261: Mood & Wine Pairings + British Columbia's Best Wine Regions with Luke Whittall, Author of 50 Must-Try Wines from BC and Ontario

Why should you consider mood and experience when pairing wines? What is a lustful wine? What do you need to know about British Columbia’s wine regions? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with author and host of The Sipsters Wine Podcast, Luke Whittall. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a personally signed copy of Luke's new book, The Sipster's Pocket Guide to 50 Must-Try Ontario Wines. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me.  Good luck!   Highlights What makes the Golden Mile Bench so special? Which wineries on the Golden Mile Bench should not be missed? Why should you consider mood and experience when pairing wines? What is a lustful wine? Why does Luke describe Vancouver Island as the Italy of BC? Which labels should you look for from Vancouver Island? What makes the red wines of the Similkameen Valley unique? What do you need to know about the other BC wine regions including Fraser Valley, Gulf islands, Kootenays, Lillooet, Shuswap, and Thompson Valley? What does BC need to do in order to thrive as a wine region for the next five to ten years? How do Luke’s The Sipster’s Pocket Guides differ from other wine guides?   Key Takeaways I love that Luke likes to pair wines to moods rather than simply food. I think our emotional state and occasion are often far better predictors of a great match than whether your asparagus was oven-roasted or steamed. I especially like his description of a lustful wine. Luke continues to share surprising insights about British Columbia’s wine regions and wines. I’m intrigued with the way Golden Mile Bench wines retain their acidity and structure, and am motivated to visit that area again.  I enjoyed his notion that there are times when you can tell that the wine really likes you.    Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wed at 7 pm ET on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I want to hear from you! What’s your opinion of what we’re discussing? What takeaways or tips do you love most from this chat? What questions do you have that we didn’t answer? Want to know when we go live? Add this to your calendar: https://www.addevent.com/calendar/CB262621   About Luke Whittall Luke Whittall has worked in cellars, vineyards, and wine shops since 2005. He has authored or co-authored 4 books on wine and is currently a wine instructor at Okanagan College. His most recent book, The Sipster’s Pocket Guide to 50 Must-Try BC Wines follows up on the success of The Sipster’s Pocket Guide to 50 Must-Try BC Wines, and continues to mark a new direction in wine writing.     To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/261.