natdecants@nataliemaclean.com.

Cheers,

Natalie

Louis Roederer Wine Writing Awards Video

Natalie MacLean — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here's a short video and some pics from the Louis Roederer Wine Writing Awards last month. It was incredible meeting many of my favorite wine writers from various countries. I wasn't holding my breath since my fellow nominees included the sites of Jancis Robinson, Kate Thal and Robert Parker ...

So I was a little dumbstruck when they announced my name. I wanted to thank you, my readers, for making my web site what it is today with all of your helpful suggestions and great ideas!

One of my favorite all-time writers is Jancis Robinson, the editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine ...

Another writer and editor I admire a lot is Guy Woodward, the editor of Decanter Magazine ...

Below: Frédéric Rouzaud President of Champagne Louis Roederer and Charles Metcalfe, Chairman of the Panel of Judges and BBC wine commentator. A night to remember: I'll drink to that, but then again, I'll drink to anything ...

Drinking Wine in the Mountains

Natalie MacLean — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:08:45 GMT

This weekend, I'm heading to Banff for the annual food and wine festival at the Fairmont Hotel. I'm looking forward to breathing in the crisp air of the Canadian Rockies, while sipping on some mouth-waterings wines. I've heard great things about ...

... this festival, but have never attended. On the agenda this year:

Hennessy

Bertrand Steip, General Manager of Hennessy Canada, takes you through a very exclusive tasting of five of the famed Cognac house’s cognacs including Richard Hennessy.

Vintners Reception

Enjoy six interactive food stations showcasing the talents of The Fairmont Banff Springs Culinary team. The evening would not be complete without a perfect glass of wine. Our vintners will showcase their offerings to match our culinary teams’ offering. Live entertainment presented by Barry Shaw.

Technical tasting with Henry Pelham

Paul Speck and his two brothers own the award winning Niagara winery and are pleased to present eight outstanding wines including Cuvée Catharine Brut and Riesling Ice wine.

Tasting with Seghesio Family Winery

Camille Seghesio leads you through seven of her family’s wines. Prepare yourself as the Seghesio family is known for their incredible high scoring Sonoma Valley Zinfandels.

Lunch
Executive Chef Martin Luthi has prepared a four-course feast perfectly paired with our featured wines.

Anna Abbona, Marchesi di Barolo Piedmonte

Ms. Abbona and her family own the world renowned Marchesi di Barolo Piedmonte vineyard. Ms. Abbona will lead you through six enticing wines, from Moscatto to Barolo

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Culinary demonstration

From the farm to fork, Stephen Garton of The Fairmont Banff Springs, Felix Pfister of The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and Patrick Turcot of The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge will create a three course menu, sourcing only local ingredients. Each Chef will explain what they are doing, step by step, and leave your taste buds wanting more and a recipe card to take home.

Masquerade black tie Gala Dinner

We gather for a Cuvée Catharine Reception before our masquerade black-tie gala dinner. After seven courses, twelve wines and one cognac, you will be ready to dance the night away with Barry Shaw and The Banff Springs Orchestra.

Technical Tasting - Tolaini Vineyard

Join Louis Tolaini, owner of Tolaini Vineyard in Tuscany, as he takes us through three of his recently high-scoring wines. Here you will taste three vintages of each wine. Pick up the latest Wine Spectator to read about Louis and the phenomenal scores his wines just received.

Technical Tasting

The last technical tasting showcases two vineyards from France. We start with James Sichel, famed owner of numerous Bordeaux wineries, including the prestigious Château Palmer. Mr. Sichel will showcase four vintages of his Chateau d’Angludet vineyard’s top blends. Along with Mr. Sichel is Laure Planty, owner of Château Guiraud. Mr. Planty will introduce four of the wines that Guiraud produce in addition to their famed Sauterne.

I wonder if wine tastes different at such a high altitude? Can't wait to experiment (many times)!

Natalie

Sumptuous Pinot Noir Dinner in Niagara

Natalie MacLean — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:58:49 GMT

While in Niagara, I was fortunate to indulge in a Pinot Noir tasting dinner at Peller Estate Restaurant, one of the best restaurants in the Niagara region. Chef Jason Parsons chatted with me in the busy kitchen about his philosophy of fresh, local and wine inspired cuisine ...

Here's the menu: the wines and dishes were matched deliciously well!

CHEF’S SIGNATURE CHIICKEN LIIVER PARFAIIT
Pinot Noir, Plum Preserve

Andrew Peller Chardonnay “Sur Lie” 2007
LOBSTER LIINGUINI
Icewine Poached Lobster, Alberta Parmesan, Chardonnay “Sur Lie” Cream Sauce

CHESTNUT ROASTED DUCK
Spiced Autumn Ragout and Pinot Bacon Sauce

Private Reserve Meritage 2007
ANATOMY OF MERITAGE
White Pepper / Cherry / Smoke / Vanilla
White Pepper Lamb / Estate Cherry Risotto / Smoked Bouquatin / Vanilla Crème Fraiche

Andrew Peller Riesling Icewine 2008
“BLUE ICE”
Riesling Icewine Wine Infused St. Benoit Blue Benedictine

Working the Grape Sorting Table at Canada's Benchmark Pinot Noir

Natalie MacLean — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:35:24 GMT

They put me to work on the grape sorting table at Le Clos Jordanne a few weeks ago. This Niagara winery makes some of the finest, if not the finest, pinot noirs in Canada. Elegant, silky, seductive, these wines draw you head first into the glass ...

Winemaker Thomas Bachelder is absolutely fanatical about grape selection: that's the monumental foundation on which he contructs his wines. Here are the grapes coming in... juicy, fleshy and sweet like the fall...

Thomas and I drove out to all of the vineyards to taste the grapes and then compared these to barrel samples of the 2008 wines, which are weaving together beautifully. You'll find my reviews of them here.

The vineyards are lovely to look at, draped in their white lacy nets as though dressed for a fall wedding. These nets have the practical purpose of keeping out hungry starlings, though a few always manage to get through.

This winery shows not only what Canada can do now, but it also points to a thrilling future. Wow.

Natalie

Drinks Matcher Mobile App in December Chatelaine

Natalie MacLean — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:40:41 GMT

In the December issue of Chatealine magazine, the editors have chosen their favorite food and drink mobile apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and other smartphones. I was thrilled that my Drinks Matcher app was among them...

The review notes that the app has 380,000 pairings, with new ones added daily. Why, yes indeed it does. You can find more info here. Got a match I've missed? E-mail me and I'll add it.

Natalie

New Wine Reviews

Natalie MacLean — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Number of Wines Recommended: 48

Review date: October 24, 2009

The highlights in this Vintages release include ...

- 16 wines under $20

- Best value white: Lime-fresh German Riesling for tuna $13.95

- Favorite white: Mouth-watering Niagara Riesling for salads and salmon 92/100

- Best value red: Robust Italian red for pizza and lasanga $12.95

- Favorite red: A Spanish red with blackberry and violet notes for veal 93/100

You can see a complete free sample set of reviews here.

Here is the text-only shopping list for the October 24 reviews with wine names, tasting notes, scores, food matches & recipes.

Pairing Wine with Helicopter & Quail at Malivoire Winery

Natalie MacLean — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:40:23 GMT

On a recent visit to Niagara, I was fortunate to spend time with Martin Malivoire of Malivoire winery, a producer of spectacular pinot noirs. We arrived at his gravity-flow winery by helicopter along with Magdalena Kaiser-Smit of the Ontario Wine Council. This gave us a terrific overview of the region (though I was glad to be on firm ground again when we landed)

We tasted through a range of his lovely pinots, both from the estate vineyard and from the coveted Moire Vineyard. You'll find my reviews of the current and past vintages here.

Then we went on to taste his Gamays: I was floored! Gamay could be the sleeper red for Niagara. It's loaded with fleshy berry fruit, some tingling spices and pepper and yet doesn't have any furry tannins, those road bumps when all you want is a river of smooth, silky flavour.

These wines paired beautifully with the barbecued quail and homemade pumpkin soup that we made together (okay, Martin made, I passed him the serving dishes). The leaves on the trees surrounding his home fell quietly as we sipped and savoured. A perfect fall day.

Saveur's "Sites We Love"

Natalie MacLean — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:21:26 GMT

Just found out today from Saveur magazine that they've chosen my site for their featured "Sites We Love." I'm thrilled to receive the endorsement of such a respected food and drink magazine ...

Over the years, I've loved reading the stories in this publication ... the food photography is gorgeous too. Off to celebrate with something tasty!

Cheers,

Natalie