The Middle Tier is Merging and Morphing

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a recent bit of research about where wine companies hire their marketing professionals from, and how much more so than in beer or spirits, they tend to be wine industry lifers. While the conventional wisdom has generally held that you need to know wine to market wine, is it possible that wine's marketing problem is that they're not looking at a wide enough talent pool? 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: Russiz Superiore Cabernet FrancJoanna is drinking: Grasshopper at After HoursAdam is drinking: Martini at KabawaInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by VinePair contributing editor Dave Infante to discuss a spate of news regarding the wholesale sector, from Southern Glazer's expanding ownership of AB InBev distributorships to further moves by Reyes Beverage Group to take over states from Republic National Distributing Company. Does RBG really have interest in becoming a major player in wine distribution? Why does Southern want in on the beer and RTD business? Do we even have antitrust laws anymore? 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: New Report Ranks Most Popular Spirits Brands for Shots on American MenusJoanna is reading: Martini Madness 2026Adam is reading: At Banshee, Jen Murphy Goes All-In on Martinis, Guinness, and Neighborhood HospitalityInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about the received wisdom that restaurants should generate a large chunk of their revenue from their drinks programs. In the past, beverage alcohol sales have been the main source of profit for restaurants, but as prices continue to increase and consumers are perhaps less inclined to indulge, is this still a model that makes sense? 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: 2022 "The Devil is a Liar" Upsidedown Wine GrenacheJoanna is drinking: Coupette Colada at Bitter & Twisted Cocktail ParlourAdam is drinking: The Zesty EstiInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With gas prices spiking, airfare following suit, and nightmarish security delays embroil many American airports, Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder whether the travel industry, and the hospitality properties that depend on it, will be in for a very rough summer. Given that this is the time of year when many folks make those summer plans, will all those issues, plus general inflation and fears of a recession, combine to keep Americans home this summer? 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: Who Is George Clooney’s New Non-Alcoholic Beer Even For?Joanna is reading: From Ants to Escargots, Has the Stunt Cocktail Ingredient Gone Too Far?Adam is reading: How Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash Became an American Whiskey UnicornInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam and Zach respond to a listener question about why so many wine regions and countries continue to attempt to recreate the Judgement of Paris. What is it about that singular moment that tempts people to try to recreate it, and why can that magic never be recaptured? Should wine be moving past the idea of "gotcha" tastings? 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: Freezer White NegroniAdam is drinking: Comm. G. B. Burlotto PelavergaInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss ways in which AI is potentially affecting wine service and sales in restaurants. As wine apps like CellarTracker integrate LLM-powered recommendation algorithms, and as at least some diners are more comfortable asking AI what to drink instead of the sommelier, how will restaurants and wine professionals respond? Will some establishments hand over the design of their wine programs to algorithms?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: The Buildout Podcast: Death & CoJoanna is reading: If Gen Z Is Drinking Less, What Does Turning 21 Mean Now?Adam is reading: Why American Distillers Are Thriving in IrelandInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the eve of St. Patrick's Day, Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by VinePair spirits editor Aaron Goldfarb to discuss his recent list of the 14 best Irish whiskies, as well as the state of the category as a whole. Is any spirit more dominated by the biggest brand in it more than Irish whiskey? Can distilleries interest high-end collectors in their premium Irish whiskey offerings? 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: Weird Al'Gonq'ovich at AtomaJoanna is drinking: Turbo GuinnessAdam is drinking: Gibson at A Pop-Up Called PancakesAaron is drinking: Michter's "Celebration" Sour MashInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss one of Zach's least favorite clichés in wine: that wine is "90% made in the vineyard," or some other silly percentage. They discuss why this oft-stated number is very clearly untrue, and try to figure out why it's so widely repeated by so many different producers in so many different places. 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: 7 Cocktails That Should Get the Freezer Martini TreatmentJoanna is reading: What Will a Global Trade Meltdown Mean For Bourbon’s Protected Status?Adam is reading: 13 Bartenders Share the Martini Variations They Refuse to DrinkInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about the deteriorating relationship between wineries and wholesalers, and if the financial challenges the wine industry is facing will force wineries out of the three-tier system, or at least to a different understanding thereof. 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: Loop de Loop Wines "Borderline Red"Joanna is drinking: Borscht Cocktail at The Peach Crease ClubAdam is drinking: Cyprien Arlaud Bourgogne BlancInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam and Joanna are joined by winemaker Noah Dorrance of Reeve Wines, BloodRoot Wines, and other projects, to discuss what the state of the industry is in Sonoma Valley right now, as well as his reasons for optimism about wine moving forward. 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: The 10 Most Important Cocktails of the 21st CenturyJoanna is reading: Good Vibes From a Bad Decade: A Look at NYC’s ’70s-Inspired BarsAdam is reading: We Asked 10 Bartenders: What’s the Best New Bar in Philadelphia?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.