VinePair Podcast

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...

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 ...

Despite much consternation about how Americans in general and Gen Z in particular are drinking less, once again new survey data shows not just that drinking rates are well within historic norms, but that the youngest cohort of drinkers are in fact engaging with alcohol at normal levels. Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss these results, as well as some other information, and try to explain why sales numbers still remain sluggish in many...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss VinePair's Top 50 Spirits of 2025 list, and then are joined by spirits editor Aaron Goldfarb to further dive into what some of the most striking and discernable trends are in spirits, as well as to highlight a few particular bottles that are interesting, spectacular, or otherwise noteworthy. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever ...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate the rumored sale of the wine-based RTD BeatBox to Anheuser-Busch InBev for $700 million. What prompted AB InBev to make this big of a commitment? What is the long-term upside for BeatBox? Why did drinks companies move away from purchasing or investing in smaller brands in favor of big purchases like this? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about why exactly the winemakers, grape growers, and wineries in Champagne are so protective of that term: not just with regards to other wines, but to a wide range of products that might use the term. Does the existence of "champagne" gummy bears really impact a wine region in France? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spot...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach talk about their Thanskgiving plans - what they're cooking and baking, who they're cooking and baking for, and most of all what they'll be drinking along with it. 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 chee...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about why innovation and new products take so long in beverage alcohol. Are there specific obstacles, like the three-tier system and regulations, that slow down this process, or are drinks companies just worse at this than other packaged good companies? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your epi...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss a recent column by Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle positing that there are simply too many wineries in California for the current market to support. Is this in fact true? If so, what happens next? 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 ...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers and managing editor Hannah Staab to discuss the Top 50 Wines of 2025 list: what are some of the trends that we can see in the wine industry from this list, what are some of our favorite bottles, and how do you even put something like this together in the first place? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts,...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach react to a recent piece stating that craft cocktail programs are killing bars. Are the hidden labor and ingredient costs too much for most bars and restaurants to offset? Does the need for highly skilled and well-trained bartenders make aspiring to cutting edge cocktail programs too big a lift for most establishments? If so: what is actually reasonable to expect from most bars and restaurants? Please remember...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate a recent piece about sommeliers posting shots of the bottles they've sold on social media. Is this a viable marketing strategy, a harmless way to start a conversation, or just another form of snobbery and elitism? If it is bad, what could wine bars and restaurants do instead to satisfy the endless demand for social content? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, S...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about whether it's harder than ever to be a bar regular. Have the rising cost of drinks, the changing approach to bar formats, and other considerations created an environment where being a bar regular is relegated to the history books? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions,...

Zach is joined by Josh Taylor, co-founder of TabX, to discuss the company's platform, and how it can offer bar goers not just more flexibility and a speedier way to close out their checks, but also special deals on drinks, while helping bars drive business and maintain revenue and allowing brands to connect to their audience more directly. Plus, what are some of the trends that Josh and the TabX team have seen out in the bar world ...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach recap the Next Wave Awards party, Zach's epic NYC bar crawl, and discuss why it is that wine bars just don't seem suited to the same kind of "pop in, pop out" experience. Then, spirits editor Aaron Goldfarb joins to discuss the latest releases from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach convene to discuss a recent gripe from within the drinks industry that they heard from a very highly-placed executive: that brand managers tend to design marketing campaigns and outreach around what they themselves want to do or what they think is cool, not necessarily in the locations and moments where their product's consumers tend to be. This seems bad, right? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and rev...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach react to an unhinged television appearance from winemaker Charles Smith and the latest iteration of a topic that comes up every so often: that wines in the US can contain a wide range of additives that do not need to be disclosed on the label. Do consumers really care about any of the ingredients or nutritional information of their wine? Would knowing the calorie count on your favorite wine make you change yo...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss influential whiskies, hunting for sought-for bottles, and other drinks adventures. Then, Adam and Joanna are joined by Kate Shapira Latts, co-president of Heaven Hill Brands, to discuss why so much of the fear-mongering around the future of bourbon is misguided. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questi...

Adam, Joanna, and Zach celebrate the winners of VinePair's 2025 Next Wave Awards, highlighting some of their favorites and suggesting what the industry as a whole can learn from some of the outstanding individuals, establishments, and brands therein. 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...