The Wine Pair Podcast

Been wondering just what the heck Orange Wine is? Well, drop on in and we’ll tell you what’s what! You can kind of think of Orange Wine as a cousin to Rosé wine, but there are some key differences - differences in the grapes, the production, and the tastes of the wines. If you have been hesitant to try Orange Wine, we’re here to tell you you shouldn’t be. And, yes, it may seem hip, cool, and in vo...

Our goal in life is to find high QPR wines to share with you all, and in Monastrell, we think we have found a QPR Superstar! Two of the wines we tasted were $10.99, and they way, way, way outpunch their price. Stop wasting your money on overpriced California Cabs, and discover this wine which gives you much more bang for your buck! Also known as Mourvèdre, Mataro, and a million other names, Monast...

We are off on another Italian Wine Adventure, and this time we bring you a wonderful white wine from Umbria called Orvieto. Wait, what’s that you say? You’ve never heard of Orvieto? Well, we need to change that! Orvieto is a white wine made from a blend of grapes - most predominantly Grechettto and Trebbiano Toscano (aka Procanico and Ugni Bianco) - and that blend of grapes can vary quite a bit! A...

In this special episode we have the honor to meet and speak with Rita Pinto, the CEO of Quinta do Pinto winery. Rita’s story is an incredible tale of family, love, passion, and hard work. Truly a family-run winery, as well as a mostly woman-run winery, Quinta do Pinto makes both new and traditional Portuguese wines in a low intervention, sustainable, and organic way, using natural fermentation and...

Seriously - $4.99?!? How good can a wine actually be at $4.99?!? Well, we are here to tell you, and you may just be surprised by what we have to say! In this episode we do a side-by-side comparison of the Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio with two other easy to find Pinot Grigios to see how it stacks up. Pinot Grigio is a wine that some wine snobs are down on, but we’ll tell you confide...

California Cabernet Sauvignon gets all the attention, but a good California Zinfandel is a thing of beauty! Often overlooked and definitely underrated, when done well, Zinfandel is a velvety, rich, complex, juicy, food friendly wine. All that being said, there are some California Zinfandels that give their brothers and sisters a bad name, and we want to help you find the good ones and avoid the ba...

Do not be fooled by the name! Petite Sirah is anything but petite, and if you enjoy big, jammy red wines, this is the wine for you! A distant cousin of Syrah, Petite Sirah is a wine all its own. Petite Sirah is a California wine through and through, with bold flavors and an amazingingly rich mouthfeel - and in fact, the grape is grown almost exclusively in California. Also known as Durif, Petite S...

We never thought we'd say it, but because of this episode, we are now GSM fans! GSM blends are one of the two classic red wine blends known all over the world - so they are definitely something you need to have in your repertoire. But we will admit it - red wine blends can be so tricky because very often the winemaker doesn’t tell you exactly what grapes are in the blend. And if you don’t kno...

Think beer is the beverage of choice for Independence Day?!? We beg to differ! As with any special occasion, sparkling wine is perfect, and what better way to celebrate the 4th of July than with a good old American sparkling wine! We are joined in this episode by our daughter Marianna whose birthday just happens to be July 4th (that is not a joke!) and her friend Jack who help us rate and review t...

Cirò may be the longest continually produced wine in the world, and legend has it that it is the wine that the Greek gods drank during the original Olympic games. So, if you haven’t heard of it yet, or haven’t tried it yet, we have one question for you: “Do you even lift, bro?!?” Cirò is the flagship wine of Calabria in southern Italy, and is a great choice for those who like Pinot Noir, Cabernet...

There is a famous Latin proverb “In vino veritas” which means “in wine there is truth.” In this new recurring episode series, we do something really different: We throw away the script, let Carmela do a lot more of the talking, and we find out just how much truth there is in wine. Listen in as we drink some wine, and while the wine does its work, we let the truth just pour out! Today we drink a Ca...

We are back with one of our popular Costco Kirkland wine challenges! Now, Chianti has not always had the greatest reputation, but over the past several years it has improved in quality and popularity, and it is one of the flagship wines of Italy from the beautiful Tuscany area. Costco has their house version of a Chianti Classico Riserva, and in this episode, we compare it to two other Chianti Cla...

The 2004 movie Sideways did a number on Merlot, hurting its reputation and suppressing sales. But was that impact justified? Did we judge Merlot too harshly? Is it time to let Merlot rejoin the cool kids table?!? In this episode, we give Merlot a fighting chance to win back a place in our hearts - and our cellar. We admit we are not the biggest fans of Merlot, but can one of these wines change our...

Looking for the perfect Summer Sipper? Then you need to know about Zweigelt! Wait, what’s that you ask - WTF is Zweigelt?!? We’ll tell you! This light, fruity, and fun red from Austria is an excellent Cookout wine, and pairs wonderfully with BBQ. If you like Gamay or Pinot Noir, this is a wine you really need to know! You can drink it chilled! It’s a red wine that can be paired with fish! It often...

It’s never too late to have Sekt for the first time! Yes, we use that bad joke A LOT in this episode - but we also explore German Sparkling Wine - which is called Sekt - and discover what makes it unique,. Did you know that Germany is the third largest producer of sparkling wine in the world? We didn’t either! So there must be something about this German Sekt that is worth your hard earned money,...

How do you show mom you really love her on Mother’s Day? By serving her favorite wine, of course! But what if you don’t know what her favorite wine is?!? No worries, we’ve got you covered. No matter who occupies that mom-space in your life, Mother’s Day is the perfect time to show her how much you appreciate her and think about her, and we think a great way to show some of that love and appreciati...

Babich Wines make world-class Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and other varietals. They are  also the largest family owned winery in New Zealand, and the story of how the family came to make wine is fascinating to say the least. We are honored to have David Babich, CEO of Babich Wines join us for this special episode. David took on the role of CEO in 2001, and has helped to lead Babich Wi...

Ever walked into a wine shop or the wine section of a grocery store and been totally overwhelmed and confused by the vast sea of wines that are simply labeled red blend? Us too! So to remove this confusion, in this minisode we do a quick overview - a primer if you will - on the two major types of red blends that most (but not all) red wine blends are based - Bordeaux and GSM. Both come from France...

If you have ever wondered what legs in your wine glass mean, we are here to tell you. Guess what - it’s probably not what you think (unless you are some sort of scientist, of course). If you have been out to dinner or to a wine party and watched people wax poetic about the legs, or tears, in their wine glass and wondered “that the hell are they talking about?” - we are going to solve the mystery....

The search for high QPR (quality to price ratio) wine is like our lifequest! And, the peak of this quest is for high QPR Pinot Noir because finding great, reasonably priced Pinot Noir is so damn hard! If you are a Pinot Noir lover, we have a GREAT wine for you in this episode that hits all the marks, including price point. And if you are not a Pinot Noir convert, we think this wine may just change...

Wondering if you should get on the Orange wine bandwagon but a little hesitant to try? Don’t worry - we will demystify Orange wine for you and help convince you that it is a bandwagon you should just jump right on! Not sure what Orange wine is? Well, it’s not wine made from Oranges, but it is a style of wine you need to know because it is growing in popularity and even getting some hype! If you ar...

The next time you are at an Italian restaurant, do yourself a favor and reach for a Salice Salentino! Never heard of it? Well, now’s a great time to find out more. Hailing from the Puglia area of Southern Italy, Salice Salentino is a wonderful, rustic wine that will make red wine lovers, Italian food lovers, and basically anyone who likes food and wine, rejoice! Made from the Negroamaro grape whic...

Are you getting tired of the same old same old when it comes to wine? Do you need to spice your wine life up a bit? Are you stuck in a Cabernet rut and ready to bust out?!? Then this is the episode for you! In this episode, we discover a wine called Tannat, also known as Madiran in France, which is a great option for red wine lovers. Tannat is a bold, flavorful, and delicious red wine that is grow...

So, if you didn’t know, Pouilly-Fumé is Sauvignon Blanc, but from a specific area of France in the Loire Valley. Like a lot of European wines, the names can be confusing because they are named after the place they are from, not the grape they are made from. But the real question is - can you tell the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc from Pouilly-Fumé, which is going to be a little pricey, from...

Lots of people drink and enjoy Trader Joe’s private label wines, but how much do you really know about them? Did you know there are several tiers or levels of quality in Trader Joe’s wines? And are you curious about how they stack up “regular” wines? Well, we are here to help! In this episode, we taste and review three Trader Joe’s wines, including their Blanc de Blancs Brut, and two of their Peti...