VinePair Podcast

With a continued surge of ultra-premium spirits hitting the market, and moving beyond the world of aged spirits, Joanna and Zach explore what is driving these releases, who they are targeted at, and whether they will continue to find an eager audience. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, c...

On the heels of the news that Treasury Wine Estates have purchased DAOU Vineyards for a billion dollars, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss what might have made this sale happen, whether this price point makes any sense, and why TWE is betting on DAOU being the next Caymus. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and sen...

Adam and Zach are joined by VinePair managing editor and host of Cocktail College Tim McKirdy to discuss the sudden rise of cocktails based around house-infused spirits: why they work in the post-Covid bar environment, and why the degree of difficulty is, in some cases, the whole point. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your...

Adam and Zach discuss the newly-unveiled VinePair Next Wave Awards winners for 2023, then are joined by Joanna for a conversation with Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion Tony Parker about his longstanding love of wine, the role it played on his championship-winning teams, and his current ventures in the wine world. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Appl...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach dig into some recent data that shows that much of the on-premise sales growth for cocktails and spirits is happening at restaurants, not cocktail bars and other dedicated drinking establishments. What does this mean about cocktail drinkers, and how can restaurants and bars adjust? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or where...

Actress and writer Issa Rae joins the podcast in studio to talk all about her new Prosecco, Viarae, including her long love for the sparkling wine, why this is where she wanted to enter the drinks industry, and her goals for the brand. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critique...

Prompted by a listener email, Adam and Zach debate whether another wine region could ever have the massive commercial and critical success that Napa Valley enjoyed starting the 1970s, or if the wine industry is just too fragmented for that phenomenon to repeat itself. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send...

Adam and Zach discuss an emerging trend in wine service, where in lieu of a printed menu, a selection of wines are brought to the table and offered to guests. Is this kind of service enough to entice uncertain or skittish wine drinkers, or is it doing too much? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any que...

With Adam on vacation, Joanna and Zach respond to some listener emails about pumpkin beer, wine's struggles in the modern advertising landscape, and why American wine bars can't be more like those in Europe. 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...

Joanna and Zach delve into the murky world of social media sellers of whiskey, why fraud and deception run rampant, and why no one seems to want to do much of anything about it. 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 list...

With the recent news that Pernod Ricard is looking to sell off a number of wine brands, Adam, Joanna, and Zach explore what might be at play here, from a changing notion about what wines can succeed as premium products to simple fact that spirits-focused companies no longer see most wine as a growth category. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate whether cocktail bars should be so enamored with fancy ice programs - do they truly enhance the drinks and the guest experience, or do they add unnecessary costs and come across as more snobby than sophisticated? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, c...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach react to a recent kerfuffle surrounding a list of new bars in New York that didn't include any wine bars, including conversation about whether wine bars actually see themselves as part of the bar community, whether their frequent focus on food creates confusion for guests, and more. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whe...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach take a look at some of the more baffling new products in the non-alcoholic drinks space, from White Claw's " non-alcoholic hard seltzer" to a non-alcoholic "olive oil martini," and ponder why this category in particular seems to be churning out a ton of products that don't seem to have any real audience besides style magazines and websites. Please remember to subscribe to, r...

Prompted by an experience in Greece, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why American wine professionals only seem interested in so-called indigenous grapes from many European wine regions, and whether that's being driven by consumer demand or professional snobbery. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any que...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the inherent risks for spirits brands and categories that are trying to chase the current market leaders or position their product in a way that cuts against their established market and reputation: Tequila producers attempting to create their own "baller bottles," or single-malt Scotch brands looking to enter the craft cocktail scene. Please remember to subscribe to...

In the wake of E. & J. Gallo Winery acquiring Napa Valley wineries Rombauer Vineyards and Massican , Adam, Joanna, and Zach explore the reasons why Gallo would make these purchases and why the Massican move in particular signals a different approach to fine wine that might well prove to be very successful. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, o...

Adam rejoins the podcast, and he, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether "all-inclusive" destinations can offer something more than just cheap drinks on a beach, and why a new model for these kinds of ventures can potentially be more sustainable. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, cri...

After briefly discussing a recent New York Times piece about gendered preferences in glassware, Joanna and Zach speculate on what information a cocktail menu should convey to guests, and how cocktails should be organized to put drinkers in an optimal setting to enjoy their experience. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your ep...

Joanna and Zach bemoan the fact that pumpkin spice season starts earlier and earlier each year, both because it burns everyone out on pumpkin spice before the weather even gets cold, and because it tramples other interesting drink options that better fit the very end of summer and beginning of fall. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever...

Joanna and Zach digest and discuss the recently-released Silicon Valley Bank Direct-to-Consumer Wine Surve y report, including what it says about how wineries are using social media, how they are evolving their tasting room programs (and raising prices), and the shift away from wholesale distribution in favor of direct sales. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podc...

Joanna and Zach ponder the existence of "generation gaps" in the drinks industry, and question whether differing preferences and consumption habits are tied more to the specific drinks in question or the format and relative abundance of choice within a category. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any qu...

With Joanna and Adam both out, Zach speaks with two creatives in the beer and cider space. First, cartoonist Em Sauter of Pints and Panels discusses her career as a beer-centric cartoonist and illustrator, her recent article about Citra and Mosaic hops, and her love of the Cold IPA . Then author Beth Demmon joins to preview her upcoming book, The Beer Lover’s Guide to Cider , and why American craf...

Joanna and Zach debate the relative merits of chilled red wines, and speculate on why they've become a bigger part of the marketing and conversation surrounding red wines, then each try a favorite example: the Ryme Cellars "Chilly Rouge" for Joanna and the Leah Jorgenson Cellars "Tour Rain" for Zach. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever...

Joanna and Zach react to the recent news that San Michelle Wine Estates is planning to reduce grape purchases by 40% over the next five years, then discuss what this might mean for Washington's wine industry as well as the broader landscape of inexpensive wine that makes up a sizeable percentage of the SMWE portfolio. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Sp...