VinePair Podcast

Adam and Joanna are joined by the co-founders of Cueva Nueva, David Neimanis and Phi Peinado, to discuss the realities of vermouth, both in Europe and in the United States, and what compelled them to take on this category in the first place. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is reading: 10 Producers You Should Know to Get Into BurgundyJoanna is reading: The Value Meal Comes to the BreweryAdam is reading: The 30 Best Bourbons for 2026Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach recap a few recent news items, including acclaimed restaurateur Thomas Keller's public objections to an affordable housing project in Napa Valley, GALLO's recent purchase of Four Roses Bourbon, and a spate of layoffs throughout the wine industry. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is drinking: Islay Daiquiri at Scotch LodgeJoanna is drinking: Mary Taylor MuscadetAdam is drinking: NegroniInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether wineries should still consider by-the-glass placements as being vital for their success, especially as marketing or awareness-raising tools. Additionally: why has wine by-the-glass lost so much luster in restaurants, when it relatively recently used to be a huge part of the sales of many eateries. Has the mix of higher prices, smaller pours, and less recognizable or appealing offerings really turned an entire generation of diners off from glass pours? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is reading: We Asked 10 Bartenders: What’s the Best ‘Panic-Order’ Cocktail?Joanna is reading: The Most Anticipated Spirits Releases for 2026Adam is reading: What Happened to America’s Commuter Bar Cars?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about urban wineries and tasting rooms. Do consumers care that much about the traditional winery aesthetics, being in the vineyard, or even going to wine country? Can being closer to your audience and being able to offer a more varied experience make up for losing that sense of pastoral beauty? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is drinking: Laurent-Perrier 2008 Brut Champagne (Go Seahawks!)Joanna is drinking: On The Rocks BoulevardierAdam is drinking: Guinness at MeetinghouseInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joanna and Zach are joined by VinePair managing editor Hannah Staab to discuss what truly matters on a wine label. Do appellations, producers, or varieties move the needle more when it comes to sales? How important is an eye-catching design? Does anyone want ingredient labelling? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is reading: We Asked 19 Bartenders: What Makes a Perfect First-Date Bar?Joanna is reading: The Dolomites’ Signature Cocktail Is Ready for Its Olympic MomentHannah is reading: When Did Burgundy Become Untouchable?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair @hannahstaab_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss something that Adam raised during his recent session at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium: can you really bring customers into wine (or other beverage categories) by connecting their existing flavor preferences with similar flavors in your product or category? Can you really explain the popularity of most of the most successful wines by connecting them to other popular beverages? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is drinking: 50/50 MartiniJoanna is drinking: Patagonian Sour at Love's AlibiAdam is drinking: GattinaraInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prompted in part by some recent experiences, Adam, Joanna, and Zach wonder if a backlash to the cocktail movement is coming. Will the veritable ocean of ambitious, perhaps lightly-tested cocktails made by relatively new bartender at eyewatering prices turn would-be cocktail drinkers off? Does the average cocktail drinker really just prefer a reasonably priced classic cocktail? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is reading: We Asked 11 Bartenders: What Cocktail Order Tells You the Most About a Guest?Joanna is reading: In Search of the Oldest Bar in New York CityAdam is reading: Often Dismissed by the Industry, Club Bartending EnduresInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live from the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss their reasons for optimism when it comes to American wine, as well as some lingering challenges and concerns. Then, they answer some audience questions. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is drinking: Yonder Cider "Stoked"Joanna is drinking:Adam is drinking:Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss how members of the trade and media might be making for worse bar patrons than they used to. From demanding complicated cocktails (sometimes off-menu!) on busy nights to expecting to have their entire tabs comped, has the bartender's handshake turned into a act of aggression? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Zach is reading: 7 Alternatives to Petrus, the World’s Most Expensive BordeauxJoanna is reading: How Williamsburg’s Lighthouse Quietly Became the Bar Industry’s HangoutAdam is reading: Does Trade Etiquette Still Exist Among Bartenders?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about Soju: can the Korean spirit capitalize on the popularity of KPop (Demon Hunters or otherwise), Korean cuisine, and the like? Does the future for the spirit in America lie in traditional methods of consumption, or as the base for flavored RTDs and the like. Also: do most Americans even know what lychee tastes like? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Zach is drinking: DeLille Cellars "Red Willow" BlendJoanna is drinking: Matchbook Distilling Co. "Shady Lady" Rum DaiquiriAdam is drinking: Freezer Door MartiniInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate whether extensive non-alcoholic cocktail programs at bars are actually making these bars any money. More to the point, if they're not, why do bars still feel compelled to invest time, labor, and money into this section of their menus: is it impress a relatively small cadre of other bartenders and members of the media who are particularly keen on N/A? Do they feel like guests will look at their menu askance, even if those guests will end up choosing a drink with alcohol in it? Or are most not willing to look at that critically at what has become a trendy way to signal...something? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Zach is reading: The Rise of the 'Convertible' CocktailJoanna is reading: More Bourbon Distilleries Are Closing. So What Happens to the Whiskey?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder the question of why the wine industry is struggling so bad with PR and communications. Does the industry just not pay well enough to consistently attract top talent? Why is it so difficult to understand that different journalists and publications have different standards and priorities? Plus - can we please put an end to "spray and pray" PR blasts? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Zach is drinking: Tai Dai at Zig Zag CafeJoanna is drinking: N/A Negroni Sbagliato from Bitter MonkAdam is drinking: Transmitter Brewing B5NY Pale AleInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by VinePair contributing editor Dave Infante to discuss his most recent reporting surrounding national wholesaler RNDC's plans to sell off their business in seven states to up-and-comer Reyes Beverage Group. Will this move potentially stanch the bleeding for RNDC, which pulled out of California entirely in 2025 and has been losing suppliers left and right, or is this a sign that even more sell-offs are in the forecast? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Zach is reading: Stop Asking Your Bartender for Less Ice in Your CocktailJoanna is listening to: The Buildout Podcast: Double Chicken PleaseAdam is reading: Anheuser-Busch Is Selling Cutwater Like Crazy — and Keeping Quiet About the Viral #ChallengeInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach address the recent changes to America's dietary guidelines as issued by the Department of Health, in particular the removal of any particular limit on the number of alcoholic beverages considered safe. While the drinks industry is clearly viewing this a big win, and perhaps it is when compared to the much more anti-alcohol language that some feared would be used, will this actually halt the industry's overall slump? Do all that many people actually use these guidelines as, well, guidelines? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Zach is drinking: 2008 Domaine André Brunel "Les Cailloux" Châteauneuf-du-PapeJoanna is drinking: Malivoire Wine Company Gamay NoirAdam is drinking: Château Peyrassol RoséInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about recent news that the popular reservation platform OpenTable is providing algorithmically-derived information about users to restaurants: notes that a given guest might frequently be late, linger over their table, or have certain preferences. Does this make anything better for anyone, or does it crudely recreate the earned knowledge and relationship that a restaurant might have with a frequent diner? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Zach is reading: Welcome to Alcohol’s Slop EraJoanna is reading: The 20 Best Non-Alcoholic Beers for 2026Adam is reading: Is This the American Version of Ichiro’s Malt Card Series?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To ring in 2026, Adam, Joanna, and Zach continue a yearly tradition on the podcast, offering their predictions for what 2026 will bring for the drinks industry. Will red blends have their moment in the sun again? What will happen to "funky" wines? Will the "total beverage" trend continue? All that, and much more. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a yearly tradition, Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by members of the VinePair staff to share some of their favorite and most memorable drinking experiences in 2025. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium inSacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a yearly tradition, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss some of the biggest stories, trends, and changes in the world of drinks in 2025. From the ongoing tumult surrounding tariffs and the general economic situation, to significant sales and business collapses, to potential bright spots with drinking habits more generally, it was a chaotic, confusing, and confounding year to be sure. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about whether more restaurants should allow or even encourage guests to pre-order wine so that it could be opened and decanted ahead of time, leading to a better drinking experience. Would asking for this instantly make you seem like a pretentious jerk, and are American restaurants even really interested in this kind of service beyond the top tier of fine dining? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Zach is reading: No, Vodka Is Not a ‘Neutral Spirit’Joanna is reading: What Does ‘Make It Skate’ Mean When Ordering a Martini?Adam is reading: Noreetuh Turns 10: How a Small Hawaiian Restaurant Became a Fixture of New York’s Wine CommunityInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a year of apocalyptic headlines and generally bad vibes, Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder whether things are as bad as they're going to get for the wine industry, or if more pain is still ahead. Then, Adam interviews John Sutton, CEO of The Wine Group, about his view on the short- and medium-term outlook for wine, how they approach innovation, and much more. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast 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 cheers!Join us for a live podcast recording at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium inSacramento, California on Wednesday, January 28, 2026Zach is drinking: Upsidedown Wine Roussanne + Andrew Will Two Blondes + Treveri Cellars Blanc de Blancs Reserve + Perrier-Jouët Belle ÉpoqueJoanna is drinking: The PuritanAdam is drinking: Bloodroot ChardonnayInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.