Is Craft Beer's Optimistic Tone Defensible or Delusional?

Adam, Joanna, and Zach break down GALLO's acquisition of Montucky Cold Snacks, then are joined by restaurateur, consultant, and VinePair contributor Dave Foss to discuss his recent piece about how unbeknownst to most diners, elevated menu prices in bars and restaurants are being driven by a surge in labor costs that have created new challenges for operators. 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.Joanna is reading: For Craft Spirit Distillers, a Dark Mood Is SimmeringZach is reading: Welcome to the Era of the $100 Bar SnackAdam is reading: A Fresh Take on Fat-Washing With GN Chan of Double Chicken PleaseInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the many competitions and judgings that wine, beer, and spirits producers can enter: do medals or high scores really shift consumer behavior, or does the fact that there are so many of these scores, points, and medals floating around rob them of their ability to have much impact? 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: Willamette Valley ChardonnayJoanna is drinking: NegroniAdam is drinking: Mint JulepInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a recent San Francisco Chronicle piece about the purportedly dire situation facing California winemakers, and propose that the current struggles are more an aftereffect of the pandemic than a cataclysmic shift in how Americans feel about wine, but also that small winemakers absolutely need to be more honest about their business plans and how they can prepare for difficult times. 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.Joanna is reading: The Hidden Hospitality Hazards When You’re Too Big for the BarZach is reading: Can Burgundy’s Low-Sulfite Wines Reshape Tradition?Adam is reading: Why Drink Makers Seek Royal Warrants — and Why They Might Be Nervous Right NowInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether individual wineries and even entire regions should be focusing more on their local and regional markets, as well as trying to bring in tourists, as opposed to attempting to get their wines into markets around the country: is that a fruitless chase that ends up costing more money than it could ever generate? 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: Cadillac MargaritaJoanna is drinking: Bourbon RenewalAdam is drinking: PalomaInstagram: @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 successful luxury wine brands have an obligation to help make wine less snobby and more approachable, and speculate on who exactly that responsibility does fall on. 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.Note: audio was updated at 9:15 am EDT to correct an issue with echo-y sound at around the 11:00 mark.Zach is reading: America’s Regional Pizza StylesJoanna is watching: Time To TasteAdam is reading: We Asked 11 Brewers: What’s Your Go-To Mexican-Style Lager?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zach is joined by Sarika Singh, Kat Hantas, and Nicole Hantas-Emanuel, the co-founders of infused tequila brand 21Seeds, to discuss their origin story, how they have expanded their focus to the on-premise world, and what's changed and what hasn't since their 2022 acquisition by Diageo. 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.

Joanna and Zach are joined by VinePair contributing editor and Taplines host Dave Infante to break down the surprising level of optimism present at the just-finished Craft Brewers Conference. With stagnant sales for craft beer, what exactly prompted all these good vibes? 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: The Eyrie Vineyards Estate Pinot NoirJoanna is drinking: Domaine André Brunel "Les Cailloux" Châteauneuf du Pape Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joanna and Zach discuss America's most popular cocktail, the Margarita. Specifically, can anything with agave in it be a Margarita, and is their an appetite for high-end versions of the cocktail? 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: Wine Gadgets: The Good, the Bad, and the Downright UnnecessaryJoanna is reading: Could Now Be the Time for Baijiu to Shine?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder some recently-reviewed blanco tequilas that check in at well over $100 retail: is there really a market for unaged spirits at that pricepoint, and if so, who are these brands targeting? 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: Russian River Brewing "Damnation" Golden AleJoanna is drinking: Johan Vineyards "Sapience" Pinot NoirAdam is drinking: Leek Martini at Eleven Madison ParkInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to listener questions about the potential for craft cider to grab a bigger slice of the pie, and make predictions about what the drink of Summer 2024 will be. Plus: is the Martini an indoor-only cocktail? 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: All Things Being Equal: the Triumph of the Four-Equal-Part CocktailJoanna is reading: Building a Purpose-Driven Backbar with Nightmoves’ Orlando Franklin McCrayAdam is reading: Remember When Campari Made a Raspberry-Flavored Clear Cordial?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.