The bestselling, award-winning writer Natalie MacLean discusses her new memoir Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much (Dundurn Press, 2023), with Joseph Planta.

Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much by Natalie MacLean (Dundurn Press, 2023). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Wine Witch on Fire

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Natalie MacLean joins me again. The award-winning, bestselling wine writer has just published a new memoir Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much. It’s an engaging book that recounts what was happening in her life about ten years ago. When she first appeared on this program in 2011, she had just published her second book, Unquenchable, and like her first book, Red, White and Drunk All Over, it was critically acclaimed and sold well. She also appeared regularly in newspapers across Canada and the United States, as well as on television. But soon after, her marriage was ending, and she was the victim of an online mobbing by other critics, critical of her work. She recounts the experiences of a decade ago in detail, as well as honestly, with the frankness and humour that has made Ms. MacLean the popular personality in the media. The book chronicles how she made it out of the abyss, and how she’s bounced back personally and professionally. She went back on the dating scene after twenty years off the market, and has found love. And her work has yielded many plaudits including World’s Best Drinks Journalist at the World Food Awards, four James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards, and the M.F.K. Fisher awards from both the James Beard Foundation and Les Dames d’Escoffier International. She also discusses how her own consumption of alcohol has come into focus in recent years. It’s thoughtful introspection she’s done on herself, but also how wine and spirits are marketed to women. Visit www.WineWitchonFire.com to buy the book, where if you get it there, you’ll get some bonuses, including a free companion reader guide that’ll have tips for book club discussion, or how to organise an informal wine tasting with friends. This new book is published by Dundurn Press. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Natalie MacLean; Ms. MacLean, good morning.

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