VinePair Podcast

In response to a ton of listener feedback, Adam, Joanna, and Zach weigh on a recent slew of social media posts from a famous sommelier-turned-winemaker who claims that the American restaurant industry is being criminal for not better supporting American wine...and a lot of other noise. They have thoughts. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whe...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss VinePair's recent Martini Madness tournament, then explore why it feels like cocktail bars and restaurants are focusing on different kinds of cocktails: what's driving that divide, and should restaurants be trying to keep up? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any question...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder why sustainability is such a central part of the conversation around wine, from vineyard practices to alternative packaging, while the same considerations almost never come into the broader conversation around spirits. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comme...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the curious case of the rise of functional beverages - drinks that rely on adaptogens, nootropics, and other buzzy ingredients to create an aura of healthfulness and safe stimulation, despite many of the ingredients being untested and lightly studied. Then, they try two examples from category leader Kin Euphorics . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review Vi...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about recent and significant increases in the prices of several cult Napa Valley wines: will these increases alienate even the very wealthy who form the core audience for these wines, or is the prestige priceless for that set? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episode...

First, Adam shares an update on a breaking news story about Mexican authorities raiding the home of Tequila Matchmaker , then Adam, Joanna, and Zach talk about why despite its ubiquity and success in Europe, the Gin & Tonic will never be a drink that works in American cocktail bars or for premium gin brands. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,...

Adam and Zach discuss the various things they learned while traveling last week: how Las Vegas is perhaps the ideal place to get the pulse of what America, writ large, wants to drink, and why a city like Boise is an exciting and dynamic place to drink, even if it's off the radar of many enthusiasts. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever...

Adam and Zach are joined by VinePair's managing editor Tim McKirdy to discuss recent conversations around the end of the alleged piquette trend, and why Tim was highly skeptical of any such trend all the way back in July of 2021. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or...

NOTE (9:15 AM 3/18) - THE ORIGINAL UPLOADED AUDIO WAS DE-SYNCED AROUND THE LISTENER QUESTION - IT IS NOW FIXED. SORRY FOR THAT - ZACH. Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about why cocktails have usurped by-the-glass wine in many restaurant beverage programs, even when in many cases wine might be more affordable or potentially offer better value. Please remember to subscribe to,...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why so many of the biggest companies in beverage alcohol continue to compare current sales and trends to the peak of the pandemic, despite the fact that most of that entire period was a total anomaly. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, o...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about how local and regional media cover wine and the drinks industry more broadly: can they do more than just report on openings and closings, and how does that work when there's often a lack of expertise? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any ques...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate what rights a cocktail creator should have, from menu attribution to financial compensation when their drink is bottled or canned. The law might read a certain way, but is it fair to creators? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggest...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about by-the-glass wine, and whether curious wine drinkers can continue to rely on it to discover new wines. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be w...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the puzzling state of the soda market: why did a self-proclaimed "good for you" brand shell out for a Super Bowl ad, and what exactly does the American public want from this drink in a world of nearly infinite carbonated beverages. Also, Spiced Coke why? In doing so, they taste the aforementioned Poppi Classic Cola, as well as the new Coca-Cola Spiced. Please remembe...

Adam and Zach discuss why no one throughout the wine industry, from producers to wholesalers to retailers and restaurants seems to have a good handle on how to sell wine right now. With changing demographics, distributor consolidation, and uncertain demand in restaurants, maybe doing things "the way we've always done it" is a bad idea. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on...

Adam and Zach are joined by VinePair assistant editor Hannah Staab to discuss why influencers remain so contentious within the world of food and drinks, and why the attention they bring to restaurants and bars isn't always seen in as favorable a light as traditional press attention. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your epis...

Joanna and Zach take a look at the landscape of working conditions in the hospitality industry, and wonder why they're still relatively poor despite high demand for skilled labor: why unionization efforts fail and why high profile organizations are still having to fight to raise the tipped minimum wage. Could part of a solution be a new vision for the hospitality industry, with public subsidies he...

Joanna and Zach discuss the conflict between the American drinking public's desire for bold, recognizable flavors, and the resistance of the wine industry to meet that demand, in light of the impressive success of Stella Rosa's new line of spicy wines. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, c...

Please attend the first-ever LIVE taping of Cocktail College on Sunday, February 18th at Sunken Harbor Club in Brooklyn, NY. Tickets here . Adam, Joanna, and Zach explore whether modern-day drinkers, journalists, and industry members should care about keeping historically important drinks, styles, and regions economically viable, even if they struggle to find an audience. Please remember to subscr...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the ways in which group-think can negatively impact the drinks industry, from nearly-identical wine programs and back bars to companies and brands being afraid to take risks. Plus, a brief discussion of Zach's latest piece on generational succession in American wineries. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whereve...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss data that shows that people are going out earlier in the day and concentrating their drinking on the weekends. What are bars and restaurants supposed to do in the Early Bird Economy: can they create more demand for later seatings, or do they just have to concentrate on the times and days when people want to go out now? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and revie...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach suggest that more wineries should (where possible) add full-service dining options to their amenities, as doing so allows restaurants to showcase their wines in an ideal setting and also keep guests on-site longer, both crucial to bringing in visitors and boosting wine sales. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever y...

Joanna and Zach marvel at the fact that airlines and hotels increasing their non-alcoholic options is being spun as some totally new form of travel instead of another reminder that as long as people will pay premium prices for non-alcoholic drinks, vendors will stock them. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and...

Joanna and Zach discuss the growing prominence of hop water in the NA drinks space: what kind of drinker are these products aimed at, are they hoppy enough for beer lovers, and is their steep price point a barrier to further growth. Then, they taste one of the more widely-distributed versions, the Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcas...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether bartender snobbery is a real issue, and if it threatens the ascendency of cocktails in the American drinking firmament. If we concede that sommeliers, and the entire culture around them, served to turn some drinkers away from wine, will bartenders do the same? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever y...