VinePair Podcast

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the current surge in popularity for flavored spirits, in particular flavored whiskey and tequila. Then Joanna interviews VinePair senior writer and host of Cocktail College about how flavored spirits and cocktails work together. Then, the team tastes one of the most popular flavored spirits on the market, Skrewball Peanut Butter-flavored whiskey. Please remember to s...

In light of the wildfires throughout much of the West Coast in 2020, and subsequent concerns from producers that wine buyers will en masse avoid the vintage, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss how that fear might or might not come to pass, and whether wine consumers actually really pay attention to vintages in the first place. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcast...

With the hop harvest in full swing, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether or not the increased emphasis on individual hop varieties is helping or hurting the craft beer industry. Then, Zach talks with Ryan Hopkins, CEO of Yakima Chief Hops , about how his company is pushing the envelope on both hop breeding and preservation technology. Finally, the much-awaited moment as the team tastes the Bud L...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach ruminate on Dave Infante's recent piece about how hard seltzer is impact college keggers and whether hard seltzer will displace cheap beer more broadly across the drinking landscape. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to...

Adam, Zach, and Joanna discuss the rising trend of celebrity alcohol brands: why they've become so prevalent, how they reach consumers, and whether they're truly changing the beverage alcohol landscape. Then Adam speaks with Brett Berish, CEO of Sovereign Brands and the creator of brands with celebrities like Jay-Z and Rick Ross. Finally, the team tastes a celebrity wine, Snoop Dogg's 19 Crimes "C...

Adam speaks with winemaker Marcus Notaro of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley about the impact that the iconic 1976 Judgement of Paris had on the winery, how the brand has developed and evolved over the intervening 45 years, and what the future holds for this legendary wine estate. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever yo...

With wildfires, drought, and other affects of climate change making many famous wine regions less hospitable to Vitis vinifera , and evolving aesthetics around how wines taste and smell, is now the time when hybrid and non- vinifera grapes can have their moment? Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss this, plus how hard seltzer has taken over college campuses. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and re...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach each discuss a largely-unappreciated wine region that they think has major promise, then Zach speaks with VJ Gandhi, owner of Kascadia Wine Merchants , a wine importer and retailer focused on the wines of British Columbia, another underappreciated region. Finally, the team tries Twisted Tea for the first time and travels back to the pre-hard seltzer era. Please remember to s...

Check out the first episode of VinePair 's newest podcast, Cocktail College, with senior writer Tim McKirdy. Each week he'll explore a classic cocktail with an iconic bartender, and this week he takes on the Old Fashioned with Dave Arnold. Please subscribe to Cocktail College on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or whatever podcast platform you prefer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

In light of the return of the NFL and college football, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether sports bars and sports venues will rebound to pre-pandemic levels of success and saturation or whether Covid-19 will continue to depress business. Plus, Adam shares two frustrating service experiences and solicits feedback. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spo...

Sommelier-founded wine clubs have proliferated over the last half-decade, as have wine clubs more generally. Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss what it is that consumers hope to get out of these wine clubs, and whether or not they're distinct from other online wine clubs. Then, Zach speaks with master sommelier Ian Cauble, founder of SommSelect and one of the stars of the movie Somm about his career a...

The hotel bar has come a long way from the vaguely-depressing abode of sad-sack business travelers and instantly-regretted hookups. This week, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why hotel bars have become so trendy, how they're targeting a different audience, and what future changes and innovations to anticipate. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, St...

In the debut of the new Friday version of the VinePair podcast, Adam, Joanna, and Zach pair off some of the most successful and intriguing RTD cocktail brands with potential purchasers, then Adam interviews On The Rocks co-founder Rocco Milano about his experience in the RTD space and their recent sale to Beam-Suntory. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, S...

With rising case counts and stringent mitigation policies once again being enacted around the country, it's clear that the fall and winter of 2021 won't be nearly as much of a "return to normal" as previously hoped. That's what Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss: how a second winter of Covid might be harder on bars, restaurants, workers, and guests, and what can be done to make things better. Please r...

Zach speaks with Linden Pride, co-owner of Caffe Dante in Manhattan, about how he and his team transformed the West Village coffee shop into one of the world's top cocktail bars, and how they've expanded and adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions...

Adam speaks with Mikael Taipale and Evan Burns, co-founders of The Long Drink , a canned cocktail brand centered around the national drink of Finland, about their challenges and successes bringing the drink to the American market. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, comments, cri...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss one of the most powerful trends in consumer behavior: the rise of " premium mediocre " brands, and how attitudes towards affordable luxury, ethical consumption, and more are manifesting in the beverage alcohol world. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send and questio...

Adam is joined by VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers to interview legendary winemaker Randall Grahm about his new project, The Language of Yes , a collaboration with E&J Gallo focusing on Languedoc varieties grown in California. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, comme...

Zach speaks with Miles Thomas, founder of Scrappy's Bitters , about how he turned his interest in tinctures and infusions as a bartender into one of the largest bitters manufacturers in the United States. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach dive into the topic of whether the wine world's enthusiasm for terroir have ignored the importance and centrality of the winemaker, and of human effort more broadly, on wine. Plus, a recap of Bar Convent Brooklyn . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, commen...

Adam speaks with LiveWire Drinks founder and veteran bartender Aaron Polsky about how his company bottles and cans cocktails designed by highly-regarded bartenders around the country. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com....

Adam speaks to Tahiirah Habibi, founder of Hue Society , about her efforts to promote unheard voices in the wine industry and the upcoming Wine & Culture Fest . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listeni...

On this week's episode, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss what exactly makes a bar or restaurant an "industry spot," why that's a reputation and crowd that some operators seem to court, and why restaurant industry folks like those places so much. Plus, a discussion about the merits of birth-year wine. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or...

Zach speaks with Chrissy Wittman, director of winemaking at The Prisoner Wine Company , about the taking the reins of the iconic red blend , how its history informs the brand, and recent additions to the lineup. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggesti...

Adam speaks with Giuseppe Gallo, founder of Italicus , about his efforts to resurrect the nearly-lost category of rosolio aperitivi and how the liqueur can be enjoyed. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for list...