Private Dining Is Essential to Success

Adam and Zach respond to a listener question about how to talk about wines (or other drinks) that they like without making others feel like they have to agree. That turns into a conversation about how professional experience and connoisseurship can easily curdle into a superiority complex, or just come across as overbearing, and what they and others can do to avoid that. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: A Visual Timeline of the 21st Century’s Biggest Cocktail TrendsAdam is reading: Whatever Happened to Amstel Light? The Beer That Taught America to Drink ‘European’ — Then VanishedInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joanna and Zach chronicle pumpkin beer's decline from seasonal harbinger to a regional curiosity: is it about seasonal creep, craft beer decline, or what? Then, they discuss the success that certain cider producers are having at convenience stores and other locations by following in the footsteps (and format) of Voodoo Ranger. Is this a chance for cider to gain ground in the marketplace? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is drinking: Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond BourbonJoanna is drinking: Âmevive GrenacheInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach expand on the topic of massive wine lists and respond to some criticism, then chat about the fact that private dining spaces have become absolutely critical to success for restaurants and even cocktail bars in the current landscape. Is it just about landing clients with big budgets, or is there more to the phenomenon than that? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: Why We Still Ask for a ‘Fifth’ at Liquor Shops, and the 1980 Law That Shrank U.S. Booze BottlesJoanna is reading: What Does It Take to Find Success as a Bar in New York City Right Now? 5 Top Operators Weigh In.Adam is reading: Where to Drink in NYC Right NowInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam speaks with Sergio Mendoza, distiller at Don Fulano, about his family's long history in the Tequila business, how they came to launch their lauded tequila brand, some of the specific considerations with highlands agave, and what it's been like living through the tequila boom. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've all been there. You go to a nice restaurant, and the wine list weighs five pounds and would potentially take you hours to sort through. Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why this approach is anti-hospitality, why it continues to persist, and if there are strategies restaurants can employ that allow them to highlight their sizeable collections without dropping a brick on the table. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is drinking: Savory Martini at Old World ChophouseJoanna is drinking: Negroni Cuba Libre at CutiesAdam is drinking: Kalin Cellars ChardonnayInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With spooky season in full force, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the rising importance, both culturally and financially, of Halloween, and speculate about why it is that drinks brands have largely struggled to market to the occasion. Is it a case of an outdated notion that it's still a holiday for kids? The fact that there's not a clearly identified food or meal as a part of the celebration? Why don't we see holiday-themed packaging for every brand that can slap a pumpkin or a black cat on their can or bottle? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: What’s the Most Overrated White Wine?Joanna is reading: What’s the Weirdest Dish Modification Request You’ve Received?Adam is reading: 10 Bars and Restaurants That Defined the Modern MartiniInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a recent Royal Bank of Canada report that indicates some of the changing ways that alcohol is consumed and discovered, and in particular the fact that at-home drinking occasions, in particular those of a social nature, remain appealing to consumers across a range of demographics, while on-premise drinking appears to be one of the first types cut when budgets get squeezed. Why is it that drinks brands are struggling to market to those drinking occasions? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: 8 Producers You Should Know To Get Into BordeauxJoanna is reading: The Highest-Rated Beer in Every StateAdam is reading: The Omakase Fad Took Over Restaurants. Now, It’s Coming for BarsInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this special episode of the podcast, Zach speaks with Kosta Browne winemaker Julien Howsepian about the iconic California producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay: how they've grown the portfolio and looked to explore various parts of California through their winemaking, and how they turned their sights on Burgundy in the last half-decade or so. What are some of the opportunities and challenges that come with making wine in two different countries on two different continents? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With VinePair's Next Wave Award winners announced, Adam, Joanna, and Zach celebrate the awardees, discuss how a common thread running through is their ability to create community, and the continued importance of hospitality and optimism in the modern food and drinks landscape. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is drinking: Treveri Cellars 2011 Brut Reserve Blanc de BlancsJoanna is drinking: Bloody Caesar at Liverpool HouseAdam is drinking: MartiniInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the drinks landscape continues to evolve, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether brands that develop a strong following in a particular region or part of the country still have as clear a pathway to national appeal as they once did. Are the differences in how Americans drink based on geography and density insurmountable, or does it just require savvier marketing and an understanding of who your target demo is? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: We Asked 13 Bartenders: What’s the Most Underrated Cheap Bourbon?Joanna is reading: Vodka, Confidence, and Spirit Substitutions: Signs You’re an American Drinker in EuropeAdam is reading: The 20 Best Merlots for 2026Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.