147: Pet-Nats, Piquettes, Croatia & Comfort Wines with Kate Dingwall

Are you curious about trendy new wines like pet-nats and piquettes? Which lesser-known Croatian wine should you try? What are comfort wines and what do you pair with them? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Kate Dingwall who writes about food and drink for Forbes, Toronto Life, The Toronto Star, Wine Enthusiast, among others. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights How have restaurant wine lists been impacted by the pandemic? Why have many restaurants had to sell off their cellars? What does the increased consumer wine education mean for restaurants? What are pét-nat wines? Why are pét-nat wines a fun, casual option? Which North American pét-nats does Kate recommend? Why should you try Piquette? What’s Kate’s approach to wine tasting? How can you pair shrimp chips with wine? What’s the weirdest food and wine pairing Kate’s ever had? Which Croatian wine does Kate believe deserves more attention? What’s Kate’s favourite wine book? Why would Kate love to share a bottle of wine with Salvador Dali? Which type of wine does Kate identify with the most? What’s Kate’s top wine tip for you?   Key Takeaways Kate gave a great overview of trendy new wines like pet-nats and piquettes. I also enjoyed her take on Croatian wines to try. Restaurant lists and wine service are changing post-pandemic, from a reduced selection from having to sell off their cellars, to more educated consumers who know what they want. I loved her suggestions for weird wine pairings and look forward to trying shrimp chips.   Watch Party Join me for the debut Watch Party of the video of this conversation that I’ll be live-streaming for the very first time on Zoom on Wednesday, September 29th at 7 pm eastern. You can save your spot for free right here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PXuKYtdmToC7Kl4z3lLsEQ. I’ll be jumping into the comments as we watch it together so that I can answer your questions in real-time. 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?   About Kate Dingwall By day, Kate Dingwall is a seasoned writer and editor covering the intersection between spirits, business, culture and sustainability. By night Kate is a working wine professional. She's a food and beverage business contributor at Forbes.com, the drinks writer at Toronto Life and The Toronto Star, a columnist at The Whiskey Wash, wine writer at MAXIM, and a regular contributor to Liquor.com and The Spruce. Her work also appears in Elle InsideHook, The Spruce, Liquor.com, Toronto Life (print + online), Eater, MAXIM, Canada's 100 Best Restaurants (print + online), Porter Magazine, Wine Enthusiast, Foodism (print + online), VinePair, DuJour, CultureTrip, and The Bourbon Review (print). Outside of writing, she finished her Masters of Brand Management program with a thesis on innovation in the American wine world. She spent a large chunk of her career working in New York City and consulting with a variety of beverage and hospitality powerhouses in the realm of brand development. She is currently based in Toronto and is a wine server at one of Canada's top restaurants.   To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/147.