VinePair Podcast

Zach and VinePair managing editor and Cocktail College host Tim McKirdy discuss an ongoing trade dispute between the European Union and Australia centered around the term "Prosecco," and whether it refers to a place, a grape, or both. 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,...

Zach is joined by VinePair managing editor and Cocktail College host Tim McKirdy, as well as special guest Sean O'Leary , about the incredibly messy divorce playing out between Sazerac Company and Republic National Distributing Company, which started with Sazerac terminating its contract with RNDC last December, then filing suit against them for breach of contract in January, and now RNDC counters...

With Adam out due to the birth of his daughter (!), Zach is joined by VinePair managing editor and Cocktail College host Tim McKirdy to discuss whether the current Martini craze has gone too far, and what it might mean for the drink if it has indeed done so. Plus, Zach talks about his experience at Taste Washington . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spo...

Zach is joined by VinePair managing editor and Cocktail College host Tim McKirdy to talk about Guinness's enduring appeal, how daring advertisements helped cement its popularity, and what exactly constitutes the perfect pour. 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 speaks with Didier Mariotti, cellar master at Maison Veuve Clicquot , about the iconic Champagne house's approach to winemaking, and in particular how he crafts their tête de cuvée bottlings of La Grand Dame and La Grand Dame Rosé. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comment...

In the wake of the stunning news that Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by federal regulators on Friday, Adam and Zach convene for a Sunday evening emergency podcast to talk about how this is affecting a huge number of wineries in California, as well as what it might mean for the famed Wine Industry Report. Then for the normal Monday episode they discuss the recent moves that seem to signal Anheus...

You've all seen this in a movie or a TV show: a character pours a slug of whiskey from a crystal decanter, neat, and hands it to another character, as if this is a normal business interaction or custom. Adam and Zach respond to a listener question about the verisimilitude of this kind of act, why it became so common on screen, and why more modern portrayals of drinking might be moving in a differe...

In light of the recent announcement that Diageo will be releasing a machine that can make an espresso martini in 20 seconds, Adam and Zach discuss the role this machine could play in a wide range of settings, as well as whether automation more broadly is on the horizon for the bar industry. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever...

Drawing from their own recent experiences as well as a listener email, Adam and Zach explore some wine service experiences that left them a bit cold, and try to figure out what might account for it: labor shortages, restaurants desperate to extract every last cent from diners, or just bad luck. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wher...

In response to a listener question, Adam and Zach discuss why Burgundy continues to see strong sales and a sterling reputation, while Bordeaux is struggling to remain as popular or relevant in modern wine circles. 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, critiques, or sugges...

In the wake of the wild and sorta funny scandal involving agents of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission using their positions to secure prized bottles of Pappy Van Winkle at standard retail prices, Adam and Zach discuss why this sort of chicanery is inevitable with the bonkers secondary market for these whiskies, and how lobbyists are using stories like this to chip away at public support fo...

With the recent news that spirits have surpassed beer as the top-selling drinks category in America, Adam and Zach explore what exactly has driven this transformation: why spirits can be seen as both high-brow and low-brow, and why they're particularly cleaning up in on-premise settings. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever yo...

With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, Adam and Zach discuss why this year's crop of booze ads were surprisingly lackluster, even with more drinks companies advertising than ever before. Have celebrity ads become boring and predictable? Does no one want to take chances on the biggest stage? Or was this just a one-year blip? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple...

Continuing the conversation about wine's declining fortunes with younger drinkers, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss how wine prices have exploded in restaurants, as glass pours and bottles alike are now routinely far more expensive than other drinks options in many establishments. Plus, an extended conversation about how Louisville has become a major tourist destination for bourbon lovers. Please re...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach dive into a recent lawsuit alleging that Sazerac has been misleading customers by selling a second, malt liquor-based version of their hyper-popular Fireball, using nearly identical labeling, packaging, and verbiage but placing it into venues like convenience stores where spirits are not allowed. It's clearly a successful, if cynical , move for Sazerac, but will other compan...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why the boom years for direct-to-consumer and online alcohol sales of 2020 and 2021 failed to create a new landscape for alcohol sales, with those businesses and channels suffering steep declines in 2022. 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...

In the wake of a ton of feedback from listeners, Adam, Joanna, and Zach follow up on Monday's episode by talking about how the wine industry struggles to market itself, to know where to spend money, and in not trying to sell the previous generation's wine to the next one. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your episo...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach unpack the 2023 Silicon Valley Bank Wine Industry Report, and discuss how wine's struggles to attract younger consumers have only deepened, as the industry as a whole does not properly market to Millennials and Gen Zers even as they face much wider competition in the beverage alcohol space. Plus, a conversation about home espresso machines. Please remember to subscribe to, r...

In responding to a listener question, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether craft beer cans have gone overboard with their art, obscuring what the actual beer inside the can might be. Then, they taste the latest release in Sierra Nevada 's "Little Thing" line of beers, Juicy Little Thing. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach dive into some of the surprising success stories behind the rise of vodka-based hard seltzers, in particular the curious fact that two of the most successful brands on the market are owned by a beer giant and a wine giant, not any of the big spirits multinationals. Plus, why mid-sized cities are struggling to keep their downtown cores vibrant and Adam's report on Miami's dri...

As more American distilleries are producing Amaro , Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss how these products might intend to compete against the growing number of Italian bottlings available here in the US, especially when the domestic versions are frequently more expensive than many of their European brethren. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitche...

Prompted by the recent announcement of Noma's impending closure, Adam, Joanna, and Zach take stock of the changes in the fine dining world. Is a shift to a more fun, party-like atmosphere and style limiting opportunities for sommeliers at the same time as the profession itself has taken reputational damage from a series of scandals and the ravages of Covid? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, a...

Everyone from journalists to shop owners to PR types groups low-alcohol and non-alcohol beverages together, but as Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss, this is a bad idea and we should stop. 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, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.co...

Even as Dry January has become a more established cultural phenomenon, consumer interest is in decline . Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why Millennials in particular might be losing interest in the month-long practice of abstention from alcohol, from greater interest in year-round moderation aided by a proliferation of non-alcoholic alternatives, to a realization that a different phase in life req...

Back from the holidays, Adam, Joanna, and Zach puzzle at the surprisingly confusing Bourbon market, one that is suddenly saturated with special, collectible bottles that vary wildly in price and are rarely if ever available at retail. 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,...