Best Alchol Podcasts (2024)

1
Costco Kirkland Signature 2019 Rioja Reserva Challenge! (A punch-you-in-the-face wine, perfect base for Sangria, for Cab Sauv lovers) 43:22

5d ago43:22

43:22

Rioja is the big dog of Spanish wines, but the question on everyone’s lips is - how does the Costco Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva stack up to other Riojas? Amiright?!? Well, without giving it away, we’re here to tell you that the Kirkland Signature Rioja is a worthy contender! But did it win in a knockout, or was it a draw? You’ll have to listen…

1
Spain’s Hidden Gem: Priorat! (One of the great wines of Spain, Grenache-based red wine) 38:16

12d ago38:16

38:16

When we say hidden gem, we are not kidding! When people think of Spanish red wines, they immediately think of Rioja, but don’t sleep on Priorat. Hailing from the Catalonia area of Spain, Priorat is a Grenache-based red wine blend that completely blew away our expectations! Rich, complex, and oh so drinkable, this is a wine that deserves a lot more …

1
High QPR Pinot Noir #4! (How the American wine palate has been programmed by big wine, Pinot is a polarizing wine) 43:30

19d ago43:30

43:30

Pinot Noir can be a polarizing wine - some people love it, and some people just don’t get it. We think that happens for a few reasons. First, most wine drinkers have been trained to think that wines are supposed to taste like Cabernet Sauvignon - big, fruit forward, high in alcohol, and very tannic. Which is just not what a great Pinot tastes like.…

1
Wallet-Friendly Wine Reviews: Two Buck Chuck and More! (Reviewing wines under $5, cheap Cabernet Sauvignon, some pleasant and unpleasant surprises) 43:35

26d ago43:35

43:35

Believe it or not, 73% of the wine purchased in the United States is sold for less than $8. So, there are a LOT of people drinking those wines! But they don’t often get reviews, and so we thought we would take some time to taste and review some value wines to see just how different they are from slightly more expensive wines. The results: one of th…

1
Bordeaux Bargains #1! (Haut-Médoc and Graves, Left Bank, why Bordeaux wines are so tricky to understand) 48:30

1M ago48:30

48:30

Bordeaux is home to some of the most famous - and most expensive - wines in the world. But can you find a great wine at a great price?!? You can!!! There is no reason to spend more than $20 a bottle to find highly rated and very enjoyable wines from this classic region. In this episode, we focus on Left Bank wines, and we bring that up because Bord…

1
WTF is Muscadet? (Melon de Bourgogne, the Sur Lie method, batonnage, the ultimate fish wine, the best French white wine under $20?) 41:50

1M ago41:50

41:50

If you’re like us, French wines can feel so confusing - and that’s exactly why we do these WTF episodes! This week, we dive into a great French white wine called Muscadet, which is not to be confused with Muscat or Moscato (which are, by the way, the same thing). Muscadet is a wine made in the Loire Valley from the grape Melon de Bourgogne - and th…

1
Italian Wine Adventure #11: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo! (An underrated and underappreciated Italian beauty, the ultimate cookout wine) 43:04

2M ago43:04

43:04

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is an easy wine to overlook. It is inexpensive, easy to find, and does not have the cachet that a Chianti or Barolo or Amarone has. But we are here to tell you that you should take a second look at this underappreciated and underrated Italian wine! In this episode, we tasted and reviewed three easy to find and reasonably pri…

1
How Good Are Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Wines? (TJ’s is a great, inexpensive place to expand your wine horizons, is high-end cheap worth the price?) 48:29

2M ago48:29

48:29

Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve wines are meant to compare with wines twice their price, and are said to be top wines from top winemakers in some of the most prestigious wine-growing regions, but just how good are they really? We seek to answer that question to save you time and money. In this episode, we try three different Platinum Reserve wines fr…

1
WTF is Pinotage? (And WTF is Coffee Pinotage? South Africa’s signature wine) 44:59

2M ago44:59

44:59

Ok, let’s be honest. Pinotage is a TRIP. It is like no other wine we have ever had before, and is flat out an experience that you have to try. You may not love it, or even like it, but you have to try it. Especially the Coffee Pinotage which in and of itself is an adventure (and is really a thing)! Pinotage is a wine that was invented in South Afri…

1
Costco Kirkland Signature Pinot Noir Challenge! (The pros and cons of Costco’s wine selection, why few experts review Costco wines, Kirkland Signature Russian River Pinot Noir review) 44:59

2M ago44:59

44:59

Costco sells a TON of wine, but finding expert reviews of their Kirkland Signature wines can be very tricky. We are happy to help fill that void! Find out why few wine reviewers bother to review Costco Kirkland Signature wines, and where you can find some pretty reliable reviews for those wines. But, most importantly, find out what we think of the …

1
Josh Wines Are . . . Meh. (The truth behind the hype. BTW, we did not give this episode a title until after we tasted the wines in our recording!) 45:59

3M ago45:59

45:59

Josh Cellars wine has been all over social media recently, but the real question is - is it worthy of the hype?!? We gave Josh Cellars an honest-to-goodness opportunity to impress us. We tasted and reviewed three different Josh Cellar wines just to make sure that we were getting a proper sense of the breadth of their products, and the results were …

1
Sweet Dessert Wines for Your Sweetheart! (Wines for Valentine’s Day, Savoring a meal and time with family and friends, WTF is fortified wine) 49:51

3M ago49:51

49:51

If you think you are not a fan of dessert wines, we believe we can change your mind - because we changed our own minds in this episode! Dessert wines are perfect for romantic evenings, but also a great excuse to slow down and extend a meal with family, friends, and loved ones. If you are looking for something special to do this Valentine’s Day, ser…

1
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #7: Drew Perry! (They make wine in Michigan! Head Winemaker for Simpson Family Estates: Good Harbor Vineyards and Aurora Cellars) 47:18

3M ago47:18

47:18

Did you know they make wine in Michigan. Yes, yes it’s true! And not only that, they make REALLY GOOD wine in Michigan. Don’t believe us? Then you need to listen to our interview with Drew Perry from Simpson Family Estates, home of Good Harbor Vineyards and Aurora Cellars and we’ll set you straight! We had the great honor of interviewing Drew who, …

1
They Make Wine in Michigan?!? (The Riesling Belt, Leelanau Peninsula, and a bunch of other stuff we bet you didn’t know!) 48:16

3M ago48:16

48:16

Look, we were skeptical too, but it’s true. Not only do they make wine in Michigan, they are making great wine! If you are like us, you didn’t realize that there is a burgeoning wine industry in Michigan, and that some highly rated wines are coming out of their 5 AVAs. And, in this episode we’ll taste some of these well rated wines and tell you wha…

1
Italian Wine Adventure #10: Fiano! (A nearly extinct ancient grape makes a comeback, bigger bodied white wine, famous foods from the Campania area of Italy, Chardonnay alternative) 50:34

3M ago50:34

50:34

The Campania region of Italy, famous for the city of Naples, the Amalfi Coast, and Mount Vesuvius, is also home to many of the most beloved Italian foods - like pizza! - but did you know it is also home to many of the best Italian wines?!? In this Italian wine adventure, we introduce you to a white wine called Fiano that you probably have not heard…

1
Minisode #11: Does the Shape of a Wine Bottle Matter? 12:26

4M ago12:26

12:26

In the last minisode we settled the question of whether or not size matters, and so in this minisode we are tackling the other big question - does shape matter when it comes to the wine bottle? The answer may surprise you! Wine bottles come in many different shapes, although there is one shape that sort of dominates them all, and the most common sh…

1
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #6: Duncan Shouler! (Giesen Wines Chief Winemaker, how to make great zero-alcohol wine, what is the Spinning Cone method for de alcholizing wine?) 43:02

4M ago43:02

43:02

What do you do if dry January - or some other dry month - is on your list, but you don’t want to give up wine? First, you need to listen to this podcast! We had the great pleasure of interviewing Duncan Shouler from Giesen Wines, and spoke to him in-depth about their zero-alcohol wines. Like many of the winemakers we talk to, Duncan did not start o…

1
The Best and Worst Rated Wines of 2023! (Over 115 wines rated this year, why you should trust our ratings) 40:05

4M ago40:05

40:05

Welcome to our end of the year retrospective, review, and wrap for The Wine Pair Podcast! In this episode we review our highest and lowest rated wines of the year. Believe it or not, in 2023 we tasted and reviewed about 120 wines, and out of all of those wines, just a handful got ratings of 9 or 10, or got ratings of 4 or under. If you are looking …

1
Wines for the Feast of the Seven Fishes: 2023! (Italian-American traditions, The Bear, celebrations with family by blood and family by friendship, great seafood wines) 50:12

4M ago50:12

50:12

Buon Natale! The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition that got an interesting send-up in Season 2 of The Bear. How accurate is the “Fishes” episode of The Bear to our family Christmas Eve seafood feast? Well, let’s just say there are a few similarities and some really important differences. For starters, our family doesn’t thr…

1
Holiday Sparkling Wines #3: Brut Prosecco! (The most popular sparkling wine in the world, why brut rather than dry this Holiday season, where the name Prosecco came from) 44:56

5M ago44:56

44:56

Think you know Prosecco?!? Not so fast! We bet you didn’t know that most of the Prosecco you are drinking is on the sweet side. Who cares, you say? We love it no matter what, you say? In this episode we are going to tell you why you should care, and why you should be seeking out the BRUT Prosecco! You dig?!? We all know that the Holidays are made f…

1
Costco Kirkland Signature Syrah Challenge! (100th Episode, Spicy red wine, Is Syrah the same as Shiraz?) 40:50

5M ago40:50

40:50

Who doesn’t love buying wine at Costco? But have you ever wondered if the Costco Kirkland Signature wines are worth their low cost? Wel, that’s what this series of episodes is all about! On our last Costco “date” (and you need to listen in to understand what we mean by that) we picked up one of their Kirkland Signature K Vine Syrahs, and then we bo…

1
Minisode #10: Does Wine Bottle Size Matter? (What are those big-@$% bottles of wine called? And why are they so expensive?) 15:17

5M ago15:17

15:17

Some people say that size matters, others say shape matters more. We are staying out of that discussion altogether. But, regardless of how you feel about the subject, there are more sizes of wine bottles than you may think, and in this minisode we demystify why there are so different sizes of bottles, why they almost always cost more than standard …

1
Italian Wine Adventure #9: Verdicchio (A great wine for Chardonnay lovers, the King of White Wines, a fantastic winter white wine) 47:48

5M ago47:48

47:48

Some critics have called Verdicchio the best Italian white wine, but we are betting many of you have never tasted it or even heard of it! Let’s just say, if you love Chardonnay, then Verdicchio is a wine you must try. Hailing from the Marche region of Italy, which we are also betting is a region you have never been to and maybe never even heard of,…

1
Thanksgiving Wine: Bonkers for Beaujolais! (The perfect Thanksgiving wine, a 10/10 point wine! high QPR wines, avoid Beaujolais Nouveau) 51:45

6M ago51:45

51:45

Why are we Bonkers for Beaujolais this Thanksgiving? Because Turkey Day was made for Beaujolais. Hey, that even rhymes! Beaujolais is considered the ultimate Thanksgiving wine, but why? Well, we’ll tell you if you listen to this episode, but as a little amuse bouche, here’s something to chew on. First, the fruity flavors of the wine pair perfectly …

1
Wine to Pair with Thai Food! (Wine is the 5th food group, WTF is Pineau d'Aunis, why spicy food is hard to pair with wine) 48:05

6M ago48:05

48:05

Thai food is one of the world’s best cuisines, but pairing wine with it is difficult for many reasons - primarily its spiciness. In this episode, we break down how you can make finding a wine to drink with Thai food easy, and we review several different types of wines that make great pairings. We also talk about why some people bristle at the conce…

1
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #5: Alex Gambal! (An American in Burgundy, Author of Climbing the Vines in Burgundy, A Story of Perseverance and Positivity, What Makes Burgundian Wines Different ... 48:50

6M ago48:50

48:50

Want to buy a vineyard and become a winemaker in Burgundy as an American with no experience in winemaking? Impossible! Or is it? Despite the longest of odds, Alex Gambal did it, and did it successfully. And now he has written a book about it called Climbing the Vines in Burgundy. It’s a story of hard work, perseverance, and positivity - pushing thr…

1
WTF is Gewürztraminer? (Wines for Fall, Bigger Bodied White Wines, Spicy White Wine, Sweet Wine, Total Wine sucks) 50:15

6M ago50:15

50:15

Looking for something to spice up your wine life a little bit? We’ve got just the thing! Gewürztraminer is a different kind of white wine. This ain’t your typical light bodied, low alcohol summer sipper. This is a big bodied, high alcohol Fall juggernaut that is not made for the faint of heart. Gewürztraminer is a difficult grape to grow, but it ma…

1
Wines for Halloween 2023! (Vine to Bar Chocolate, Wines to Pair with Halloween Party foods, Spooky wine labels) 50:41

6M ago50:41

50:41

Not sure if it was the wine or the candy or the fact that we recorded it on Friday the 13th, but we lost our minds in this episode! Halloween is the perfect time for wine (and, heck, what time isn’t perfect for wine?!?!), but not just any wine - spooky wine! Now, we don’t mean that it tastes haunted, what we mean is that it has the perfect combinat…

1
High QPR Pinot Noir #3! (American Pinot Noir vs. Burgundy Pinot Noir, wine price inflation, our first corked wine?!? Highly extracted wines) 46:54

7M ago46:54

46:54

Maybe we’re just crazy, but we have to believe that you can find a high quality Pinot Noir for a reasonable price. Believe us when we say - it’s not easy! In our third foray into trying to find high QPR Pinot Noirs, we try once again to help you find a wine you’ll like that won’t bust your wallet. We also talk about how Pinot Noirs from Burgundy ar…

1
WTF is Pét-Nat? (Fun, Funky, Natural Sparkling Wine) 48:59

7M ago48:59

48:59

If you have been wondering if you should try Pét-Nat, we are here to tell you unequivocally - YES! Pét-Nat wines are natural sparkling wines that are like your friendly weird cousin - different, entertaining, sometimes exciting, and just fun to be around. Considered to be the oldest form of sparkling wine, Pét-Nats are low-intervention sparklers th…

1
They Make Wine in New York?!? (Great Wines for Fall, Finger Lakes Wines, Riesling, Exotic Tastes, Good With Indian and Thai Food) 45:32

7M ago45:32

45:32

We know what you’re thinking - but it’s true! They make wine in New York - and some really good wines, too! In fact, New York state is the third largest producer of wine in the US - bet you didn’t know that, either! In this episode, we focus on the Finger Lakes region and specifically dry Rieslings, which are fantastic wines for Autumn. We found th…

1
Rosé of Pinot Noir is a Serious Wine! (Different ways Rosé is made, Direct Press or Maceration Method, Pairing Pinot Noir Rosé with food) 47:23

7M ago47:23

47:23

Don’t get us wrong - wine doesn’t have to be serious, but we do think that Rosé can sometimes be treated as an unserious wine, and that’s just not fair. Over the course of our podcast, we have come to truly appreciate Rosé wines, and one of our very favorite types of Rosés is Rosé made from Pinot Noir. Rosé has gotten a bad rap in part because some…

1
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #4: Karl Weichold of Stoller Wines! (Oregon wines, the art and science of winemaking, juice vs. grapes, Texas wine country, mentors, cocktail wines vs. food wines ... 40:18

8M ago40:18

40:18

We had the pleasure of spending time with Karl Weichold, the estate winemaker at Stoller Family Estate, located in the famous Dundee Hills in Oregon. Karl shares his story of how he became a renowned winemaker, starting with a degree in Biochemistry and Genetics from Texas A&M, to working at an Italian restaurant where he first fell in love with wi…

1
Wines for Tailgating! (Wines in a Can, top 10 tailgating foods and canned wines that go with them, top tailgating games, a can of wine is more wine than you think) 46:15

8M ago46:15

46:15

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - football season! And football season means tailgating, and tailgating means wine! Wait, what?!? Did we say wine? You bet your sweet pigskin we did! While beer may still be the beverage of choice for most, we think wine is a perfect fit for all of the food and fun that you find at a tailgate - whether at th…

1
Minisode #9: What's So Special About Single Vineyard Wines? 10:59

8M ago10:59

10:59

Ever noticed that sometimes a wine bottle will call out that it comes from a specific vineyard? And when you’ve noticed that on the bottle, have you ever wondered, hey, what’s the big deal? Well, we are here to tell you if it's a big deal or not. If you have been around wine nerds, you know that they start geeking out about single vineyard wines, a…

1
Minisode #8: What Is Orange Wine Exactly?!? 11:18

8M ago11:18

11:18

Been wondering just what the heck Orange Wine is? Well, drop on in and we’ll tell you what’s what! You can kind of think of Orange Wine as a cousin to Rosé wine, but there are some key differences - differences in the grapes, the production, and the tastes of the wines. If you have been hesitant to try Orange Wine, we’re here to tell you you should…

1
WTF is Monastrell? (AKA Mourvèdre, Mataro, Underrated Spanish Red, High QPR Superstar, Low-intervention Farming) 43:30

9M ago43:30

43:30

Our goal in life is to find high QPR wines to share with you all, and in Monastrell, we think we have found a QPR Superstar! Two of the wines we tasted were $10.99, and they way, way, way outpunch their price. Stop wasting your money on overpriced California Cabs, and discover this wine which gives you much more bang for your buck! Also known as Mo…

1
Italian Wine Adventure #8: Orvieto (Summer sipper, a perfect wine for fish, Umbrian wine, Grechetto and Trebbiano Toscano grapes, a strange cork label mystery!) 44:08

9M ago44:08

44:08

We are off on another Italian Wine Adventure, and this time we bring you a wonderful white wine from Umbria called Orvieto. Wait, what’s that you say? You’ve never heard of Orvieto? Well, we need to change that! Orvieto is a white wine made from a blend of grapes - most predominantly Grechettto and Trebbiano Toscano (aka Procanico and Ugni Bianco) …

1
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #3: Rita Pinto of Quinta do Pinto Wines, & Guests Nossa Imports! (Wines from Portugal, Family-run winery, sustainable and low intervention wine) 47:50

9M ago47:50

47:50

In this special episode we have the honor to meet and speak with Rita Pinto, the CEO of Quinta do Pinto winery. Rita’s story is an incredible tale of family, love, passion, and hard work. Truly a family-run winery, as well as a mostly woman-run winery, Quinta do Pinto makes both new and traditional Portuguese wines in a low intervention, sustainabl…

1
Costco Kirkland Signature Pinot Grigio Challenge! (Same as Pinot Gris? The perfect summer wine, side-by-side taste test, could the wine snobs be wrong?!?) 43:35

9M ago43:35

43:35

Seriously - $4.99?!? How good can a wine actually be at $4.99?!? Well, we are here to tell you, and you may just be surprised by what we have to say! In this episode we do a side-by-side comparison of the Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio with two other easy to find Pinot Grigios to see how it stacks up. Pinot Grigio is a wine that some …

1
Is California Zinfandel Underrated? (Discover California Zins, Cult wine, Turley, rich, juicy, and velvety red wines, a must-know wine) 45:58

10M ago45:58

45:58

California Cabernet Sauvignon gets all the attention, but a good California Zinfandel is a thing of beauty! Often overlooked and definitely underrated, when done well, Zinfandel is a velvety, rich, complex, juicy, food friendly wine. All that being said, there are some California Zinfandels that give their brothers and sisters a bad name, and we wa…

1
WTF is Petite Sirah? (Hint: it’s not baby Syrah, AKA Durif, for people who love big red wines, a punch-you-in-the-face wine) 45:57

10M ago45:57

45:57

Do not be fooled by the name! Petite Sirah is anything but petite, and if you enjoy big, jammy red wines, this is the wine for you! A distant cousin of Syrah, Petite Sirah is a wine all its own. Petite Sirah is a California wine through and through, with bold flavors and an amazingingly rich mouthfeel - and in fact, the grape is grown almost exclus…

1
GSM Wines Demystified! (Red wine blend any wine lover needs to know, Côtes du Rhône, Rhône-style blends) 45:14

10M ago45:14

45:14

We never thought we'd say it, but because of this episode, we are now GSM fans! GSM blends are one of the two classic red wine blends known all over the world - so they are definitely something you need to have in your repertoire. But we will admit it - red wine blends can be so tricky because very often the winemaker doesn’t tell you exactly what …

1
Great American Sparklers: 2023 Edition! (Sparkling Wines for the 4th of July, Sparkling Rosé, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) 45:33

10M ago45:33

45:33

Think beer is the beverage of choice for Independence Day?!? We beg to differ! As with any special occasion, sparkling wine is perfect, and what better way to celebrate the 4th of July than with a good old American sparkling wine! We are joined in this episode by our daughter Marianna whose birthday just happens to be July 4th (that is not a joke!)…

1
Italian Wine Adventure #7: Cirò! (The wine of the gods, the oldest continually produced wine, a wine for dining Al Fresco, Calabrian Wine, Fun and Festive Red Wine) 46:03

10M ago46:03

46:03

Cirò may be the longest continually produced wine in the world, and legend has it that it is the wine that the Greek gods drank during the original Olympic games. So, if you haven’t heard of it yet, or haven’t tried it yet, we have one question for you: “Do you even lift, bro?!?” Cirò is the flagship wine of Calabria in southern Italy, and is a gre…

1
In Vino Veritas #1: Cava Edition (In Wine There Is Truth!) 41:23

11M ago41:23

41:23

There is a famous Latin proverb “In vino veritas” which means “in wine there is truth.” In this new recurring episode series, we do something really different: We throw away the script, let Carmela do a lot more of the talking, and we find out just how much truth there is in wine. Listen in as we drink some wine, and while the wine does its work, w…

1
Costco Kirkland Chianti Challenge (The origin of the word Fiasco, Chiantis worth drinking, Sangiovese) 44:35

11M ago44:35

44:35

We are back with one of our popular Costco Kirkland wine challenges! Now, Chianti has not always had the greatest reputation, but over the past several years it has improved in quality and popularity, and it is one of the flagship wines of Italy from the beautiful Tuscany area. Costco has their house version of a Chianti Classico Riserva, and in th…

1
Is Merlot Making a Comeback? (An underdog story? Wines from the Right Bank of Bordeaux) 44:23

11M ago44:23

44:23

The 2004 movie Sideways did a number on Merlot, hurting its reputation and suppressing sales. But was that impact justified? Did we judge Merlot too harshly? Is it time to let Merlot rejoin the cool kids table?!? In this episode, we give Merlot a fighting chance to win back a place in our hearts - and our cellar. We admit we are not the biggest fan…

1
WTF is Zweigelt? (The Ultimate Picnic Wine, Summer Sipper, For Gamay and Pinot Noir Lovers, Great red wine for Cookouts and BBQs, Red Wine for Fish, Austrian Wine) 39:50

11M ago39:50

39:50

Looking for the perfect Summer Sipper? Then you need to know about Zweigelt! Wait, what’s that you ask - WTF is Zweigelt?!? We’ll tell you! This light, fruity, and fun red from Austria is an excellent Cookout wine, and pairs wonderfully with BBQ. If you like Gamay or Pinot Noir, this is a wine you really need to know! You can drink it chilled! It’s…

1
Let’s Talk About Sekt! German Sparkling Wine! (Lots of Sekt jokes, AKA Secco) 47:32

12M ago47:32

47:32

It’s never too late to have Sekt for the first time! Yes, we use that bad joke A LOT in this episode - but we also explore German Sparkling Wine - which is called Sekt - and discover what makes it unique,. Did you know that Germany is the third largest producer of sparkling wine in the world? We didn’t either! So there must be something about this …

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