Unreserved Wine Talk

What makes a properly made mint julep much more complex than people expect? How did an Indian revolutionary leader end up creating one of Japan's most famous curry recipes? How did a recipe collected during a 1930s concert tour in Indonesia become the legendary Queen Mother's Cake, different from every other chocolate cake you've ever had?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with James Chatto, co-author of the terrific new book Acquired Tastes: The Lives and Recipes of Eight Culinary Ambassadors.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
 
Giveaway
Three of you are going to win a copy of James Chatto's new book, Acquired Tastes: The Lives and Recipes of Eight Culinary Ambassadors. 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 mint julep tradition at Oxford both fascinating and deeply complicated?
Why did a simple rum drink discovered in Cuba become one of America's most iconic cocktails?
What hidden history was uncovered behind the luxurious dish Lobster Newberg?
How did a Bengali revolutionary leave a lasting mark on Japanese curry culture?
What made Jan Smeterlin's chocolate cake unforgettable enough to become a royal favorite?
Why does James believe food is such a powerful and lasting carrier of memory?
Which story in the book seemed so improbable that James doubted it until the historical evidence confirmed it?
What personal objects would James choose to display in a museum about his life?
 
About James Chatto
James Chatto read English at New College, Oxford, before becoming an actor and musician; today, he is one of Canada's best-known writers on the subjects of food and drink. He has written seven books, including A Kitchen in Corfu, the best-selling A Matter of Taste (with Lucy Waverman) and two memoirs, The Man Who Ate Toronto and The Greek for Love. As a journalist, he spent decades as Toronto Life's restaurant columnist, Senior Editor of the LCBO's magazine, Food & Drink, and editor of harry magazine; his writing has appeared in dozens of publications in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A co-founder of the Canadian Culinary Championship, he is a Chevalier of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Taste Fromage de France, and a Freeman of Corfu Town. He is a puppetmaker.
 
 
 
 
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/392.

What did lasagna taste like in Renaissance Italy before tomatoes and ragù became standard? Why are some of Thailand's most iconic royal desserts rooted in Portuguese convent recipes? How did a chance conversation at dinner unexpectedly unlock hidden pieces of food history?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with James Chatto, co-author of the terrific new book Acquired Tastes: The Lives and Recipes of Eight Culinary Ambassadors.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
 
Giveaway
Three of you are going to win a copy of James Chatto's new book, Acquired Tastes: The Lives and Recipes of Eight Culinary Ambassadors. 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
Why did James transition from acting and music into a career as a food writer?
What did James learn from his godfather, Robert Morley, about why food writing is ultimately about people?
What inspired James, Wendy, and their historian son to structure Acquired Tastes around real people who carried recipes from one culture into another?
How did Renaissance Italians make lasagna with and why did James find the recipe so unexpectedly delicious?
What memorable kitchen disaster turned a promising chocolate cake into something "dry as chalk"?
Who was Maria Guyomar de Pinha and how did she become a key figure in Thai royal desserts?
What do you need to know about the Thai dessert foi thong and its history?
Why does James believe recipes certain recipes have survived for centuries?
Who was Queen Bona Sforza and how did she influence Polish food culture?
What coincidence connected James with a modern Italian wine importer whose hometown still preserves Queen Bona's legacy centuries later?
 
About James Chatto
James Chatto read English at New College, Oxford, before becoming an actor and musician; today, he is one of Canada's best-known writers on the subjects of food and drink. He has written seven books, including A Kitchen in Corfu, the best-selling A Matter of Taste (with Lucy Waverman) and two memoirs, The Man Who Ate Toronto and The Greek for Love. As a journalist, he spent decades as Toronto Life's restaurant columnist, Senior Editor of the LCBO's magazine, Food & Drink, and editor of harry magazine; his writing has appeared in dozens of publications in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A co-founder of the Canadian Culinary Championship, he is a Chevalier of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Taste Fromage de France, and a Freeman of Corfu Town. He is a puppetmaker.
 
 
 
 
 
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/391.

What's the difference between drinking for pleasure and drinking for relief? How does your body's early reaction to alcohol predict your long-term risk of developing alcohol dependence? How do some people drink heavily for years without developing the same dependence that others struggle to escape?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Dr. Charles Knowles, author of Why We Drink Too Much: The New Science of Alcohol.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
 
Giveaway
Three of you are going to win a copy of Charles Knowles' new book, Why We Drink Too Much: The New Science of Alcohol. 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
When does alcohol shift from a social choice into biological dependence?
Why can people with alcohol dependence end up drinking more for relief than for pleasure?
How do certain environments become powerful craving cues?
Why is being able to drink heavily without hangovers considered a major risk factor?
Why do some people experience alcohol as intensely stimulating rather than merely relaxing?
How did long-term studies of teenagers predict future alcoholism?
Why is there still no meaningful genetic test for alcohol dependence?
What behavioral signs can reveal a heightened vulnerability to problematic drinking?
Why does alcohol dependence often appear in highly driven professions?
Why does Charles believe that people with alcohol dependence can never safely return to drinking?
What convinced Charles that he could never drink again?
Why does Charles believe recovery depends on changing thinking patterns?
 
About Charles Knowles
Michael Finnerty is a cheesemonger, journalist, and author based in both London, UK, and Montreal. After almost 30 years of success and acclaim working for the CBC, BBC, and The Guardian, he found joy and a new life selling cheese at London's iconic Borough Market. Mike has a weekly column on Pénélope on Radio-Canada, works part-time at Global Montreal, but for most of the year, you can find him slinging cheese with the other mongers. Critically acclaimed, The Cheese Cure is his first book.
 
 
 
 
 
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/390.

What can your first experiences with alcohol tell you about the relationship you'll have with it later in life? Are we fighting with our own biology when it comes to alcohol? Why is moderation impossible for some people?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Dr. Charles Knowles, author of Why We Drink Too Much: The New Science of Alcohol.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
 
Giveaway
Three of you are going to win a copy of Charles Knowles' new book, Why We Drink Too Much: The New Science of Alcohol. 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
How did Charles' initial attempt at a memoir expand to explore the science behind why we drink alcohol?
Why did Charles feel it was essential to present alcohol research without oversimplifying?
Why does he reject both anti-alcohol evangelism?
What can early experiences with alcohol reveal about future risk of developing a problematic relationship with it?
How does alcohol act as a social lubricant for some people?
What's the connection between human evolution and alcohol as the world's oldest and most widely used drug?
What was alcohol's role in early human societies?
What distinguishes alcohol dependence from gray area drinking?
Which aspects of drinking increase the risk of developing a problematic relationship with alcohol?
Why does the brain's reward system prioritize alcohol over other needs?
What is the default mode network, and why does alcohol's ability to quiet repetitive negative thinking make it so reinforcing?
 
About Charles Knowles
Charles Knowles is Professor of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London and a colorectal surgeon. He is author of the book "Why We Drink Too Much: The New Science of Alcohol" which was published by Macmillan in the UK, Commonwealth, US and Canada in January 2026. The book entwines his own journey with an understanding of the effects of alcohol in the body and brain, and how this informs rational approaches to stopping or moderating consumption.
 
 
 
 
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/389.

Why does buying from a good cheese shop often beat picking up a wedge from the supermarket? How do people underestimate the physical labor and other demands of being a cheesemonger? How does using a cheese iron reveal where a wheel of cheese is in its life?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Michael Finnerty, author of the terrific new book The Cheese Cure: How Comté and Camembert Fed My Soul.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
 
Giveaway
Three of you are going to win a copy of Michael Finnerty's new book, The Cheese Cure: How Comté and Camembert Fed My Soul. 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
Why do so many people underestimate the physical labor and other demands behind life as a cheesemonger?
How does using a cheese iron reveal where a wheel is in its life?
Why can two wheels of the same Comté taste noticeably different?
How do grading systems help protect cheese quality?
Why do locally made cheeses sometimes outperform famous imported cheeses?
What are the advantages of visiting a cheese shop over supermarkets and bulk retailers?
How do cheesemongers tell the difference between a cheese that is flawed and one that is stronger than their taste preferences?
What causes washed rind cheeses to develop those famously funky aromas?
What made the Hervé Mons 1924 Bleu so unforgettable that Michael describes it as a narcotic cheese?
Why should you always taste a cheese before buying it?
 
About Michael Finnerty
Michael Finnerty is a cheesemonger, journalist, and author based in both London, UK, and Montreal. After almost 30 years of success and acclaim working for the CBC, BBC, and The Guardian, he found joy and a new life selling cheese at London's iconic Borough Market. Mike has a weekly column on Pénélope on Radio-Canada, works part-time at Global Montreal, but for most of the year, you can find him slinging cheese with the other mongers. Critically acclaimed, The Cheese Cure is his first book.
 
 
 
 
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/388.