The Wine Pair Podcast

Episodes

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  Juliet: Great Packaging, But How’s the Wine?!? 25.10.2026 53m

  The creators of Juliet wine sought to make a wine that was chic, beautifully packaged, and reasonably priced. Which they did. But did they forget about the wine? Knowing that north of 80% of people choose a wine based on the label, you can hardly fault a hot, upstart wine brand for focusing on the thing that most people make decisions on: how the packaging looks. However, our job is a little different. We taste and review wine to see if it’s worth your hard earned money. And although our tast...
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  WTF is Valdiguié? Don't Call It Napa Gamay! 18.10.2026 48m

  Oh wow! This wine, that you’ve probably never heard of, is a revelation! For many years this wine was known as Napa Gamay, but it was a case of mistaken identity that took several experts and eventually DNA testing to reveal the truth. And the truth is that Valdiguié is delicious and tragically little known. Nearly extinct today in France where it is originally from, it is now becoming a bit of a darling in California in the natural wine and low intervention winemaking circles. In the past, V...
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  Crémant de Loire: Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget! 11.10.2026 51m

  No matter how you feel about Champagne, it’s damn expensive. So, what if we told you that there is a French sparkling wine that hits like Champagne but doesn’t have nearly the same price? We think you’d probably thank us. And that’s why we’re talking about Crémant this week. You’re welcome. And not just any old Crémant (because there are several versions which we talk about in this episode), but specifically one of our favorites: Crémant de Loire made with the grape Chenin Blanc which is very...
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  WTF is Sylvaner? Your Oktoberfest Wine? 04.10.2026 46m

  If beer ain’t your jam for Oktoberfest, then maybe the great Bavarian German wine called Sylvaner (or is it Silvaner?!?) is the wine you should be enjoying with your pretzels and bratwurst this season. Yes, there are two spellings of Sylvaner, and yes it matters because the style of Silvaner spelled with an “i” is the German version, and it is a crisp, acidic wine that goes well with German foods, while the version with the “y,” most famously from Alsace, France, is a different, richer wine. ...
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  Decoy Wine: Should You Buy It, or Duck It? 27.09.2026 54m

  We know you’ve seen Decoy wines around with their famous duck on the label, but the real question is - have you ever tried Decoy wine? Before you answer that question, we want to tell you what we think. Before we do that, we’re going to tell you a bit about the parent company that Decoy comes from called Duckhorn Wine Company started by, and this is not a joke, Margaret and Dan Duckhorn. Then we are going to tell you more about Decoy wine itself, its history, its purpose, and its winemaker. A...
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  Cru Beaujolais: A Far Cry from Beaujolais Nouveau! 20.09.2026 51m

  If your impression of Beaujolais is that super light fruity wine called Beaujolais Nouveau that comes out in November right around Thanksgiving, you are really missing out on what Beaujolais has to offer. Cru Beaujolais is often compared to Pinot Noir from Burgundy, and they are neighbors in the region. And, for many years, Cru Beaujolais was considered to be on par with Burgundy. So what happened? A bunch of crappy Beaujolais Nouveau flooded the market, and really hurt the reputation of Beau...
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  They Make Sparkling Wine in England?!? 13.09.2026 41m

  We know what you’re thinking. There’s no way they can make wine in England. We thought the same thing too, but here’s the deal. They are making some killer wine, especially sparkling wine, in England. Don’t believe it?!? Then you must listen to this episode. Once the butt of jokes, British wine is getting a reputation for excellence that is surprising both professionals and regular drinkers all over the world. There are a few factors that play into this rise of British bubbly that we discuss,...
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  Minisode #21: Is "Sugar-Free Wine" Even a Real Thing? 06.09.2026 15m

  You hear claims about zero-sugar wines, low sugar wines, and clean wines and you think, hey, that sounds like a good thing. But, what does it really mean? The truth is, not much. We dig into the facts to give you the skinny. Turns out, much of that no-sugar language is just fancy marketing speak for stuff that has always been true about wine. Guess what? In the fermentation process, sugar gets turned into alcohol, and in most cases, very little residual sugar is left behind. Even more, ...
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  Aglianico Rosato: If You Love a Bold Red Wine, Try Its Rosé! 30.08.2026 43m

  When you take a great red wine grape like Aglianico and you make a Rosé from it, do you know what you get? That’s right. A great Rosé! In this episode we explore Rosé made from Aglianico, the King of Southern Italian red wines, which also happens to make a great Rosé. If you think you don’t like Rosé, it probably just means that you haven’t had one made from a red wine grape that you love. And in Italy, they are starting to make some fantastic Rosé wines, also known as Rosato in Italian. So, ...
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  Italian Wine Adventure #26: Schiava! Sommeliers Love This Chillable Red! 23.08.2026 44m

  Chillable red wines are a thing right now, and we think we may have found the perfect chillable red wine for you to not only enjoy but wow your hipster friends, family, and coworkers with. In fact, this wine is becoming a darling of in-the-know sommeliers! Schiava comes from the Alto Adige region of Italy, and it has everything you are looking for in a chillable red wine: crunchy red fruit flavors, light body, low tannins, and moderate alcohol. And while the wine is sometimes called “weightle...
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  Costco Kirkland Signature Châteauneuf-du-Pape Challenge! 16.08.2026 49m

  Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of the world’s great wines, but many people haven’t tried it because it can be darn expensive. So, when Costco drops their Kirkland Signature version of the wine, the natural question is “should I buy it?” Well, we are here to help you make that decision. Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a rather remarkable history, harkening back to a time when the papacy was in France, not Rome, and even a period when there were two popes for a longer period than you might expect. We talk ...
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  Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #25: Brian and Jessica Smith from Wendelin Vines 09.08.2026 37m

  Meet Brian and Jessica, a husband and wife winemaking team from Kansas. Yes, you heard that right - Kansas! It’s not as crazy as it sounds. In fact, did you know that in the 1800’s, Kansas was one of the top wine producing states in the country? Brian and Jessica are one of a group of winemakers bringing back winemaking in Kansas through their new winery Wendelin Vines. And, you won’t believe the story of how they got here, but you have to listen in to get the full story. All we’ll say is tha...
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  Italian Wine Adventure #25: Vermentino! Summer Sipper Contender? 02.08.2026 48m

  Nothing says summer like a nice, crisp white wine, and in this episode, we cover one of the greats that you may never have heard of called Vermentino. Vermentino is a fabulous wine most famously from the island of Sardinia that is a perfect summer sipper. Vermentino is also likely to be a wine that you start seeing more often because it comes from a grape that creates these crisp, high acidic wines, but can take the heat in warmer climates and keep its acidity. In addition to digging into Ver...
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  Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #24: High-Altitude Excellence: Discovering PDO Amyndeon & PGI Florina with Alpha Estate. 26.07.2026 33m

  Angelos Iatridis has a philosophy that stuck with us: if you want to be a better man, you make better wine. That's the kind of thoughtful conversation we get into in this special episode, a deep dive into PDO Amyndeon and PGI Florina, two of Greece's protected wine designations, with Angelos from Alpha Estate. He talks about Xinomavro, the region's signature red grape, which is often described as sitting somewhere between Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir, but shaped entirely by Amyndeon's high altitud...
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  Gigondas Has a Reputation for Punching You in the Face. Does It Live Up to That? 19.07.2026 50m

  Are you a fan of powerful red wines like Châteauneuf-du-Pape but don’t love the price tag? Then Gigondas may be the wine you’ve been waiting for. Gigondas is often called the “little brother” of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and shares many of the same characteristics including hailing from the southern Rhône in France and containing the same GSM or Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes in its blend. And while it is a powerful wine that is the perfect companion to steak frites, it is also extremely ba...
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  WTF is Verdejo? 12.07.2026 49m

  If you are stuck in a Sauvignon Blanc rut, then Verdejo is here to come to your rescue. This great white wine from Rueda Spain is very similar to Sauvignon Blanc, in fact it is sometimes called the “love child” between Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, and it combines many of the wonderful tropical fruit and citrus smells and flavors of Sauv Blanc with just a bit more mouthfeel. This is a lovely wine from Spain’s most important white wine region. Verdejo is a fantastic summer wine, great for ...
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  Costco Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Wine Challenge: 2023 Pauillac and 2023 Saint-Julien! 05.07.2026 49m

  We all know that Costco wine moment when you see a Kirkland Signature wine and you wonder, should I get it? Well, we are here to tell you that you should snatch up these two beauties if you see them. The Costco Kirkland Signature 2023 Pauillac and 2023 Saint-Julien are great Bordeaux wines that you will not be able to find at this quality at this price anywhere else. But wait, are you confused by French wine and don’t know what kinds of grapes go into Pauillac and Saint-Julien? You are not al...
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  Is Moscato d'Asti the Sweet Wine Serious Wine People Won't Admit They Love? 28.06.2026 54m

  When asked, most people say they like dry wines rather than sweet wines, but is that really true? Based on the most popular wines in the United States, it doesn’t seem like it. At all. One of the most popular wine varietals in the US is Moscato, and the sweet wine Moscato d’Asti is one of the most well known, and well loved wines in the world. Just ask Costco who sells a ton of the stuff. And there are some obvious reasons why. First, it’s delicious, and second, humans are hard wired to be at...
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  This Ain't Chianti: Is Italian Sangiovese Better Outside Tuscany? 21.06.2026 50m

  Sangiovese is the classic example of how a wine can taste completely different depending on where it is from and how it is made, and this episode demonstrates that fact in spades. Sangiovese is one of the great Italian wine grapes, but because of its strong association with the wine Chianti, it has a bit of a mixed reputation. In its defense, Chianti is really a food wine which is where its acidity really shines. But Sangiovese itself is an amazing wine grape that can vary from light and frui...
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  Pinot Grigio Is Boring. Alsace Pinot Gris Is Its Richer, Weirder French Cousin! 14.06.2026 49m

  You may think you know Pinot Grigio, but do you know Pinot Gris? Pinot Gris is the same grape as Pinot Grigio, but in taste, body, and just about every other way that matters, they can feel worlds apart. And, on a very interesting side note, Pinot Gris is also a color mutation of Pinot Noir, but that’s another story. In this episode, we focus specifically on Pinot Gris from Alsace, France, a region famous for its white wines. And of all the white wines made there, Pinot Gris is one of the big...