VinePair Podcast

Adam and Zach discuss why drinks brands across categories and price points are so eager to sponsor and partner with sports entities, from individual teams to entire leagues, and whether the audiences those sports reach represent the only real mass audience left in America. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your epis...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the surging popularity of the Dirty Martini , as well as whether it should be made with vodka or gin, and more about the proper formulation. Then, they each try a version. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever else you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the truly bananas story behind Major League Baseball's recently-announced partnership to produce an "official vodka" with a totally unknown company that does not appear to have any vodka to sell and may only have one employee. Yeah, you're gonna need to sit down for this one. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitc...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the recent surge of popularity for orange wine: why it's catching on now instead of a decade ago, and does natural wine get most of the credit? Then, they taste one of the more popular domestic bottlings, Skins by Field Recordings . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether Añejo and Extra Añejo Tequilas will become trendy among spirits collectors, particularly as Bourbon and Scotch become more and more expensive and hard to find, as well as the tension that distillers face between emphasizing blancos versus aged expressions. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stiticher, o...

In light of recent sales data showing that Grower Champagne's market share has slipped in the last two decades, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why the category, beloved by somms and wine writers alike, has never really caught on with consumers en masse. Then, the team tastes a pair of Grower Champagnes: Vincent Charlot La Dune and Jean Vesselle Oeil de Perdrix . Please remember to subscribe to, ra...

After Adam shares the story of the horrific loss of most of his wine and spirits collection, he, Joanna, and Zach discuss why so many so-called "wine bars" are actually just restaurants, and what actually makes for a good wine bar. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, cr...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why the craft distilling movement doesn't seem to have impacted the Canadian Whisky market, which is still dominated by a few big brands, and whether it's a category to keep an eye on over the next few years. Then, they sample two of the most successful recent product launches in the category, Crown Royal Apple and Crown Royal Peach. Please remember to subscribe to,...

In the wake of the recent sale of Joseph Phelps Vineyards to LVMH, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why the luxury wine category is seeing so many sales and acquisitions, and whether it can maintain its momentum even in the face of uncertain economic forecasts. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss brands that heavily brand themselves with American flag imagery - does that bring in more consumers than it might alienate? Then, they taste one of the brands that most leans into its American roots, Budweiser . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, c...

Zach is joined by Konstantin Baum MW and Marie Cheslik to discuss the current state of wine in Germany , what is changing, and what the future holds, including conversations around the increasing prominence of red wines, rosé, and Sekt, how climate change is affecting the country, and what it's like to be a wine tourist in Germany. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Appl...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach reflect on the fact that as big drinks events and festivals like Bar Convent Brooklyn and Tales of the Cocktail have returned to being fully in-person, they don't look any different than they did before Covid-19. Why haven't things changed more, and should they have? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether the rise of hard seltzer doomed the nascent shandy movement, or whether some of the limitations of the drink - at least in packaged form - were more to blame. Then, the team tastes one of the new shandies on the market, the Red, White, and Blueberry Lemonade Naturdays from Natural Light . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Pod...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener asking whether the recently announced expansion plans for bourbon distillers like Four Roses , Heaven Hill , Maker's Mark, and Buffalo Trace will be enough to keep up with ever-growing demand, and where that demand is coming from, both geographically and at what price points. Plus, a review of Bar Convent Brooklyn . Please remember to subscribe to, rate...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss Cabernet Sauvignon's place at the top of the American wine heap - why it's so popular and whether any other variety can ever unseat it. Then, the team tastes three different classic Cabernets from Napa Valley - the Inglenook 1882, Robert Mondavi Estates Oakville, and Louis M. Martini Monte Rosso. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Pod...

Zach speaks with Louisa Rose, head of winemaking at Yalumba in Australia's Barossa Valley, about the winery's long history in the region, her own personal story in the Australian wine industry, some of the ways the domestic and international wine markets have changed over the last three decades, and much more. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, S...

With the release of the 2022 list of the 50 Best Bars in North America , Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether or not placing on the list is actually good for these bars, or whether the combination of the increased attention and need to never change the menu can be punishing. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether wine-based seltzers can grab market share from those based on malt liquor or other spirits, and what makes for a good wine seltzer. Then, Adam and Joanna interview Albert Hammond, Jr., lead guitarist for The Strokes , about his new wine seltzer, Jetway . Finally, the team returns to the ranch water conversation and tries the original version, with Topo Chico,...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether the long-predicted sake surge is actually happening, whether the complexity and specificity of the drink works against it, and whether sake-based canned beverages can help open the door. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critique...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the current state of the RTD/RTS landscape, and why some existing brands will likely be displaced as the large spirits companies start to put their branded products on the shelf. Then, the team tastes the official Campari bottled Negroni. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether things like fancy ice and glassware are crucial for good cocktails, how restaurants in particular decide just how much to invest in their cocktail programs, and whether partnering with an acclaimed cocktail bar or bartender can work. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episo...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the role of nostalgia in sparking drinks trends, as well as whether some of most recent ones are being driven more out of a desire to be ironic than to actually enjoy a drink. Then, despite Adam's protestations, the team tries some Dirty Shirleys. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the changing format for wine tastings in Napa Valley, which have evolved from being relatively straightforward and simple to being elaborate, multi-course events with involved service and the price tags to match. Will the rest of the wine world continue to follow Napa's lead? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitc...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the popularity of ranch water and the confusing proliferation of canned ranch water brands, particularly those that use malt liquor instead of actual tequila in their formula. Then, they taste a variety of offerings from one of the pioneers in the category, Lone River . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, o...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to the surprisingly strong sales data for the ultra-premium gin category, wondering whether the trendiness of the Martini is behind it, and explore the particularly remarkable growth of Empress Gin . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, cri...