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 revie

Just How Much Will People Pay for Blanco Tequila?

4 days ago 28m 58s

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

What Drink Will Own Summer 2024?

8 days ago 37m 39s

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 r

Is It Criminal For American Restaurants to Not Sell American Wine?

11 days ago 33m 1s

In response to a ton of listener feedback, Adam, Joanna, and Zach weigh on a recent slew of social media posts from a famous sommelier-turned-winemaker who claims that the American restaurant industry is being criminal for not better supporting

Can Restaurants Keep Up With Cocktail Bars?

15 days ago 35m 51s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss VinePair's recent Martini Madness tournament, then explore why it feels like cocktail bars and restaurants are focusing on different kinds of cocktails: what's driving that divide, and should restaurants be trying

Why Do We Care About Sustainability in Wine, and Not in Spirits?

18 days ago 37m 11s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder why sustainability is such a central part of the conversation around wine, from vineyard practices to alternative packaging, while the same considerations almost never come into the broader conversation around spir

Do "Functional Beverages" Actually Function?

22 days ago 34m 32s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the curious case of the rise of functional beverages - drinks that rely on adaptogens, nootropics, and other buzzy ingredients to create an aura of healthfulness and safe stimulation, despite many of the ingredien

Is Napa's Cult Wine Bubble Close to Popping?

25 days ago 29m 38s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about recent and significant increases in the prices of several cult Napa Valley wines: will these increases alienate even the very wealthy who form the core audience for these wines, or is

The Gin & Tonic Is a Dead End

28 days ago 34m 46s

First, Adam shares an update on a breaking news story about Mexican authorities raiding the home of Tequila Matchmaker, then Adam, Joanna, and Zach talk about why despite its ubiquity and success in Europe, the Gin & Tonic will never be a drink

Learning Lessons in Las Vegas and Boise

Mar 25th, 2024 29m 55s

Adam and Zach discuss the various things they learned while traveling last week: how Las Vegas is perhaps the ideal place to get the pulse of what America, writ large, wants to drink, and why a city like Boise is an exciting and dynamic place t

Forget Dying, Piquette Never Lived

Mar 22nd, 2024 37m 22s

Adam and Zach are joined by VinePair's managing editor Tim McKirdy to discuss recent conversations around the end of the alleged piquette trend, and why Tim was highly skeptical of any such trend all the way back in July of 2021. Please remembe

Why Have Cocktails Surpassed Wine With Many Diners?

Mar 18th, 2024 28m 15s

NOTE (9:15 AM 3/18) - THE ORIGINAL UPLOADED AUDIO WAS DE-SYNCED AROUND THE LISTENER QUESTION - IT IS NOW FIXED. SORRY FOR THAT - ZACH.Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about why cocktails have usurped by-the-glass wine in m

Covid Comps are Misleading the Drinks Industry

Mar 15th, 2024 35m 49s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss why so many of the biggest companies in beverage alcohol continue to compare current sales and trends to the peak of the pandemic, despite the fact that most of that entire period was a total anomaly. Please remem

Can Local Media Cover The Drinks Industry?

Mar 11th, 2024 33m 44s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about how local and regional media cover wine and the drinks industry more broadly: can they do more than just report on openings and closings, and how does that work when there's often a la

Who Owns Cocktails?

Mar 8th, 2024 31m 16s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach debate what rights a cocktail creator should have, from menu attribution to financial compensation when their drink is bottled or canned. The law might read a certain way, but is it fair to creators? Please remember to su

What's The Future of By-The-Glass Wine?

Mar 4th, 2024 31m 19s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach respond to a listener question about by-the-glass wine, and whether curious wine drinkers can continue to rely on it to discover new wines. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review VinePair on Apple Podcasts, Spo

What In The World Is Going On With Soda?

Mar 1st, 2024 32m 52s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the puzzling state of the soda market: why did a self-proclaimed "good for you" brand shell out for a Super Bowl ad, and what exactly does the American public want from this drink in a world of nearly infinite car

Does Anyone Know How to Sell Wine?

Feb 26th, 2024 28m 9s

Adam and Zach discuss why no one throughout the wine industry, from producers to wholesalers to retailers and restaurants seems to have a good handle on how to sell wine right now. With changing demographics, distributor consolidation, and unce

Why Is "Influencer" a Dirty Word?

Feb 23rd, 2024 36m 12s

Adam and Zach are joined by VinePair assistant editor Hannah Staab to discuss why influencers remain so contentious within the world of food and drinks, and why the attention they bring to restaurants and bars isn't always seen in as favorable

Why Haven't Working Conditions Gotten Better in Hospitality?

Feb 19th, 2024 27m 54s

Joanna and Zach take a look at the landscape of working conditions in the hospitality industry, and wonder why they're still relatively poor despite high demand for skilled labor: why unionization efforts fail and why high profile organizations

This Is How You Win the Flavor War

Feb 16th, 2024 28m 56s

Joanna and Zach discuss the conflict between the American drinking public's desire for bold, recognizable flavors, and the resistance of the wine industry to meet that demand, in light of the impressive success of Stella Rosa's new line of spic

Should We Care About Saving "Endangered Species" In the Drinks Worlds?

Feb 12th, 2024 31m 6s

Please attend the first-ever LIVE taping of Cocktail College on Sunday, February 18th at Sunken Harbor Club in Brooklyn, NY. Tickets here.Adam, Joanna, and Zach explore whether modern-day drinkers, journalists, and industry members should care

The Perils of Group-Think in the Drinks Industry

Feb 9th, 2024 31m 38s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the ways in which group-think can negatively impact the drinks industry, from nearly-identical wine programs and back bars to companies and brands being afraid to take risks. Plus, a brief discussion of Zach's lat

How Can Restaurants and Bars Confront the "Introvert Economy?"

Feb 5th, 2024 35m 7s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss data that shows that people are going out earlier in the day and concentrating their drinking on the weekends. What are bars and restaurants supposed to do in the Early Bird Economy: can they create more demand fo

Do Wineries Also Need to Be Restaurants?

Feb 2nd, 2024 24m 3s

Adam, Joanna, and Zach suggest that more wineries should (where possible) add full-service dining options to their amenities, as doing so allows restaurants to showcase their wines in an ideal setting and also keep guests on-site longer, both c