The Wine Pair Podcast

Wait a minute, did we say sparkling wines from Argentina?!? Yes! If you think only France, Spain, Italy, and the US make great sparkling wine, you are missing out! Of course Argentina is most known for their outstanding Malbecs, but they are also a top-notch and rising producer of very reasonably priced sparkling wines, some of which use Malbec to make amazing sparkling rosé wines. We taste and re...

It may seem like a cliché, but white wine and fish are the perfect pairing. But wait a minute - there are so many different types of white wines, and so many types of seafood, so can you really just make that blanket statement?!? Good question - there are nuances, and certain kinds of white wines do go better with certain kinds of seafood. Feeling overwhelmed, confused, want to throw in the towel?...

Think pairing wine and chocolate is tricky? Well, we’re here to give you some simple hints and tips on how to make it easy peasy! Wine and chocolate is a wonderful, romantic, and delicious pairing - if you can get it right. The key is understanding how to match the sweetness levels of a wine with the sweetness levels of the chocolate. And, as an extra bonus, we also talk specifically about how to...

This Valentine’s Day, treat that special someone to something different! Yes, rosé wine is the perfect choice for a romantic evening, but maybe it’s time to spice it up a bit, and try serving some rosés that make your partner think you want to keep the relationship exciting! We have found three amazing, wonderful, and unique rosé wines for you to choose from, each of which is made from a different...

If you think all white wines are the same, we have a surprise for you: Grüner Veltliner is not your mama’s white wine. Well, maybe it is, but that all depends on your mama. Grüner Veltliner is a rich, complex, delicious, and food friendly white wine that more people need to know about - and so we’ll tell you what the F it is, and we’ll also give you our impression of three reasonably priced wines...

If you have been curious about Amazon’s Cursive wines and wondering if they are worth checking out, then this is the episode for you! We taste and review three Cursive wines - the Cursive California Chardonnay, the Cursive California Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Cursive Sparkling Brut - and we give our honest, no-holds-barred opinion on each of them. Seriously! We give you the honest scoop. We also...

Did you know that the King of Italian wines is Barolo made from the Nebbiolo grape? Ok, but did you know that you can find some great wines made from the same grape and that cost a lot less by seeking out Langhe Nebbiolo?!? Trust us - and we’ll tell you more! In this episode, we return to Italy to explore this fantastic red wine, and we specifically focus on Nebbiolo wines from Langhe, which is th...

Hey wine lovers, get this: not only is Argentina home to the 2022 World Cup Champions, but it is also home to some of the highest altitude wine grapes in the world! Join us as we learn about, taste, and review a white wine called Torrontés that is almost exclusively produced in Argentina, is reasonably priced, and is not hard to find. Well, not too hard to find if you are willing to look around a...

If you are looking for a break from alcohol and are super curious about alcohol free wine, this is the episode for you! As we enter into 2023, many people will be interested in resetting their relationship with alcohol and participating in Dry January, but still want to be able to have a glass of their favorite drink. The question is - are any of those zero alcohol wines any good? We’ll help answe...

While we think that sparkling wines are good any time of year and any day of the week, they are definitely the drink of choice on New Year’s Eve. This New Year’s Eve, we think you should go off the beaten path a little bit and drink some Sparkling Rosé, and we have three great, different, and festive Sparkling Rosé wines for you to try! Not only is Sparkling Rosé delicious, it is also beautiful. W...

As Italian-Americans, one of the things we look forward to the most each Holiday season is the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. If you have never heard of or been to this celebration, all we can tell you is that you are missing out! The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a raucous party of food, family, fun, and, of course, wine! We’ll tell you how our family celebrates this amazing bash, the...

Who doesn’t love a good Holiday movie? We know we do! And we also love wine, so in this episode we marry (or is it merry?!?) two of our favorite things and tell you about some fantastic Holiday movie and wine pairings. We choose three films - one old classic, one new classic, and one controversial pick - and pair them with three wines. Well, actually, one of the wines is used as a base for somethi...

Who doesn’t love a good deal, especially when it comes to wine?!? In wine, you often hear about QPR as a measure for a good wine at a great price. But, can you really find good Pinot Noir at a price that is reasonable? And what is QPR anyway? We’ll tell you!  In this episode, we begin our search for high QPR Pinot Noir, and we taste and review three Pinot Noirs with strong reviewer ratings and tha...

Of course the Holidays are the season for sparkling wine, but are you looking for something different, delicious, and reasonably priced that is a worthy alternative to Champagne?!? Then we’ve got you covered! Crémant is a French sparkling wine made in the Champagne style and with Champagne quality but often at a fraction of the price! If you are throwing a Holiday party or bringing a gift to your...

Carménère is a wine mystery that is worth solving! Long mistaken for Merlot, and  from a wine grape many thought was extinct, Carménère is a wonderful red wine that we would definitely recommend you seek out! One of Chile’s great wines, Carménère is a fantastic red wine alternative for those of you looking to expand your wine horizons! We found it spicy and earthy with flavors like raspberry and m...

Looking for some unique, fun, festive, affordable, and fantastic Thanksgiving wines?!? We’ve got you covered! Selecting Thanksgiving wines can be tricky because you have to find wines that go well with the large variety of foods, will please some picky palettes, and also look festive and beautiful on the table. We’ll give you everything you need to know so you can serve some amazing wines this Tha...

In this episode, we say “Go for the Gavi!” We are betting that you have probably not heard of Gavi or the Cortese grape it is made from, but if you are a white wine fan, you are going to LOVE Gavi. This underrated white wine from the Piedmont area of Italy is crisp, refreshing, and delicious, and sure to be a crowd pleaser! Perfect with fish, pastas with cream sauce or clams, arugula salad, or eve...

Did you know that only 3% of the Champagne areas of France are certified organic? Want to know what Grower Champagne is? Let’s find out! In this special episode of The Wine Pair Podcast, Joe interviews Fiona Perrin co-cofounder of Rendez-Vous Champagne, a relatively new Champagne offering that brings natural, organic, and pesticide free sparkling wine to the market. Started in 2020, Rendez-Vous is...

Believe it or not, the type of wine glass you use does matter! In this minisode we discuss the kinds of glasses you need to have for white, red, and sparkling, and why you want to use different glasses for each. We'll also tell you why you really should not use stemless glasses! Seriously, people! Listen to learn more!  Minisodes are fun, short, snackable content of The Wine Pair Podcast wher...

Costco sells a ton of its Kirkland Signature brand Cabernet Sauvignon, but how good is the quality of their wine?!? To answer that question, in this episode we do a review and wine tasting challenge with 3 different Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignons to tell you if we think they are worth your hard earned money! Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular red wine in the United States, and Costco s...

Looking for the perfect wines for Halloween! We’ve got you covered! In this episode, we taste and review three wines we think are absolute hits for your next Halloween party, dinner, or night at home watching scary movies with your S.O.! We’ll give you some easy criteria you can use to select Halloween wines, some hints on pairing wine with Halloween candy, and some great scary movie and wine pair...

If you’re like us, you are probably not familiar with the red wine called Carignan, but did you know it was once the most widely planted grape in France as recently as 1988?!? WTF?!? Mostly used as a cheap blending grape in jug wines, Carignan has had a bad reputation, but recently has been making a comeback from vintners making wines from old vines. But, we’ll be honest, we are not so sure about...

Looking for a great white wine for the Fall? We are here to help! If you have never tried a white wine blend based on the grapes Marsanne and Roussanne, you are missing out! Originally from the Northern Rhone in France, these grapes are blended together - often with other grapes - to create a rich, full-bodied, flavorful, and still acidic white wine that is great for fall foods, holidays, and even...

Ever heard of a red wine blend from Italy called Valpolicella? No? Well, this is a wine we think you really should know about, especially if you are someone who a) loves red wine blends, b) loves lighter bodied red wines, c) wants to learn more about chilled red wines, or d) is curious about - or loves - Italian wines. Or, even better yet, all of the above. While not terribly common, Valpolicella...

Looking for a new white wine to try?!? We have just the wine for you! Most famously from the Rias Baixas area in the Galicia region of Spain, this zippy wine is perfect for the white wine lover in your life - especially if that person is you! You may have started seeing this wine on store shelves and thought “I wonder what that tastes like?” Wonder no more! In this episode, we talk about, taste, a...