Maclean, Natalie

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Maclean, Natalie

PERSONAL:

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; married; husband's name Andrew; children: Rian. Education: Attended Oxford University; Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, bachelor of public relations; University of Western Ontario, M.B. Hobbies and other interests: Highland dancing.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Canada. E-mail—natdecants@nataliemaclean.com.

CAREER:

Journalist, writer, and speaker. Has also served as a wine-tasting judge.

MEMBER:

National Capital Sommelier Guild, Wine Writers Circle.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Best Wine Literature Book in the English language, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, for Red, White, and Drunk All Over; World's Best Drink Writer, World Food Media Awards in Australia, 2003; James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards (four), including the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award, for writing about drinks; Bert Greene Award for excellence in food journalism (five), International Association of Culinary Professionals; North America Travel Journalists Association Award (four).

WRITINGS:

Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass, Bloomsbury (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including the Chicago Tribune, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Reader's Digest, BusinessWeek, enRoute (Air Canada), Hemispheres (United Airlines), Chatelaine, Saturday Night, Age (Australia), Sydney Morning Herald, Wine Enthusiast, Wine International, Canadian House & Home, Worth, Canadian Business, Food & Drink, Grand, Upscale Living, Coastal Living, Ottawa Citizen, MD Canada, MD News, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Saltscapes, Halifax Herald, Pure Canada, Tasters Guild International, Vines, Wine Selectors, Wine Access, Wine Tidings, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, IE Money and President's Choice. Publishes newsletter Nat Decants on her home page.

SIDELIGHTS:

Natalie Maclean began a new career when her husband suggested she take a wine appreciation class. Since then she has become a renowned wine writer, speaker and judge. In her book Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass, Maclean recounts three years of traveling the world, from France to California, tasting and judging wine and meeting many of the wine industry's most interesting people and wine makers, from Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards to other wine writers such as Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson. The author writes of her own development as a connoisseur of wine and explores the many aspects of wine and the wine business, including how wines should be described and written about. She also covers the basics of wine, such as the importance of aging and why the type of glass a wine is served in is important. The author also writes about her time apprenticing in wine cellars and working at a noted wine emporium. Writing that the author's "enthusiasm for wine is contagious," a Publishers Weekly contributor noted the author's "solid research … breezy style … commonsense advice … [and] her good humor." A Kirkus Reviews contributor wrote that the author's "knowledge is artfully imparted." In an article in the Miami Herald, Fred Tasker referred to the author's sensual style of writing about wine and noted: "We may have a new genre here: The wine book as bodice-ripper." Tasker also wrote: "Throughout, she remains engaging, colorful and informative."