If you have never had Soave, you are missing out on a great Italian wine! Believe it or not, 50 years ago, Soave was the most popular Italian wine in the United States. What?!? Today, however, it is not super easy to find, which we think is a tragedy. In this episode, we take another Italian wine adventure to introduce you to a vastly underrated white wine called Soave - not Suave, and definitely not Rico Suave! In the 1970’s and 80’s the U.S. was swamped by cheap Soave that still impacts the im...
Aug 28, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Have you been curious to know what exactly Vegan wine is? Well, it has something to do with fining and filtering. Wait - don’t know what that is? Then listen to this episode to find out! Ever wanted to try Vegan wine but don’t know where to start? Good news! It’s actually much easier to find than you think! Listen to this episode to find out more! Wondering what Vegan wine tastes like? We’ll tell you what we think, but you might be surprised to find out you may already know! Confused?!? Intrigue...
Aug 21, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Ok, real talk. Cabernet Franc is not Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, both are red wines, and both have the same first name, but they are pretty different wines, and we are betting that Cabernet Franc may be a wine you are not super familiar with. We are here to change that! In this episode, we discuss just WTF Cabernet Franc is, where it comes from, where it is grown (hint, it is grown all over the world), and how its use and taste can vary tremendously depending on the climate it comes from and whethe...
Aug 14, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Are you feeling like it’s time to expand your wine horizons?!? Are you ready to deepen your knowledge of Italian wines? Then this episode is perfect for you! We take our first Italian wine adventure and introduce you to the King of Southern Italian wines - Aglianico - which is considered one of the three great wines of Italy. As you grow in your knowledge of wine, this is definitely one to add to your repertoire. Aglianico is a beautiful wine, great for red wine lovers, and an excellent option f...
Aug 07, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Did you know there is a right way to hold a wine glass? There is! Listen to this minisode to learn the proper way to hold your wine glass, and some habits that you just need to break. And don’t even get us started on stemless wine glasses! Minisodes are fun, short, snackable content of The Wine Pair Podcast where we share with you things you have always wanted to know about wine, wine tasting, and wine etiquette but were afraid to ask! Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode...
Jul 31, 2022•9 min
If you love wine and you love books, this is the perfect episode for you! Joe is joined by his son Giuseppe who selects three fantastic books and then they pair those books with three great wines. Each of these wine and book choices are fun, interesting, compelling, and conversation pieces all on their own, but together they are the perfect pairing of books and wine. Afterall, if you are choosing books and wines for your book club, we think the wine should be just as interesting as the books to ...
Jul 24, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 38
In honor of the most popular white wine in the US and the biggest wine retailer in the US, we undertake our very own Costco Kirkland Signature Brand Chardonnay Challenge! If you remember the Pepsi Challenge, this is a similar concept. We line up two Chardonnays that Costco sells under its Kirkland Brand and compare them to each other and a third well known Chardonnay that Costco also sells. We give you our honest opinions about these wines and help you pick the right one whether you are a Chardo...
Jul 17, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Looking for a new white wine to try or a good new summer sipper? Then look no further than Pinot Blanc! Wait, did you mean Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris?!? No, we mean Pinot Blanc! Pinot Blanc is a relative of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir, but is a delicious and affordable white wine all its own. In this episode, we taste and review three different Pinot Blancs from different parts of the world - Germany, Oregon, and Canada - to let you know what we think and advise you on what to look for. And, we ...
Jul 10, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Wines and barbecue make a perfect pairing, but depending on the type of barbecue you like - Kansas City barbecue or Memphis barbecue or Carolina barbecue or Texas barbecue - there are different types of wines that will definitely pair better. Intimidated?!? Don’t be! We got you covered! In this episode, we discuss different types of barbecue styles and wines that should go well with them. And we taste and review three different styles of red wine that are great fits. One is a fizzy, frothy, and ...
Jul 03, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Just in time for the 4th of July, we bring you three great American sparkling wines that are inexpensive and pretty darn tasty! If you are ready for some wine to pair with fireworks and fun in the sun, we may have just found the perfect bubbly for you! In this episode, we discuss styles of sparkling wine - like what is a blanc de blanc vs. a blanc de noir - and the different states in the USA in which sparkling wines are produced. We also explain why you should never, ever, ever call sparkling w...
Jun 26, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 34
What could be better than combining a love of wine with philanthropy?!? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Robert Hollander who does that very thing! Diagnosed with Prostate cancer, Dr. Bob decided he would do his part to make a difference, and brought together his love of wine and wine making with supporting cancer researchers through his Robert & Susan Hollander Foundation. Just in time for Father’s Day, we discuss this very important topic - so make sure you tell the men in your life to li...
Jun 19, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Ever wondered why sometimes people slurp their wine? Isn’t that rude? Does it really have a purpose? In this minisode, we explain why slurping wine is important in the tasting of wine, and teach you the right technique! Minisodes are fun, short, snackable content of The Wine Pair Podcast where we share with you things you have always wanted to know about wine, wine tasting, and wine etiquette but were afraid to ask! Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine P...
Jun 12, 2022•8 min
In this minisode, we explain why swirling wine is important in the tasting of wine, and the proper ways to swirl wine - including some things you want to avoid. Minisodes are fun, short, snackable content of The Wine Pair Podcast where we share with you things you have always wanted to know about wine, wine tasting, and wine etiquette but were afraid to ask! Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website...
Jun 12, 2022•8 min
Are you a Chardonnay fan and want to find some good wine alternatives you might like? Well, look no further because this is the episode for you! In an effort to expand your wine horizons and give you some options to consider when your go-to may not be available, we bring you Viognier. With some similarities in flavors, body, and acidity, Viognier can be a great choice for Chardonnay lovers. In this episode we taste and review three Viogniers that are reasonably priced and should be easy to find ...
Jun 05, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Did you know they grow wine grapes and make wine in Canada? Do you like Cabernet Sauvignon and want to find more wines like it? Well, then this is the episode for you! One of our favorite places in the world - the Okanagan Valley British Columbia - is one of the few places where wine can be made in Canada. And one of the very popular wines they create there is Syrah, a wine that you should know, especially if you like fruit-forward red wines. Learn more about why the Okanagan Valley is an area w...
May 29, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Great wine comes from great fruit which comes from great soil. You’ve heard about organic wine, but how about wine made via Regenerative Agriculture? We interview Tabitha Compton of Compton Family Wines and learn about how they make their wines using Regenerative Viticulture methods, and why that makes a difference in how their wines taste, and why it is a step up from organic. We also talk about their Concrete Egg, a style of orange wine they make called Ramato, and what makes their well regard...
May 22, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Grilling season is here, and we have some great wines to pair with your next cookout, barbecue, or outdoor shindig! For grilling, you want wines that go well with a variety of foods, are crowd pleasers, and are reasonably priced so you can always have some on hand - in case a neighbor or relative or friend stops by for a bite to eat, or you are planning a big summer party. We discuss the different types of wines you will want to have on hand - reds, whites, and rose’s - and some specific varieta...
May 15, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 29
The Wine Pair is thrilled to be joined by The Swirl Suite, four African American women who co-host The Swirl Suite podcast and who aim to elevate black and women voices in the wine industry. In this episode, you will hear from these four amazing women - Sarita, Tanisha, Glynis, and Leslie - as they discuss with us their careers in wine, what motivates them and keeps them going, and the challenges they see and have experienced on their journey. And while we did not taste and review any wines this...
May 08, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Indian food has been considered notoriously difficult to pair with wine, but we at the Wine Pair Podcast say pshaw to that! In this episode, we pair three wines with Indian food and discover that they work together pretty darn well! We cover what to look for in wines to pair with Indian food - hint, think about acidity, oak, and alcohol content - and we also discuss a little bit about why there may be this perception that Indian food is hard to pair with wine and how wine production is increasin...
May 01, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Ever tried the wonderful wine Gamay, also known as Beaujolais? Well, you really should! Gamay is a crisp, refreshing red wine meant to be served chilled. Yes, it’s true - there are some red wines that are served chilled! As former teachers, Joe and Carmela are committed to your lifelong learning, and that includes learning about wine! This wine is the epitome of “crunchy red fruit,” a wine term you should be familiar with. In addition to tasting and reviewing three Gamay wines, we also talk abou...
Apr 24, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 26
With baseball season underway, it’s a great time to figure out what wine goes with the ball game and ballpark foods! In this episode, we review three Woodbridge wines by Robert Mondavi because they are the official partner of Major League Baseball, and because these are wines you can easily find at nearly any store and are very reasonably priced - even when you get them in the mega-sized magnums. But how do they taste? You might be surprised to find out what we think - so listen to find out! We ...
Apr 17, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this Episode we are joined by special guests TJ and Kelsey, also known as The Nashville Wine Duo. We use the magic of streaming to do a virtual wine tasting between the two great cities of Seattle and Nashville. In addition to drinking wine together over the interwebs, we share some fun stories and get an update on their cat Felix. This episode follows a bit of a different format than usual, but, look, a little change of pace is good, right?!? Wine reviewed in this episode: 2019 Black Stallio...
Apr 10, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 24
If you love Sauvignon Blanc, you need to know WTF White Bordeaux is! A perfect pairing for foods in Lent like fried fish, fish & chips, and other seafood (even a Filet-O-Fish!). We taste and review three White Bordeaux style blends, two from France, and one from Washington State, to help you find a reasonably priced winner. Each blend is different, despite the fact that all three are made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. We also talk about giving things up for Lent, being an altar boy on G...
Apr 03, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Curious about Cursive wines from Amazon? We’ll give you the skinny! And, we even do an exclusive interview with Alexa to get the inside story. We rate and review three wines by Amazon’s Cursive Brand that we purchased at an Amazon Fresh store - a Sauvignon Blanc, a Pinot Noir, and a Red Blend. We’ll help you determine if this is a label and brand that you should trust. We also really do interview Alexa - and find out some things she has been hiding from us - and we talk about our experience shop...
Mar 27, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Love Greek food? Ever tried Greek wine? You should! Drinking wine associated with a specific cuisine is a great way to really understand how food and wine are meant to work together. In this episode, The Wine Pair serve up three Greek wines - Assyrtiko, Moschofilero, and Agiorgitiko - and taste and review them so that you can make informed choices the next time you are at a Greek restaurant. We also taste food from some local Greek restaurants, talk about the kinds of Greek cuisine we find in ou...
Mar 20, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Looking for some great wines for your next party? Look no further! The Wine Pair introduces a new series for the podcast where we will rate and review three wines - usually a red, a white, and a sparkling or Rose’ - that make sense to serve at larger gatherings - cookouts, or weddings, or anniversaries, or whatever! These wines will be reasonably priced and easy to find, and we’ll let you know if they are crowd-pleasers or not. This episode is focused on a general large party, and we think we ha...
Mar 13, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 20
WTF is Chenin Blanc? We honestly didn’t know, but after tasting these three examples, we are converts! One of the wines we try in this episode is from NBA basketball star Dwayne Wade’s Wade Cellars. We are usually a little suspicious of celebrity wines, but this one did not disappoint! If you want to find a great alternative to Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc is a good choice! One of these wines we rate a 9 out of 10! For some reason, we also talk about wine coolers, what our favorite color/flavor was,...
Mar 06, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 19
The Wine Pair returns to our Cork Free series, and in this episode we taste and rate some canned Pinot Noirs from California and Oregon. We discuss why a red wine is an interesting - and maybe not ideal - choice for a wine in a can, and the pros and cons of canned wine. In addition to giving our completely honest reviews of these wines (and when we say honest, we mean honest), we also try a pairing of these canned wines with Chef Boyardee lasagna. Let’s just say we’re not sure it is a match made...
Feb 27, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Do you have a bunch of wines hanging around that have been gifted to you and you just haven’t gotten around to drinking them? Ever wonder whether you should open a bottle of wine that someone brings to your house? You are not alone! The Wine Pair welcome Carmela’s brother Mario to the podcast to try out some of the wines that he has been gifted over the years. The results were honestly better than we expected, at least in a few cases. We also discuss wine gifting etiquette, how and when wines ar...
Feb 13, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we talk about a match made in heaven: wine and chocolate! In this episode we pair 3 wines - a Brachetto, a Port, and a Zinfandel - with three kinds of chocolate: milk, dark, and Carmela’s Baby Bites from her Baby Cakes bakery. We think one of the combos is a must do for Valentine’s Day! So, if you want to treat that someone special to a fun and maybe romantic night of wine and chocolate pairing, listen in to get some great ideas - and avoid a big mistake! We als...
Feb 06, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 16
