We return to our Costco FTW! series with 3 red Kirkland Signature wines - a Malbec, a Gigondas, and a Brunello di Montalcino. In addition to tasting and reviewing these wines - one of which we gave a GOOD rating of 7 and another we gave a BAD rating of 2 - we Trademark the motto for 2022: “Happy Husband, Happy Wife.” We also discuss the different types of Costco shopping modes: Focus Mode and Adventure Mode, and determine which of these Joe and Carmela usually are in. I mean, is shopping at Cost...
Jan 30, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Although this episode is called F that Wine, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we actually really liked some of these Rose’ wines! We taste and review 3 different Rose’ wines made from 3 different grapes - Grenache, Barbera, and Pinot Noir - and discover how different they are in taste, style, and color. We also talk about other things - like if it is ok to put ice in wine (we say YES if that is your thing), if you are an - ice - cruncher or sucker (um, ok?!?) and what it means to be in ...
Jan 23, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 14
We return to our much beloved What the F series to introduce you to an Italian wine called Barbera - a wine you may not know about, but you may just want to try! This fruity wine has flavors of tart cherry (think Twizzlers cherry nibs) and is a great complement to dishes like aglio e olio. We also talk about wine glasses, why Carmela breaks all of Joe’s wine glasses, and fond memories of people chugging small glasses of wine in wine bars in Italy. It’s beautiful! We rated these wines between 5 a...
Jan 16, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Taco Tuesday is a tradition in many households, and in this episode we find some great wines to pair with your taco night! Do you like fish tacos? Beef tacos? Chicken tacos? Whatever your preference, we’ve found some great wines to pair! One of these wines we rated a 9 out of 10, and we think you’ll love it! You’ll also discover what a Coronarita is, why pairing wine with food really makes a difference in the experience of the wine (and the food), and join in on our debate on whether nachos are ...
Jan 09, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this episode, we tackle boxed wine! Wait, did you say wine in a box?!? Yes! And we found a couple that we liked! As part of our Cork Free! series, we continue to express our love for wines without a cork. We rate 3 Pinot Grigios, two we found very drinkable, and one we gave a rating of 2, and we think you should avoid! We also talk about Carmela’s favorite food - ice cream - and how Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough almost led to a divorce early on in our marriage! Wines in this e...
Jan 02, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In this episode, we have special guests: our son Joey, his girlfriend Kiera, and our daughter Marianna, who chose wines based on an “aquatic” theme. We taste and review two reasonably priced Sauvignon Blancs and a Pinot Gris. And, we created a new series based on these choices: Wine Not? We ask Joey and Kiera some questions about New York City - what they love and hate about it, and suggestions for first time visitors. We discuss their Spotify Wrapped list and Carmela invites Chris Hemsworth ove...
Dec 26, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Just in time for the Holidays, we bring you the next in our WTF series - and this time we ask WTF is Cava?!? Sparkling wine is great for any time of year, but we all love bubbly a little more around the Holidays - and Cava is a perfect choice for a delicious and reasonably priced sparkler! In this episode, we talk about the difference between sparkling wine and Champagne, why a dry sparkling wine is called brut, and why a sweet sparkling wine is called dry, and Carmela gets quizzed on some Holid...
Dec 19, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The Wine Pair returns to the F that Wine series, facing down their fear of Merlot. Let’s just say that one of the three wines they taste gets a 2/10 rating, proving to be a terrible wine, definitely not worth your time, and clearly deserving its entry into this series. Truly and honestly, F that Wine! Joe and Carmela briefly discuss the movie Sideways and Paul Giamatti’s famous Merlot quote, try to unpack Joe’s obsession with security cameras and video doorbells, and taste and review some reason...
Dec 12, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode, The Wine Pair tastes and reviews wines from Costco’s own Kirkland brand. Listen to Joe and Carmela talk about why they love Costco, what they love to buy there, and why Joe has serious issues with Starbucks. In a nutshell, Starbucks sizes are too large, their bagged coffee smells like fish, they have created an alternate universe around the macchiato, mispronounce biscotti, and, most importantly, Howard Schultz sold the Seattle SuperSonics to another city! They review three Kirl...
Dec 05, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 7
The Wine Pair tastes and reviews three wines from Trader Joe’s paired with a charcuterie board - all selected by their very special guest: daughter Marianna! Joe and Carmela talk about how Italian families start early building a taste for wine in their children. Marianna introduces the audience to her Instagram account @munch.with.mar, and goes over how she puts together a charcuterie board, and selects the wine to pair. And we find out that part of the decision on what wine to choose may or may...
Nov 27, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode, The Wine Pair tastes and reviews three sparkling rose’ wines in a can. What did you say?!? A can?!? YES! This is fun wine, and perfect for a weeknight celebration! While on an anniversary trip in Honolulu, Joe and Carmela visited an ABC Store, found some canned sparkling wine, and decided to try it. Mind blown! The Wine Pair also talk about the magic of the 8th floor pool at the Halepuna on Waikiki, the flavor profiles of sparkling rose’, and the wonders of wine in a can. Consid...
Nov 21, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The Wine Pair discusses what people get wrong about white wine and riesling, a wine some people either don’t know about or are afraid to try. Joe and Carmela taste and review three dry white rieslings, two of which get a 9 out of 10 rating, and along the way talk about how white wines are often stereotyped as uninteresting and sometimes gendered. Carmela talks about her love of seafood, which is a great pairing for a dry riesling, and they honestly find that one of the wines smells like gasoline...
Nov 14, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The Wine Pair brings out the Big Mac and some reasonably priced Pinot Noirs to see how well they pair together, and if any of the Pinots are worth your hard earned cash. Carmela tastes her first Big Mac, and has to come clean about not knowing that the Big Mac has a bun in the middle. They sing the famous Big Mac song (which does not talk about a middle bun!), and discuss their opinion on McDonalds all up. Wines reviewed in this episode: Wine by Joe 2017 Pinot Noir, Barefoot Pinot Noir (non-vint...
Nov 07, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 2
The Wine Pair takes on some easy to find and affordable cabernet sauvignons to determine how good - or bad - they really are. Joe explains why he hates cabernet, and Carmela chastises him for being a snob and judgy. Wine reviewed in this episode: H3 Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Chateau Ste. Michele Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, and Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. Ratings range from a high of a 7 out of 10 all the way to a 3 out of 10, which means one of these wines may end up giving you a raging h...
Oct 31, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 1
The Wine Pair Joe and Carmela acquaint you with The Wine Pair Podcast. Get a sense of their witty banter, review the purpose and format of the podcast, and get introduced to what Joe really thinks about cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and merlot. The Wine Pair explains that they will focus on selecting and reviewing wines that normal people drink - everyday wines at reasonable prices that can be found at your local store. And giving their honest, irreverent, and hilarious opinions about wines, a...
Oct 31, 2021•38 min0
