Fresh off Bar Convent Brooklyn, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the merits and downsides of such trade shows: they undoubtedly provide a great time for members of the bartending community, but do they actually move products for the brands involved, or provide a platform to newer and smaller producers? 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@vinep...
Jun 13, 2024•32 min•Season 6Ep. 49
Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate whether craft beer has gotten boring: has a proliferation of breweries around the country created too much homogeneity, and is the old allure of the taproom no longer enough to bring drinkers in droves? 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: Rodic...
Jun 10, 2024•27 min•Season 6Ep. 48
Adam, Joanna, and Zach examine the burgeoning trend of "flat drinks," alcoholic beverages that are very purposefully not carbonated. Do enough drinkers dislike carbonated beverages to make this an area for real growth, or are these drinks just not interesting enough to capture the public's full attention? 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@...
Jun 06, 2024•32 min•Season 6Ep. 47
Adam, Joanna, and Zach use a listener question as a jumping-off point to discuss whether most wine drinkers really care where a wine is from: do regular wine drinkers below a certain price point care about appellations and vintages, or is it mostly about flavor profile and price point? 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...
Jun 03, 2024•31 min•Season 6Ep. 46
Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate whether growth in craft light lagers portends a shakeup in the American beer landscape, and why these local and regional beers might be able to resonate with beer drinkers in a way that macro lagers are struggling to. 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 ...
May 30, 2024•27 min•Season 6Ep. 45
Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate whether American wineries are in general making too many different wines and styles in a given vintage, and if a tighter focus with fewer offerings would help them in the marketplace, particularly in distribution or even with media coverage. 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,...
May 27, 2024•30 min•Season 6Ep. 44
Adam, Joanna, and Zach speculate on the future of the Paloma - can it be another standard bearer for tequila, or does the divergence between the drink's original formulation with grapefruit soda and more upscale versions with fresh grapefruit juice make it harder to take 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 suggestions to podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for...
May 23, 2024•25 min•Season 6Ep. 43
Adam is joined by GALLO executive vice president and general manger spirits Britt West to discuss his history in the alcohol industry, and where in particular he sees the tequila market going, from the conversation around additives to bottle shape to interest in cristalino expressions. 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...
May 21, 2024•24 min•Season 6Ep. 42
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss rosé's sales slump - are people sick of it or do they just have more choices for easy-drinking summertime fun? Can certain brands, regions, or multinationals find a new way to make rosé surge? 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. Zach is drinking: Piña Colada at R...
May 20, 2024•31 min•Season 6Ep. 41
Adam, Joanna, and Zach break down GALLO's acquisition of Montucky Cold Snacks, then are joined by restaurateur, consultant, and VinePair contributor Dave Foss to discuss his recent piece about how unbeknownst to most diners, elevated menu prices in bars and restaurants are being driven by a surge in labor costs that have created new challenges for operators. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any ques...
May 16, 2024•38 min•Season 6Ep. 40
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the many competitions and judgings that wine, beer, and spirits producers can enter: do medals or high scores really shift consumer behavior, or does the fact that there are so many of these scores, points, and medals floating around rob them of their ability to have much impact? 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 pod...
May 13, 2024•24 min•Season 6Ep. 39
Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a recent San Francisco Chronicle piece about the purportedly dire situation facing California winemakers, and propose that the current struggles are more an aftereffect of the pandemic than a cataclysmic shift in how Americans feel about wine, but also that small winemakers absolutely need to be more honest about their business plans and how they can prepare for difficult times. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotif...
May 09, 2024•35 min•Season 6Ep. 38
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether individual wineries and even entire regions should be focusing more on their local and regional markets, as well as trying to bring in tourists, as opposed to attempting to get their wines into markets around the country: is that a fruitless chase that ends up costing more money than it could ever generate? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, commen...
May 06, 2024•33 min•Season 6Ep. 37
Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about whether successful luxury wine brands have an obligation to help make wine less snobby and more approachable, and speculate on who exactly that responsibility does fall on. 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. Note: audio was updated a...
May 02, 2024•38 min•Season 6Ep. 36
Zach is joined by Sarika Singh, Kat Hantas , and Nicole Hantas-Emanuel, the co-founders of infused tequila brand 21Seeds , to discuss their origin story, how they have expanded their focus to the on-premise world, and what's changed and what hasn't since their 2022 acquisition by Diageo. 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 30, 2024•34 min•Season 6Ep. 35
Joanna and Zach are joined by VinePair contributing editor and Taplines host Dave Infante to break down the surprising level of optimism present at the just-finished Craft Brewers Conference. With stagnant sales for craft beer, what exactly prompted all these good vibes? 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,...
Apr 29, 2024•43 min•Season 6Ep. 34
Joanna and Zach discuss America's most popular cocktail, the Margarita. Specifically, can anything with agave in it be a Margarita, and is their an appetite for high-end versions of the cocktail? 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. Zach is reading: Wine Gadgets: The Good, the Bad, and the Down...
Apr 25, 2024•30 min•Season 6Ep. 33
Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder some recently-reviewed blanco tequilas that check in at well over $100 retail: is there really a market for unaged spirits at that pricepoint, and if so, who are these brands targeting? 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. Zach is drinking: Russian River Brewing "D...
Apr 22, 2024•29 min•Season 6Ep. 32
Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to listener questions about the potential for craft cider to grab a bigger slice of the pie, and make predictions about what the drink of Summer 2024 will be. Plus: is the Martini an indoor-only cocktail? 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. Zach is reading: All T...
Apr 18, 2024•38 min•Season 6Ep. 31
In response to a ton of listener feedback, Adam, Joanna, and Zach weigh on a recent slew of social media posts from a famous sommelier-turned-winemaker who claims that the American restaurant industry is being criminal for not better supporting American wine...and a lot of other noise. They have thoughts. 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@...
Apr 15, 2024•33 min•Season 6Ep. 30
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss VinePair's recent Martini Madness tournament, then explore why it feels like cocktail bars and restaurants are focusing on different kinds of cocktails: what's driving that divide, and should restaurants be trying to keep up? 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. J...
Apr 11, 2024•36 min•Season 6Ep. 29
Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder why sustainability is such a central part of the conversation around wine, from vineyard practices to alternative packaging, while the same considerations almost never come into the broader conversation around spirits. 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. Zach is d...
Apr 08, 2024•37 min•Season 6Ep. 28
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the curious case of the rise of functional beverages - drinks that rely on adaptogens, nootropics, and other buzzy ingredients to create an aura of healthfulness and safe stimulation, despite many of the ingredients being untested and lightly studied. Then, they try two examples from category leader Kin Euphorics . Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, commen...
Apr 04, 2024•35 min•Season 6Ep. 27
Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about recent and significant increases in the prices of several cult Napa Valley wines: will these increases alienate even the very wealthy who form the core audience for these wines, or is the prestige priceless for that set? 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 l...
Apr 01, 2024•30 min•Season 6Ep. 26
First, Adam shares an update on a breaking news story about Mexican authorities raiding the home of Tequila Matchmaker , then Adam, Joanna, and Zach talk about why despite its ubiquity and success in Europe, the Gin & Tonic will never be a drink that works in American cocktail bars or for premium gin brands. 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 p...
Mar 29, 2024•35 min•Season 6Ep. 26
Adam and Zach discuss the various things they learned while traveling last week: how Las Vegas is perhaps the ideal place to get the pulse of what America, writ large, wants to drink, and why a city like Boise is an exciting and dynamic place to drink, even if it's off the radar of many enthusiasts. 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@vinepa...
Mar 25, 2024•30 min•Season 6Ep. 25
Adam and Zach are joined by VinePair's managing editor Tim McKirdy to discuss recent conversations around the end of the alleged piquette trend, and why Tim was highly skeptical of any such trend all the way back in July of 2021. 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. Zach is reading: Do Upscale ...
Mar 22, 2024•37 min•Season 6Ep. 24
NOTE (9:15 AM 3/18) - THE ORIGINAL UPLOADED AUDIO WAS DE-SYNCED AROUND THE LISTENER QUESTION - IT IS NOW FIXED. SORRY FOR THAT - ZACH. Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about why cocktails have usurped by-the-glass wine in many restaurant beverage programs, even when in many cases wine might be more affordable or potentially offer better value. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send an...
Mar 18, 2024•28 min•Season 6Ep. 23
Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why so many of the biggest companies in beverage alcohol continue to compare current sales and trends to the peak of the pandemic, despite the fact that most of that entire period was a total anomaly. 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: With Sp...
Mar 15, 2024•36 min•Season 6Ep. 22
Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about how local and regional media cover wine and the drinks industry more broadly: can they do more than just report on openings and closings, and how does that work when there's often a lack of expertise? 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 wel...
Mar 11, 2024•34 min•Season 6Ep. 21
