Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss a recent piece from Fast Company about advertisers and consumers becoming disillusioned with influencers and advertising through them. Does this extend to the drinks industry? Where will advertisers potentially turn instead? Is social media attention less valuable than previously thought? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestio...
Jun 30, 2025•28 min•Season 7Ep. 52
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss orange wine phenomenon Gulp Hablo , a brand that has taken New York and other markets by storm over the last few years. What exactly is it about this orange wine from Spain that makes it so popular - the packaging, the size, the flavor profile, the varieties, or something else? Can other producers and brands learn some valuable lessons here? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and...
Jun 26, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 51
Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question pondering whether participating in wine festivals is actually a good investment for wineries, particularly if they can't sell wine or even market directly to attendees. Is there any way to make that kind of setting work for your brand? Do the people you're pouring for even really care about your story or the quality of the wine? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your epi...
Jun 23, 2025•24 min•Season 7Ep. 50
Adam, Joanna, and Zach react to the news that the New York Times is taking a different approach to its food section: having a critic specifically devoted to covering restaurants outside New York, plus producing more video content. Can they take the success they've had in New York City and make it work on a national level? How prized will these reviews be in other cities? Can they really take on other well-known publications, plus the influencer set? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and rev...
Jun 19, 2025•28 min•Season 7Ep. 49
Adam, Joanna, and Zach answer a listener question about why it is that so many wine lists look the same these days, with the same wines being sold or excluded. Has a new generation of wine buyers, sommeliers, and other professionals calcified to this extent, or are they just afraid to come to their own conclusions and risk the judgment of their peers? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, ...
Jun 16, 2025•30 min•Season 7Ep. 48
Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by Le Moné co-founder Eric Bachli to discuss the continued success of the spritz category, and how it has expanded beyond the Aperol Spritz to incorporate a wide range of aperitifs and liqueurs, as well as how it fits multiple different drinking occasions for many consumers worldwide. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestion...
Jun 12, 2025•27 min•Season 7Ep. 47
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss a recent and much-shared New York Times piece claiming that Gen Z is "killing the bar tab." Is it true that younger drinkers are truly different from previous generations, or are time-old concerns about limited budgets and a lack of practical experience more to blame? Regardless, what are some strategies that operators can use to keep costs down and customers happy? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever y...
Jun 09, 2025•28 min•Season 7Ep. 46
Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by VinePair contributing editor Dave Infante to discuss his breaking story about Republic National Distributing Company's announcement that they'll be shutting down their California operations in September. What led RNDC to this stunning admission of failure? Is the changing landscape of total beverage part of the explanation? What will the fallout look like, and can RNDC weather it in other markets? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on ...
Jun 05, 2025•44 min•Season 7Ep. 45
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discussed a frequently-posed question: what happened to some of the big public-facing food and drinks festivals, and why have they fallen off so dramatically over the last half decade. Is it just a case of another Covid-prompted change, or has the entire format gone stale? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.c...
Jun 02, 2025•35 min•Season 7Ep. 44
Joanna and Zach respond to yet more reporting about how retailers and on-premise operators are reacting to declining demand for wine. While some producers are turning to price increases to shore up profits, many customer-facing businesses are reducing the number of SKUs they stock to concentrate purchasing power and perhaps to better align with what most wine drinkers really want. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your epis...
May 29, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 43
Inspired by an aside on a recent Cocktail College episode , Adam and Zach discuss Gus' Sip & Dip , a Chicago bar that only offers one spirit in each category, but also sells all of its cocktails for $12. Eliminating the back bar has allowed them to concentrate their purchasing power on a few key bottles, getting them the best price they can and then letting them pass the savings on to their guests. Is this a model that other bars could copy or do we lose something valuable when guests can't ...
May 26, 2025•29 min•Season 7Ep. 42
Prompted by a recent piece on additives in other spirits beyond tequila, Adam and Zach discuss why it is that the additive-free conversation is so focused on one spirit - is it something distinctive to the way tequila is discussed and marketed, or is it more about brown spirits versus clear ones? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair....
May 22, 2025•28 min•Season 7Ep. 41
With summer around the corner, it's once again time for Joanna and Zach to talk about rosé: is the issue that the category needs to be better marketed , or is it more that other drinks have taken some shine away from the one-time summertime juggernaut. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Joann...
May 19, 2025•26 min•Season 7Ep. 40
Joanna and Zach are joined by Full Book contributor Dave Foss to check back in a frequent topic of discussion in the Covid years: restaurant and bar professionals moving out of the biggest cities in America to operate or work at establishments in smaller cities and communities. Is that working out? What is happening in those markets? Are there sales and marketing opportunities going missed by bigger brands and companies? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcast...
May 15, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 39
Fresh off speaking at the Culinary Institute of America's Wine & Beverage Summit , Zach poses the question to Adam and Joanna - can brands and categories use memes and viral videos as a part of marketing campaigns, or should they even be paying attention to trends like Gatorwine and jalapeno Sauvignon Blanc in the first place? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, ...
May 12, 2025•28 min•Season 7Ep. 38
Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by friend of VinePair (and Chateau Montelena winemaker) Matt Crafton to discuss some of the most hot-button topics in Napa Valley, including the hidden reason why more wineries can't take walk-ins, why companies and brands pivoting shouldn't be a source of shame, and why the "doom and gloom" mindset hurts everyone. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, com...
May 08, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 37
Zach is joined by Leon Bañuelos, Jr., to discuss his family's storied tradition in tequila production and their new venture, Tequila El Mexicano . As part of the third generation of tequileros in his family, Leon discusses the process of building a new distillery from the ground up, the specialness of agave sourced from the highlands, and the three expressions (Blanco, Blanco 90, and Reposado) that are available in the United States. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on ...
May 06, 2025•26 min
With more and more producers of scotch, bourbon, and other whiskies discussing the global and growing glut of product, Adam and Zach discuss how exactly we got to this point, whether it will be like previous whiskey crashes, and why the current instability of the global economic system and order will have additional, particular challenges for bourbon. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, ...
May 05, 2025•26 min•Season 7Ep. 36
With Joanna on jury duty, Adam and Zach discuss how some of the biggest drinks companies are launching or expanding into the canned vodka lemonade category, each betting not only that it will be the drink of Summer 2025, but that they can stand out in an increasingly-crowded category. What's driving this trend, and why does this kind of simple canned cocktail succeed where others fail? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your...
May 01, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 35
Adam, Joanna, and Zach muse on the fact that seemingly-successful wine startups that attempt to play in the affordable space are struggling to get purchased, even with impressive sales numbers and placements. Do the large wine and beverage alcohol companies only care about buying luxury or premium brands, or is there something else going on here? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comme...
Apr 28, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 34
With the team back together, Adam, Joanna, and Zach talk about why slumping wine sales at more upscale dining establishments should encourage wine producers to look at one area that does seem to have it together - casual restaurants that can offer a more affordable experience and also maybe not mark the wines up to eye-watering levels. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiq...
Apr 24, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 33
Adam and Joanna discuss whether the Trump Administration's trade war and tariff policies will do short-term harm to American wine abroad, with some countries, cities, and individual restaurants removing American wines from their offerings, and whether that harm might outlast these specific policies and this administration. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or sugge...
Apr 21, 2025•26 min•Season 7Ep. 32
Adam and Joanna take up a topic that's been bubbling up for some time : the impact of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs on the alcohol industry. As these drugs become easier to acquire and less stigmatized, are they having a noticeable impact on alcohol sales. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. P...
Apr 17, 2025•29 min•Season 7Ep. 31
Joanna and Zach respond a recent New York Times piece about new restaurants prioritizing design and vibes over food quality or service. Zach shares a hot take about American diners, a conversation is had about how operators prefer to spend on things that they can fully control, and more. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Than...
Apr 14, 2025•27 min•Season 7Ep. 30
Joanna and Zach are joined by VinePair contributing editor Dave Infante to discuss the many ways in which the United States' trade policy and whiplash tariff protocols are affecting and damaging the drinks industry. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Please remember to enter VinePair 's Best ...
Apr 10, 2025•39 min•Season 7Ep. 29
Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder whether or not Tequila is missing out on the potential markets of Asia, spurred by the recent revelation that K-Pop and White Lotus star Lisa is all about tequila. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Joanna is drinking: Añejo Old Fashioned Zach is drinking: 2016 R...
Apr 07, 2025•23 min•Season 7Ep. 28
Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a recent piece about using your phone when perusing a wine list: should you direct all of your questions to the sommelier or server, and is it fact rude to check details, scores, and prices online? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. Joanna is reading: Bus Bin...
Apr 03, 2025•31 min•Season 7Ep. 27
Fresh off their travels, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether hiring a famous bartender to design your cocktail menu, but not actually tend bar, can actually drive business, especially if that bar doesn't share a name with their more famous establishment. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and be well. ...
Mar 31, 2025•34 min•Season 7Ep. 26
With Adam, Joanna, and Zach all on the road, they discuss what they look for when traveling: how best to try to get the sense for a local drinks scene, the amount of prep work they do, and how they assess whether styles and trends are viable on a larger scale or will likely remain localized. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. ...
Mar 27, 2025•20 min•Season 7Ep. 25
To announce the launch of Full Book , Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by contributor Dave Foss to discuss the impact that current and proposed tariffs from the Trump Administration are having on the restaurant, bar, and hotel industry, from slowing down potential openings to creating chaos in the by-the-glass market. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestio...
Mar 24, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 24
