Natalie MacLean is more than just an accredited sommelier; she’s a wine writer, speaker, wine judge, and publisher of one of the largest wine newsletters on the Internet.
“I’ve been writing about wine for 10 years,” says MacLean, “I love the ‘research’ aspect of my job and am very thorough about it.”
She’s good at it, too. Her book, Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass, was named Best Wine Book in the English Language at the Gourmand Cookbook Awards. It also won the Culinary Literary Book Award in the Cordon d’Or international culinary arts competition.
Impressive, but MacLean was just getting warmed up. Her outstanding writing has also won her numerous other awards including: four prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards, six Bert Greene awards, five awards from the American Association of Journalists, and four North American Travel Writers Association awards.
Uncorking Today’s Wine Culture
Though her resume is a bit intimidating, MacLean is anything but. Noted for her quick wit and remarkably easygoing approach to wine, she’s a cool breeze in an industry characterized by stiff know-it-alls. Think you need to cross-check dozens of rules before uncorking your next bottle? Think again.
“The only rule is to drink what you like. If the wine you like doesn’t go with the food you’re eating, for goodness sakes, have a bun in between.”
It’s this open attitude that makes MacLean’s work so attractive to beginners just learning the vines and experienced wine fanatics alike.
The majority of books about wine focus on facts – about the grapes, vintages, food matches, and although there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, when you’ve read one – you’ve read them all.
What is refreshing about MacLean’s book is that you learn via her stories of her various wine world experiences. Her writing style is personable and easy to read. I enjoyed it immensely.
get your copy : Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass