Do Bars Want Regulars Anymore?

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, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Zach is reading: Boston Beer Co. Still Can’t Shake Its ‘Beyond Beer’ CurseJoanna is reading: The U.S. Put Irish Whiskey Back on the Map. Now the Category Has to Evolve.Adam is reading: The 30 Best Zinfandels for 2025Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 over the last couple of years. 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Zach is drinking: Split Ends at Bar SnackJoanna is drinking: Blue Jay Brewing Märzen LagerAdam is drinking: Negroni Colada at Clemente BarInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 review VinePair 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 be well.Zach is reading: 7 Things You Should Know About Malört, Chicago’s Much-Maligned Bitter LiqueurJoanna is reading: 16 Essential Bottles of GinAdam is reading: The Mount Rushmore of California Chardonnay, According to 9 Wine ExpertsInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 your habits? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Zach is drinking: Straightaway Cocktails Oregon Old FashionedAdam is drinking: 2015 Clos MogadorInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Zach is reading: The 13 Most Important American Whiskeys of the 21st Century So FarJoanna is reading: Maybe People Who Want to ‘Save Beer’ Should Learn Something About It FirstAdam is reading: 2 Years, 10 Cities, and Countless Wine Shops: A Flight Attendant’s Relentless Hunt for Domaine des MiroirsInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Zach is drinking: "Big Dumper" Lager from Scuttlebutt BrewingJoanna is drinking: Pali Wine Co. Pinot NoirAdam is drinking: Benjamin Leroux Savigny-les-BeauneInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach react to a recent op-ed claiming to offer suggestions to the struggling wine industry, an op-end that dismisses the vast majority of wine drinkers as just looking for a cheap, pleasant buzz. In tough times in particular, isn't it important to celebrate self-identifying wine lovers, no matter what wine they prefer? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Zach is reading: How Ultramarine Became California’s Cult Sparkling WineJoanna is reading: We Asked 12 Bartenders: What’s the Most Underrated Cheap Bourbon?Adam is reading: Too Old to Be New, Too New to Be Old: Not-Quite-Legacy Bars and Their Struggle to Stay RelevantInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach muse on a conversation from Vinitaly.USA about a super successful Italian wine region trying to get more acclaim and approval from sommeliers, and whether that even makes sense for such a financial juggernaut. Does marketing to and through somms actually move the needle for brands, or is this more just about a very human desire for praise and attention from the most hyper-focused elements of the industry? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Zach is drinking: 2015 Perrier-Jouët "Belle Époque" ChampagneJoanna is drinking: Improved Tequila Cocktail at Gus' Sip & DipAdam is drinking: Llewelyn Wine 'God moving over the face of the waters' ChardonnayInstagram: @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 it works for smaller, alternative wine brands to market themselves as better or healthier alternatives to large-scale wine, much in the way that smaller food manufacturers and purveyors do. While there are some similarities, does the nature of how wine is typically displayed in grocery stores undercut that attempt? 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 [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and be well.Zach is reading: Can You Take Home a Wine Bottle From a Restaurant? Each State’s Wine Take-Home Laws.Joanna is reading: Beneath the Bines: The Multicultural Roots of the Pacific Northwest Hop HarvestInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.