Natalie Maclean has written a harrowing, heartfelt, and often hilarious account of the backlash she endured breaching the largely male-dominated world of wine writing. This highly personal odyssey is an eyes-wide-open take on betrayal, the insidious lure of addiction, and the sheer mettle required to rise above those seeking to cast a poisonous spell.
Rosa Harris, bestselling author of Boomerville
Wine wizard wordsmith, enchanting interviewer, battle-tested survivor, fierce mother, witty, wise — Natalie MacLean is the whole package. Sip a great wine while you savour her memoir.
Gus Clemens, wine columnist
In Wine Witch on Fire, Natalie MacLean takes us inside the compromised competitiveness of the wine industry, and the wildly unfair challenges faced by women who choose nobly to enter the profession only to be repelled by its male power base. She opens her heart with authenticity to the pain of love lost, the joy of discovering new love, and the endless questions of balancing parenting with being a working professional. Her love of language is a joyous counterpart to her love of viticulture.
Ken Goldstein, bestselling author of Endless Encores
This deeply personal memoir tells the inspiring story of a talented woman navigating the treacherous currents of the wine industry, finding her voice and regaining her power through a true connection to time and place, human terroir.
Chef Michael Smith, bestselling author of ten cookbooks, Food Network host
Natalie MacLean has written a book that will resonate with women from many different generations and fields. Filled with grit and vulnerability, MacLean examines the hardest parts of being a woman in a man’s world with honesty and poise. A read filled with healing and hope.
Victoria James, bestselling author of Wine Girl
Natalie MacLean offers readers a look into the magical world of wine, addressing head-on its problematic treatment of women throughout the industry.
Rachel Signer, bestselling author of You Had Me at Pét-Nat
Rousing, funny, and insider-y, Natalie MacLean’s soul-baring memoir paints an evocative and compelling picture of what it’s like to be a woman in wine.
Nell McShane Wulfhart, bestselling author of Off Menu
MacLean is an accomplished wine writer, but this deeply personal book takes us behind the scenes, revealing one woman’s journey and extraordinary determination to become herself.
Karen MacNeil, bestselling author of The Wine Bible
MacLean is well known for her vast wine knowledge and for sharing that knowledge but with Wine Witch on Fire she shares a plethora of personal life crises with humour and compassion, teaching that anyone who experiences similar troubles and mid-life crisis can also transform their lives. Middle-aged men can learn a lot about how to support their female partner by encouraging her self-worth.
John J. Mahoney, Ph.D., C.W.E., author of Every Bottle Has a Story
Misogyny, sexism, social media trolling. Natalie MacLean has been through hell and back. But her words are heartfelt and her journey inspiring.
Barbara Fairchild, former editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit magazine
Natalie MacLean is living a life that is the definition of resilience. In her empowering new memoir, she takes us on her incredible journey filled with love, anguish, and fearless determination. Natalie’s story is an inspiration and guide to living well and fearlessly. A fabulous read!
Traci Melchor, Judge, Canada's Drag Race and Senior Correspondent, Etalk
Misogyny, sexism, social media trolling. Natalie MacLean has been through hell and back. But her words are heartfelt and her journey inspiring.
Barbara Fairchild, former editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit
Natalie MacLean is living a life that is the definition of resilience. In her empowering new memoir Wine Witch on Fire she takes us on her incredible journey filled with love, anguish, and fearless determination. Natalie’s story is an inspiration and guide to living well and fearlessly. A fabulous read!
Traci Melchor, Judge, Canada's Drag Race, and Senior Correspondent, Etalk
Told with equal parts poignancy and humour, Wine Witch on Fire is a spirited tale of determination lived on the terroir of Natalie's amazing and inspiring journey.
Danny Meyer, NYT bestselling author of Setting The Table
Zesty, vibrant, meditative, edgy, structured, intense — these words Natalie MacLean might use to describe wines all apply to her Wine Witch on Fire. With clear-eyed honesty and needle-sharp probing, her memoir covers a time of personal and professional crisis, much of which rose from the astonishing sexism of other wine writers.
Frances Mayes, New York Times best-selling author of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Place in the World
Wine Witch on Fire is the triumphant story of how MacLean pushed back against sexism in the wine industry, found love, and drew on her female “witching” powers to turn obstacles into opportunities.
Frances Dinkelspiel, New York Times bestselling author of Tangled Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California
Vulnerable, honest, personal…with a touch of humor (and best paired with your favorite glass of wine). Natalie's beautifully written memoir shares an empowering story of her journey that reminds us just how powerful we are as women, and how we can always dig deep to find a little determination and faith, even with those things seem nowhere to be found.
Amy Porterfield, host of the top-rated podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy
With a voice full of humour and keen honesty, wine writer Natalie MacLean pairs the personal with the political in her new book, Wine Witch on Fire. In the process, she exposes the sexism of an industry while coming to understand her own hard-won strengths. A delightful read with or without a glass of wine.
Suzanne Evans, author of The Taste of Longing, winner of the Taste Canada Gold Award
Forthright, wry, and heady, Wine Witch on Fire is a memoir about wine, life, and hard-won wisdom.
Foreword Reviews
Natalie MacLean is living a life that is the definition of resilience. In her empowering new memoir, she takes us on her incredible journey filled with love, anguish, and fearless determination. Natalie’s story is an inspiration and guide to living well and fearlessly. A fabulous read!
Traci Melchor, Judge, Canada's Drag Race and Senior Correspondent, Etalk