VinePair Podcast

Zach speaks with Sarah Hoffman and Kendra Kawala, co-founders of Maker Wine, a direct-to-consumer canned wine company focused on highlighting smaller producers in California, about their business, the ways in which it has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic, and how they're aiming to grow. Please send any suggestions or requests for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listenin...

Erica and Zach discuss whether the current push to add ingredient lists and nutritional information to beer, wine, and spirits packaging will benefit consumers, shut down malicious actors, as well as provide transparency to what has traditionally been a very opaque category. Plus: how do you talk to your kids about alcohol, when alcohol is your job? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and revie...

Adam speaks with Trinchero Family Estates VP Brie Wohld about the company's new lines of wine-based hard seltzers, as well as other products pitched at the low- and no-alcohol crowd. Please send any suggestions or requests for Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam speaks with Veuve Clicquot VP Aygline Pechdo about the ways in which the venerable Champagne house is responding to the unique challenges that Covid-19 has presented for the winery and for the entire Champagne region, as well as how Veuve Clicquot maintains its status as one of the most iconic and venerated brands in the world of wine. Please send any requests or suggestions for future Conver...

Adam, Erica, and Zach discuss gin's surge in popularity in 2020: is this the long-promised "Gin Boom?" If so, is it being driven by more interest in the gin and tonic, or other gin-based cocktails? Can craft distilleries grab a bigger share of the gin market? And will consumers ever find spots on their the shelves of their liquor cabinets or bar carts for a wide range of different gins? Please rem...

Adam speaks with Bulleit Distilling blender Eboni Major about her path to working for the iconic whiskey producer, how the job has changed since the onset of Covid-19, and her newest release, Bulleit Blenders' Reserve. Please send any suggestions or requests for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

Zach speaks with long-time New York Sommelier Kim Cavoores (Maialino, Marta, Blue Hill at Stone Barns) about her new venture, One Kourt Studio in Greenport, New York, and what it was like to realize that she was going to be opening her wine shop in the midst of a pandemic. Please remember to send any requests or suggestions for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, an...

This week, Adam, Erica, and Zach discuss the looming battle over direct-to-consumer alcohol sales: as the economy shifts more and more to an online, direct-shipping model, America's antiquated and inconsistent alcohol laws are a massive hindrance on growth, particularly for distilleries. Why exactly is it so difficult to ship spirits, and reasonably difficult to ship wine and beer? Why do we give...

Zach speaks with UPS Global Director of Innovation Robin Hooker about how the shipping company has experienced a massive spike in alcohol shipments since mid-March, what new approaches and technologies it's deploying to meet that heightened demand, and whether he expects this level of online commerce to continue even when Covid-19 recedes. Please send any requests or suggestions for future Convers...

Adam speaks with Campbell Brown, President of Old Forester, about how the bourbon producer is continuing to see evolution and expansion in their customer base, as well as preparing for the return of whiskey season and the challenges of supporting bars and bartenders during this time. Please send any suggestions or requests for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and...

Zach speaks with Tequila Herradura Senior Brand and Integration Manager Jennifer Simmonds about how the company is experiencing tremendous growth across its line of expressions, as well as how they're celebrating their 150th anniversary and a few home cocktail ideas. Please send any requests or suggestions for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted...

In summer 2019, the hard seltzer category was basically White Claw, Truly, and no one else. A year later, those two remain the biggest brands, but dozens of challengers and competitors have emerged from small producers and multinational behemoths alike. What does this evolution and fragmentation mean for consumers, and what additional innovations are still out there? That's what Adam, Erica, and Z...

Adam, Erica, and Zach dive into the controversy surrounding the newly-trendy "clean wine" term: why it means next to nothing and yet still resonates with some wine drinkers, especially with celebrities like Cameron Diaz creating brands specifically to capitalize on the trend, even when the actual details of said wine are shrouded in mystery . So how should wine consumers and wine media handle the...

Zach speaks with Will Whelan, VP of Wine at Winestyr , a Chicago-based direct-to-consumer wine platform, about how DTC ecommere has changed and grown since the onset of Covid-19. Please send any suggestions or requests for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam and Zach dig into VinePair's proprietary data to try to tease out what the future holds for current trends in the drinks world, like the surging popularity of the Margarita, the demise of Champagne, and of course hard seltzer's continued reign. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts, and send a...

Adam speaks with Winesellers, Ltd. Co-president Adam Sager about the changing meaning of the term "value wine" and how the family-owned wine importer and marketer is tackling the challenges of Covid-19. Please send any suggestions or requests for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zach speaks with Anheuser-Busch Vice President of Innovation Jake Kirsch about how the company is handling new product launches in the Covid-19 era, what consumers seem to be looking for, and the ways in which the crisis is accelerating existing trends. Please send any suggestions or requests for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted on Acast. See...

Adam, Erica, and Zach discuss the latest controversy surrounding the Court of Master Sommliers - Americas, including the high-profile resignation of several Master Sommeliers in the wake of a number of allegations surrounding racial insensitivity and a lack of emphasis on diversity and social justice, as well as lingering bad feelings surrounding the 2018 cheating scandal. Plus, why the current st...

Adam speaks with Jagermeister US Chief Marketing Officer Chris Peddy about how the brand, synonymous with shots at bars, is focusing on reaching consumers at home, as well as their many efforts to support bars, bartenders, and artists through their Save the Night  campaign. Please send any suggestions or requests for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be w...

Adam speaks with ex-NFLer and Super Bowl champion Will Blackmon about his new venture, The Wine MVP , as well as his own journey in the wine world and what it's like building private collections for athletes. Please send any suggestions or requests for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Erica, and Zach discuss the current state of bar reopenings in light of the spike in Covid-19 cases in the US: why reopening bars is riskier than reopening restaurants, how the federal government and many state and local governments have done little to protect this industry, and how that has to change to ensure that the entire bar industry doesn't disappear. Plus: what posters did you have o...

Adam speaks with Victor Urrutia, CEO of Spain's iconic CVNE, about the challenges and opportunities facing Spanish wine in America, as well as how Spanish wineries can do a better job with their online presence and accessibility to visitors. Please send any requests or suggestions for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

Zach speaks with Bill Shufelt, founder of Connecticut-based Athletic Brewing, about his company's exclusive focus on non-alcoholic beers, how being heavily online has helped them get their beers to customers, and how the non-alcoholic trend is growing despite the Covid-19 crises. Please send any requests or suggestions for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be...

Adam and Zach are joined by acclaimed actor Kyle MacLachlan, owner and proprietor of Pursued By Bear and winemaker Dan Wampfler of Pursued By Bear and Abeja for a live podcast recording as a part of VinePair's Great Drinks Experience to discuss how Kyle got started in the wine industry, why Washington State is such an exciting source for world-class wine, and to answer some viewer questions....

Adam speaks with Matt Crafton, winemaker at Napa Valley's iconic Chateau Montelena, about how reopening to the public has forced changes in the guest experience, and what impact health and safety concerns might have on the upcoming harvest. Please send any requests or suggestions for future Conversations to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...