Are you getting tired of the same old same old when it comes to wine? Do you need to spice your wine life up a bit? Are you stuck in a Cabernet rut and ready to bust out?!? Then this is the episode for you! In this episode, we discover a wine called Tannat, also known as Madiran in France, which is a great option for red wine lovers. Tannat is a bold, flavorful, and delicious red wine that is growing in popularity, and it is the most widely planted red wine grape in Uruguay. Wait, what’s that yo...
Mar 19, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 69
So, if you didn’t know, Pouilly-Fumé is Sauvignon Blanc, but from a specific area of France in the Loire Valley. Like a lot of European wines, the names can be confusing because they are named after the place they are from, not the grape they are made from. But the real question is - can you tell the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc from Pouilly-Fumé, which is going to be a little pricey, from a much less expensive Sauvignon Blanc? If you are curious about all of this stuff, this is the epis...
Mar 12, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Lots of people drink and enjoy Trader Joe’s private label wines, but how much do you really know about them? Did you know there are several tiers or levels of quality in Trader Joe’s wines? And are you curious about how they stack up “regular” wines? Well, we are here to help! In this episode, we taste and review three Trader Joe’s wines, including their Blanc de Blancs Brut, and two of their Petit Reserve wines - a Barbera and a Chardonnay - all of which are under ten bucks! And we discuss all ...
Mar 05, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 67
Wait a minute, did we say sparkling wines from Argentina?!? Yes! If you think only France, Spain, Italy, and the US make great sparkling wine, you are missing out! Of course Argentina is most known for their outstanding Malbecs, but they are also a top-notch and rising producer of very reasonably priced sparkling wines, some of which use Malbec to make amazing sparkling rosé wines. We taste and review three very different, and very delicious, sparkling Argentinian wines, all from the famous Mend...
Feb 26, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 66
It may seem like a cliché, but white wine and fish are the perfect pairing. But wait a minute - there are so many different types of white wines, and so many types of seafood, so can you really just make that blanket statement?!? Good question - there are nuances, and certain kinds of white wines do go better with certain kinds of seafood. Feeling overwhelmed, confused, want to throw in the towel?!? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this episode we talk about why white wine and fish pair so...
Feb 19, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Think pairing wine and chocolate is tricky? Well, we’re here to give you some simple hints and tips on how to make it easy peasy! Wine and chocolate is a wonderful, romantic, and delicious pairing - if you can get it right. The key is understanding how to match the sweetness levels of a wine with the sweetness levels of the chocolate. And, as an extra bonus, we also talk specifically about how to pair chocolate and sparkling wine. So come join us on this mini version of our regular sized episode...
Feb 12, 2023•13 min
This Valentine’s Day, treat that special someone to something different! Yes, rosé wine is the perfect choice for a romantic evening, but maybe it’s time to spice it up a bit, and try serving some rosés that make your partner think you want to keep the relationship exciting! We have found three amazing, wonderful, and unique rosé wines for you to choose from, each of which is made from a different grape and from a different part of the world. We’ll tell you why we think rosé is a great choice fo...
Feb 05, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 64
If you think all white wines are the same, we have a surprise for you: Grüner Veltliner is not your mama’s white wine. Well, maybe it is, but that all depends on your mama. Grüner Veltliner is a rich, complex, delicious, and food friendly white wine that more people need to know about - and so we’ll tell you what the F it is, and we’ll also give you our impression of three reasonably priced wines that are worth seeking out. Grüner Veltliner is definitely a wine that needs to be on more restauran...
Jan 29, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 63
If you have been curious about Amazon’s Cursive wines and wondering if they are worth checking out, then this is the episode for you! We taste and review three Cursive wines - the Cursive California Chardonnay, the Cursive California Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Cursive Sparkling Brut - and we give our honest, no-holds-barred opinion on each of them. Seriously! We give you the honest scoop. We also think we have solved the mystery of who makes Amazon’s Cursive wines, that is if we can trust what ...
Jan 22, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 62
Did you know that the King of Italian wines is Barolo made from the Nebbiolo grape? Ok, but did you know that you can find some great wines made from the same grape and that cost a lot less by seeking out Langhe Nebbiolo?!? Trust us - and we’ll tell you more! In this episode, we return to Italy to explore this fantastic red wine, and we specifically focus on Nebbiolo wines from Langhe, which is the area of Piedmont where Barolo and Barbaresco are made as well. If you are stuck on French varietal...
Jan 15, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 61
Hey wine lovers, get this: not only is Argentina home to the 2022 World Cup Champions, but it is also home to some of the highest altitude wine grapes in the world! Join us as we learn about, taste, and review a white wine called Torrontés that is almost exclusively produced in Argentina, is reasonably priced, and is not hard to find. Well, not too hard to find if you are willing to look around a little! This unique white wine is said to have a very floral smell, and we think it might be an inte...
Jan 08, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 60
If you are looking for a break from alcohol and are super curious about alcohol free wine, this is the episode for you! As we enter into 2023, many people will be interested in resetting their relationship with alcohol and participating in Dry January, but still want to be able to have a glass of their favorite drink. The question is - are any of those zero alcohol wines any good? We’ll help answer that question for you. We discuss how wines are dealcoholized, and we taste and review three diffe...
Jan 01, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 59
While we think that sparkling wines are good any time of year and any day of the week, they are definitely the drink of choice on New Year’s Eve. This New Year’s Eve, we think you should go off the beaten path a little bit and drink some Sparkling Rosé, and we have three great, different, and festive Sparkling Rosé wines for you to try! Not only is Sparkling Rosé delicious, it is also beautiful. We give you our recommendation on three Sparkling Rosé wines from Spain - a Rosé Cava - Italy - a Spa...
Dec 25, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 58
As Italian-Americans, one of the things we look forward to the most each Holiday season is the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. If you have never heard of or been to this celebration, all we can tell you is that you are missing out! The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a raucous party of food, family, fun, and, of course, wine! We’ll tell you how our family celebrates this amazing bash, the types of seafood we eat, and, most importantly, we’ll taste and review three wines that we think wi...
Dec 18, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Who doesn’t love a good Holiday movie? We know we do! And we also love wine, so in this episode we marry (or is it merry?!?) two of our favorite things and tell you about some fantastic Holiday movie and wine pairings. We choose three films - one old classic, one new classic, and one controversial pick - and pair them with three wines. Well, actually, one of the wines is used as a base for something we have never done before: Mulled Wine. Learn about what Mulled Wine is, our approach to pairing ...
Dec 11, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 56
Who doesn’t love a good deal, especially when it comes to wine?!? In wine, you often hear about QPR as a measure for a good wine at a great price. But, can you really find good Pinot Noir at a price that is reasonable? And what is QPR anyway? We’ll tell you! In this episode, we begin our search for high QPR Pinot Noir, and we taste and review three Pinot Noirs with strong reviewer ratings and that are under $20 to see if we think they fit the bill! And, we discuss what QPR is, as well as what cr...
Dec 04, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Of course the Holidays are the season for sparkling wine, but are you looking for something different, delicious, and reasonably priced that is a worthy alternative to Champagne?!? Then we’ve got you covered! Crémant is a French sparkling wine made in the Champagne style and with Champagne quality but often at a fraction of the price! If you are throwing a Holiday party or bringing a gift to your host, you cannot go wrong with Crémant. There are many different styles of Crémant based on the regi...
Nov 27, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Carménère is a wine mystery that is worth solving! Long mistaken for Merlot, and from a wine grape many thought was extinct, Carménère is a wonderful red wine that we would definitely recommend you seek out! One of Chile’s great wines, Carménère is a fantastic red wine alternative for those of you looking to expand your wine horizons! We found it spicy and earthy with flavors like raspberry and matchstick. What?!? That’s right - and those are good things! We’ll tell you more about the history an...
Nov 20, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Looking for some unique, fun, festive, affordable, and fantastic Thanksgiving wines?!? We’ve got you covered! Selecting Thanksgiving wines can be tricky because you have to find wines that go well with the large variety of foods, will please some picky palettes, and also look festive and beautiful on the table. We’ll give you everything you need to know so you can serve some amazing wines this Thanksgiving - and we have three recommendations that we think will be showstoppers AND won’t break the...
Nov 13, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 52
In this episode, we say “Go for the Gavi!” We are betting that you have probably not heard of Gavi or the Cortese grape it is made from, but if you are a white wine fan, you are going to LOVE Gavi. This underrated white wine from the Piedmont area of Italy is crisp, refreshing, and delicious, and sure to be a crowd pleaser! Perfect with fish, pastas with cream sauce or clams, arugula salad, or even a pizza bianco, Gavi is a versatile wine that is amazing with food. We tell you the sweet love sto...
Nov 06, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Did you know that only 3% of the Champagne areas of France are certified organic? Want to know what Grower Champagne is? Let’s find out! In this special episode of The Wine Pair Podcast, Joe interviews Fiona Perrin co-cofounder of Rendez-Vous Champagne, a relatively new Champagne offering that brings natural, organic, and pesticide free sparkling wine to the market. Started in 2020, Rendez-Vous is dedicated to consumers who are conscious about what they eat and drink - and like our podcast, whil...
Nov 02, 2022•31 min
Believe it or not, the type of wine glass you use does matter! In this minisode we discuss the kinds of glasses you need to have for white, red, and sparkling, and why you want to use different glasses for each. We'll also tell you why you really should not use stemless glasses! Seriously, people! Listen to learn more! 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...
Oct 30, 2022•10 min
Costco sells a ton of its Kirkland Signature brand Cabernet Sauvignon, but how good is the quality of their wine?!? To answer that question, in this episode we do a review and wine tasting challenge with 3 different Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignons to tell you if we think they are worth your hard earned money! Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular red wine in the United States, and Costco sells the most wine in the US, so it only makes sense to do a challenge with these two behemoths. We ...
Oct 23, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Looking for the perfect wines for Halloween! We’ve got you covered! In this episode, we taste and review three wines we think are absolute hits for your next Halloween party, dinner, or night at home watching scary movies with your S.O.! We’ll give you some easy criteria you can use to select Halloween wines, some hints on pairing wine with Halloween candy, and some great scary movie and wine pairings so you can make an evening to remember. Don’t be afraid! Give us a listen - or we might haunt y...
Oct 16, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 49
If you’re like us, you are probably not familiar with the red wine called Carignan, but did you know it was once the most widely planted grape in France as recently as 1988?!? WTF?!? Mostly used as a cheap blending grape in jug wines, Carignan has had a bad reputation, but recently has been making a comeback from vintners making wines from old vines. But, we’ll be honest, we are not so sure about this wine. In this episode, we talk about the recent history of this grape and wine, and we also tas...
Oct 09, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Looking for a great white wine for the Fall? We are here to help! If you have never tried a white wine blend based on the grapes Marsanne and Roussanne, you are missing out! Originally from the Northern Rhone in France, these grapes are blended together - often with other grapes - to create a rich, full-bodied, flavorful, and still acidic white wine that is great for fall foods, holidays, and events. If you are a Chardonnay lover, this is a great wine to add to your repertoire! Marsanne and Rous...
Oct 02, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Ever heard of a red wine blend from Italy called Valpolicella? No? Well, this is a wine we think you really should know about, especially if you are someone who a) loves red wine blends, b) loves lighter bodied red wines, c) wants to learn more about chilled red wines, or d) is curious about - or loves - Italian wines. Or, even better yet, all of the above. While not terribly common, Valpolicella is a reasonably easy to find wine that is reasonably priced and comes from one of the most famous an...
Sep 25, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Looking for a new white wine to try?!? We have just the wine for you! Most famously from the Rias Baixas area in the Galicia region of Spain, this zippy wine is perfect for the white wine lover in your life - especially if that person is you! You may have started seeing this wine on store shelves and thought “I wonder what that tastes like?” Wonder no more! In this episode, we talk about, taste, and review three Albariño wines, two from Spain, and one from Oregon, and we’ll let you know what we ...
Sep 18, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 45
As the days start to get shorter and the weather starts to get cooler, it’s time to think about wines that pair well with the fall! Or is it autumn?!? In this episode, we learn about, taste, and review a great wine for fall called Grenache, also known as Garnacha if it comes from Spain. With warm flavors and relatively high alcohol, we think Grenache is a perfect tailgating wine! And, one of the wines we chose for this episode is a Grenache rose’, so we will try to break the myth that rose’ is a...
Sep 11, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Do you love big, bold red wines, and are looking for new wines to try to expand your horizons? Then this episode is for you! There is no doubt that Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are popular wines, but there are other great red wines out there - like Malbec - that will satisfy your craving and maybe be a little easier on the old pocketbook! Malbec from Argentina is an up and coming wine that is getting really easy to find, and so it is one you should know about! And did you know that about 75% of...
Sep 04, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 43
