Grape Friends

It's the holidays, Grape Friends, and you know what that means -- long days filled with food and family and weird conversations and more food. Follow our tips for failsafe wine pairings for your next holiday gathering!

Wines: Pommier Chablis 2019 $30 Domaine du Clos du Fief Julienas (Beaujolais) 2019 $18 (on sale) Heimann & Fiai Szekszard Kadarka 2019 $26

What do hip-hop, 70s rock, and modern soul have in common? That’s right, nothing! Come on a musical journey through our favorite albums and the bottles we expertly chose to pair with them.

Lineup: Jay-Z ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ with Ponson ‘La Grande Montagne’ Premier Cru Champagne

Harry Nilsson ‘Nilsson Schmilsson’ with Elios ‘Kata Cerato’ Catarratto

Lianne La Havas ‘Lianne La Havas’ with Mas Théo Syrah/Grenache

It’s Anna’s birthday and she’ll cry if she wants to! She’s not crying though, she is bringing you a stellar lineup of her favorite wines from France. Hold onto your chapeaux, mesdames et messieurs!

Wines: Crémant d’Alsace Off-dry Alsace Pinot Gris Chénas Cru Beaujolais (Gamay) Loire Valley Saumur Cabernet Franc

We’re BREWING up something good this week! Your Grape Friends are SQUASHING podcast norms and HOPPING on over to the magical land of Fall Beers. Do we even like beer? Only time will tell.

It’s Anand’s birthday week and we’re celebrating the only way we know how — by eating and drinking to our heart’s content. Grab a glass of fruity white and join us as we try our darndest to pair wines with the delicious spice explosion that is chaat. HBD Anand!

Wines: Eminence Road Farm Winery Sparkling Gewurztraminer $25 Weingut Mann Cuvée Weiss $23 Somm & Kracher Lion Gruner Veltliner $20 The Finest Sake Gekkeikan $10

Did you miss us, Grape Friends? We're back with another season of shenanigans, killer wines, and questionable advice from the trio. This week, we reflect on our hot vaxx summers and taste some seriously savory sippers. Welcome back!

Wines: Vins Nus Siuralta Orange, $23 Macari Vineyards Horses Sparkling, $25 Las Jaras Glou Glou, $26

Believe it or not, your Grape Friends have made it across the finish line of another season! Cheers to all of you, our loyal listeners, for sticking with us through this hot & cold & mountainous & beachy journey. Listen in as we toast terroir with some great, and some really not so great, bubbles!

Wines: Arnaud Lambert Cremant de Loire Brézé, $25 House Wine Limited Edition Rosé Bubbles Can, $6 Rappahannock Cellars Sparkling Red, $30

Well, Grape Friends, this week we finally put our bountiful wine knowledge to the test with a blind tasting, and boy did one of us rise to the challenge. You'll have to listen to find out who was crowned the winner and earned eternal bragging rights!

Wines: Seresin Estate Momo Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018, $19 Costers del Priorat Petit Pissarres 2018, $24 Ashbrook Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2017, $19 Grosjean Torrette Vallée d'Aoste 2019, $20

It's time to go on an adventure to your local liquor store! This week, we grabbed a few bottles under $13 to find out for our Grape Friends which big names are worth trying, and which ones you should stay far away from. It's a wild ride, friends.

Wines: Josh Cellars Chardonnay 2019, $12 Mirassou Pinot Noir 2018, $10 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel 2019, $8

Even though Spring is on the way, this week we're moving on to Amanda's favorite wine category: cold climates! Listen to learn what Northern France, Tasmania, and the Finger Lakes have in common, and check out our Instagram for some super-enthusiastic, real-time tasting videos by Anna and Amanda.

Wines: Gilbert Picq Chablis 2019, $26 Holm Oak Tasmania Pinot Noir 2018, $30 Wagner Finger Lakes Vidal Ice Wine 2017, $20

This week we also encourage you to check out and support these organizations: https://www.bradyunited.org/ https://momsdemandaction.org/ https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/ https://www.sendchinatownlove.com/