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 bottle sizes, and what these different bottles are called. The names are pretty nutty! If you have ever wondered what a split is, or how big a Balthazar is, this is the episode for you! Then, the next time you are at a party with a bunch of wine nerds, you can show off your massive wine vocabulary!Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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, Verdicchio is not to be confused with the white wines you may associate with Italy like a light Pinot Grigio. On the contrary, Verdicchio is a rich, complex, exciting wine that some have called a red wine disguised as a white wine. Sometimes oaked like a Chardonnay, Verdicchio is a great wine for fall and winter, a great Holiday wine, and a white wine that can age for decades. After tasting and reviewing it, we can understand why there are those who consider it the King of White Wines - so listen in to find out more! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Velenosi Querciantica Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico, 2021, GarofoliSupera Verdicchio di Matelica, and 2018 Bucci Verdicchio Classico dei Castelli di JesiContact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 with the many different flavors - both savory and sweet - that often land on the Thanksgiving table, complementing but not overpowering the meal. Second, Beaujolais is a wine that is very easy drinking! Made from the Gamay grape, Beaujolais it is a wine that is hard to not like - a crowd pleaser whether you love red wine or not. In fact, it can be a crowd pleaser even for those who usually don’t like to drink wine. So, this Thanksgiving, do yourself a favor and go Bonkers for Beaujolais with us. Listen in as we taste and review three Beaujolais so you can find one that will be perfect on your Thanksgiving table and won’t break the bank. And one of these wines we gave a 10/10! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Jean-Claude Debeaune Domaine Pignard Beaujolais, 2021 Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages, and 2021 Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils Beaujolais.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 concept that there are even such things as “appropriate” wine and food pairings. And while we firmly believe there is an art to pairing wine and food, we also believe there are many choices you can make, not just one perfect choice.  And, in this episode, we try a wine from a grape that we have never had before - Pineau d'Aunis - which comes from the Loire Valley and is a hidden gem.  If you love Thai food and other spicy Asian dishes, listen in! This is for you! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Radley & Finch Alley Pack Chenin Blanc, 2022 Maison Angelot Bugey Gamay, and 2022 Henri Bourgeois Le Vert Galant Pineau d'Aunis Rosé.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 through when the odds are stacked against you - that is truly engaging and somewhat unbelievable, and we discuss it with him. It’s not often that you run into someone with such optimism and we think you’ll find his story and his approach to life to be as amazing as we did! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 makes big, sweet, spicy wines with flavors of apple pie filling and canned peach cocktail. If you like spicy food, this spicy wine is a perfect pairing. We uncover where Gewürztraminer got its name, where it is often grown, and why it is so different from your typical white wine. And if you are getting ready for some upcoming Holiday get-togethers, you just may want to have one of these sweet and spicy babies on your table. Joe also spends some time ranting and whining (pun intended) about Total Wine. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Chateau Ste Michelle Gewürztraminer, 2022 B Lovely Gewürztraminer, and 2021 Arthur Metz Vin d’Alsace Gewürztraminer.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 combination of a creepy name, a spooky label, and a crowd-pleasing taste. And we think we have found three really good choices! Going to a Halloween party and want to bring a gift of wine? We got you covered! Throwing a Halloween party of your own and trying to figure out what wine to serve? Listen in for great ideas that won’t break the bank! In this episode, we also talk about Vine to Bar chocolate - a delicious chocolate that contains Chardonnay marc - and would be great to serve for the adults who may want something more sophisticated than a fun size candy bar. Join us for this episode - or else! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2019 Prayers of Sinners Red Blend, 2019 Omen Origins Zinfandel, and 2021 Devil's Corner Pinot Noir.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 are different from those found in the United States and other New World, warmer climate regions. Let’s face it - the American palate is just tuned to prefer bigger, bolder, jammier, higher alcohol wines. Is that what you prefer? It’s ok - you can be honest. We won’t judge . . . maybe. Anyway, we also ran into our first corked wine in this episode! We are actually surprised it didn’t happen sooner - but one of these wines tasted like kissing a wet dog. Not the most pleasant experience - and you can hear us tell you all about it while we are drinking it! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Rickshaw Pinot Noir, 2016 Ghost Pines Winemaker's Blend Pinot Noir, and 2021 Underwood Pinot Noir. Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 that are fizzy and funky - but also delicious and festive. Whether you are into sparkling wines, natural wines, vegan wines, orange wines, artisanal wines, or unique wines, Pét-Nats have tons to offer. It is hard to pin down exactly what a Pét-Nat will taste like, and that is part of the fun! They are often experimental, and winemakers love them because they offer them a chance to explore winemaking in an unrestrained way. After this episode, we are asking ourselves why we don’t drink Pét-Nat more often! Join us on this fun romp, and discover some super tasty wines! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Entre Vinyes Oniric Pét-Nat, 2022 Santa Julia Natural La Mantis Pet Nat, and 2021 Field Recordings Dry Hop Pét-Nat.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 the style of the wines we tried to be really intriguing, even exotic in some cases, and definitely worth seeking out. Riesling is a bit of an underrated white wine in our opinion, and if you are a fan of Indian or Thai food, a spicy dry Riesling is an amazing pairing. In our tasting section of the podcast, we share the very different and unique flavors and smells from these wines, and some of them may surprise you - ginger, pecan, and even gasoline! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling, 2019 Forge Cellars Caywood Vineyard Dry Riesling, and 2021 Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 sometimes it is not made in an intentional way - what we mean by that is that there are methods of making Rosé where the wine is an afterthought rather than a wine that is intentionally and purposely made. In this episode, we talk about the different methods of making Rosé and why we believe one of the methods creates a more serious wine. And we talk about why Pinot Noir Rosé in particular is a wine that deserves some respect! We taste and review three reasonably priced Pinot Noir Rosé wines and let you know which of them we think is worth seeking out. And, yes, we have a great time while doing it because, afterall, wine should be fun! Being serious about wine doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, too! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 D'Autrefois Pinot Noir Rosé, 2022 Conscious Pinot Noir Rosé, and 2021 Courtney Benham Rosé of Pinot Noir.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 wine, to Texas wine country, and then to Oregon where he worked at 12th and Maple and Erath before landing at Stoller. In our conversation we talk about his thoughts on the art and science of wine making, what makes a “haunting” wine, and how the changing climate affects the choices they have to make every year - including during the very warm summer of 2023 in the Pacific Northwest. As the estate winemaker, Karl also has the ability to manage the grapes themselves, and we talk about how he has changed the amount of time he spends with the grapes versus the juice. Karl also talks about the special 30 year anniversary celebration at the Stoller Estate is holding this year. It is a conversation you really don’t want to miss!Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 the stadium or at home. And canned wines - which are growing in popularity and availability - are a perfect choice because they are easy to pack in and out, won’t break, and don’t need a corkscrew! In this episode we had a ton of fun trying 5 - that’s right 5 - canned wines, including two whites, two reds, and a rosé so that we could give you a wide variety to choose from to fit any palette, and to pair with tailgate foods. We also talk about the most popular tailgating foods and which of these wines will pair the best with each. We think we found some real winners among these cans - and a few we think you might want to stay away from! And, we give you some important information about how much wine is actually in a can - it’s more than you think, so don’t say we didn’t warn you! Wines reviewed in this episode: Creamery Chardonnay, House Wine Sauvignon Blanc, 14 Hands Hot to Trot Smooth Red Blend, Underwood Pinot Noir, and Oak Flat Vineyards Rose'Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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, and if you have been around wine snobs you know that they will sometimes pay outrageous sums of money for select wines that come from specific vineyards.Are they wasting their money? Is it worth seeking out paying more for single vineyard wines? Let us help you decipher that just a little bit.And if you don’t know what we’re talking about, then you REALLY need to listen in so you can deepen your wine knowledge. Since this is a minisode, you can get all of this fabulous information for just a small jot of your time!Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 shouldn’t be. And, yes, it may seem hip, cool, and in vogue, but the reality is that this is a style of wine that has been around for millennia. So, before you taste it, stop on by, and we’ll give you a quick primer on just what the heck it is in this quick and fun episode. Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 Mourvèdre, Mataro, and a million other names, Monastrell is the Spanish name for this wine, and if you love big red wines, you are in for a treat. Monatrell is the “M” in GSM blends, but it can more than stand up on its own. To say that we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement.  In this episode, we learn about some of the background of this wine, where it is from, and what makes it so special. We also talk about the potential for creating a Wine Camp, where one of our cheers with be “Monastrell, Monastrell!” so let us know if you are in or out and we’ll send you the permission slips! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2019 Bodegas Sierra Salinas Mo, 2020 Ego Bodegas Goru Verde, and 2019 Bodegas Volver Tarima Hill Old VinesContact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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) - and that blend of grapes can vary quite a bit! As a result, we found the taste of these wines to be quite different from each other - which is a really fun and exciting experience! One of the wines we thought would be good for the Chardonnay lover, while another we found to be much more of a crisp, refreshing summer sipper. Join us as we learn about this Italian classic, and try to uncover the mystery of a very strangely labled cork - hey, is something nefarious afoot?!? Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Ruffino Orvieto Classico, 2022 Bellini Orvieto Classico, and 2021 Roio Orvieto Classico.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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, sustainable, and organic way, using natural fermentation and vintage cement tanks - the way wines have been made for hundreds of years. She also teaches us about their use of micro-zoning and slow wine making to create unique and beautiful wines. And Rita brings her unique background in the corporate world to her leadership of Quinta do Pinot to create a world-class winery. We are also joined by Dale and Stephen Ott, owners of Nossa Imports, who put their sommelier backgrounds to good use by importing wines from Portugal and Mexico. You can find out more information about Quinta do Pinto winery on Facebook and Instagram: @quintadopintowines, and on their website: https://quintadopinto.pt/. And you can find and follow Dale and Stephen Ott and Nossa Imports on Instagram: @nossaimports and visit their website: https://www.nossaimports.com/Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 wine snobs are down on, but we’ll tell you confidently - don’t listen to them. A good Pinot Grigio is like a warm summer day, and there are few wines that are better with fish and shellfish. Hailing from the northern areas of Italy, Pinot Grigio is the most popular white wine in Italy, and the 2nd most popular white wine in the United States for a reason! And, we’ll admit that while sometimes Costco’s Kirkland brand can seem too good to be true, it is often surprisingly high in quality especially in comparison to the price. Talk about high QPR! If for some reason you think you are not a Pinot Grigio fan, check out the episode, and we think we can change your mind. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio, 2021 Kris Pinot Grigio, and 2021 Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

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 want to help you find the good ones and avoid the bad ones. Zinfandel is one of the oldest wine grape varietals grown in California, and many of the old vine Zinfandels are more than 100 years old! In this episode, we put a couple of reasonably priced and easy to find California old vine Zinfandels head-to-head with a Turley wine that is also reasonably priced to see how they stack up. If you don’t know Turley wine, they are definitely a winemaker that anyone who considers themselves a wine fan should seek out. Known as a cult wine, they make stunning wines that will impress you, and your friends. For a bit of a sneak peek, one of the ones we tasted compared well to the Turley, and one of them should be off of your wine list forever! Listen to our brutally honest reviews, and learn a bit more about California Zin. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2019 Turley Juvenile Zinfandel, 2021 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin, and 2019 7 Deadly Zins Old Vine Zinfandel.Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com