Pairs With Life

As I pour a glass of Sullivan Family Vineyards wine, I reflect on the fact that COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on the wine industry. But few understood how massive that impact was until the release of the Silicon Valley Bank 2021 State of The Wine Industry Report. This week, I talk with four thought leaders and influencers in the wine biz about what they feel will be the biggest trends for the industry in 2021, and how those trends may affect us for years to come. But it's not all pure wonk this week: I also uncork a most amazing Sullivan Family Vineyards 2015 Petit Verdot, Rutherford, Napa Valley.

Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies by clicking here.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

The Wine Spies, for some bizarrely unknown reason, decided to sponsor the podcast! So the day has finally come where I can bathe myself in free wine while a naked Anne Hathaway makes it rain with Ben Franklins (hey, it's my fantasy). And while I wait for Anne to arrive, the kids convinced me to let them get a new hamster, and I have thoughts on this. I won't ask Anne about it, because you don't want to do something like that to a fantasy.

Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies by clicking here.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

It's 2021! At last, the 24/7 dumpster fire that was 2020 has reached its inauspicious end, and a new beginning is upon us. So, is it time for New Year's Resolutions, or should we just commit to breathe in and then breathe out and say that's the most we should shoot for at this point? In this episode, I'm joined by Kate Cunningham (@katethegreat), host of Wine Date With Kate The Great, to talk about the one resolution we want to keep for 2021, the "wine resolution" that will make us better drinkers...and the one resolution we know won't make it past the first week.

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Happy Holidays! Let's celebrate the end of one of the worst years ever with Season's Greetings and Yuletide Cheer! (Someday, I'm going to Google Yuletide and find out what the hell it means). On this year's Christmas Extravaganza, we feature food writer Karista Bennett, who tells us how to cook a delicious and memorable Christmas dinner for one or two. I also count down my Top 3 Least Favorite Christmas Carols and talk about why the Smith-Devereux Gran Paradiso Brandy is the ultimate Christmas Spirit. It's almost as good as The Bing Crosby Christmas Special, only with less talent. And I don't go home and beat my daughter with a 9-iron afterward.

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

What's OwnRoot Collective? And what does an artisan winemaker do when she's not making wine for some big-name winery? She's creating her own labor-of-love wine. And how does she get that unique wine into your hands? Enter Terra Jane Albee, Napa marketing veteran and Founder of OwnRootCollective.com. On this week's episode, Terra Jane talks about founding OwnRoot Collective during the worst possible time ever: after becoming a new mom and during a global pandemic, and how she has turned those disadvantages around to create a successful, direct-to-consumer wine subscription service featuring limited-edition bottlings from the hottest winemakers around.

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Wine and neurosis? It must be the Holidays! And what better way to take those neuroses and push them all the way down than with our favorite wine and comfort foods? Carrie Flaspohler, known throughout wine circles as @DrinkWithCarrie, joins me from Atlanta to share her favorite junk food, the wine that pairs with it, and the specific feelings of inadequacy we try to medicate with our food & alcohol choices. Wine and neurosis is a Christmas pairing as traditional as Santa and cookies. So, join us on the Free Therapy Couch - there's room for everyone!

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

On October 29th, 2020, an article appeared in the New York Times reporting on widespread sexual harassment of Master Sommelier candidates and other women affiliated with the Court. Unfortunately, most women saw this as just another day in the wine business, if not corporate American in general. On this week's episode, I have a conversation with Melanie Ofenloch, wine writer for the blog Dallas Wine Chick, about how widespread sexual harassment is in the wine industry and how it managed to reach the most upper echelons of our business. 

Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

It has been hard to give thanks during 2020, especially with virtual Thanksgivings and empty bank accounts. To help you through this unprecedented Holiday, I've picked out four, readily-available Thanksgiving wines for your table with a total cost of under fifty bucks...with tax! These are four wines you should be able to find at any major grocery store, with a wide enough compatibility to please you, Uncle Bob, and even Aunt Marge. So, unroll that 'fitty, pop some corks and show some gratitude: we're alive, there's hope, and now you've got four wines for under fifty bucks.

Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

New Jersey wine? Yup, it's an actual thing. Kathleen Willcox joins me on the podcast today. A freelance wine writer for Wine Enthusiast, Wine Searcher, and Spirited Biz,  Kathleen is an expert on wineries of the northeast U.S.who sings the praises of New Jersey wine. Being California-born and bred (and a Certified Napa Valley Wine Snob), I was fascinated at the opportunity to sit down with Kathleen. We taste through a few NJ wines, including an extraordinary 2016 Brut Reserve Sparkling Wine from William Heritage. And you know what? I'm a changed man. So, grab a glass from The Garden State and wonk out with us!

Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Breakups. They suck. No matter which side of the hammer you're on, when it drops, it hurts. On this episode, I break into the Donnachiara Empatia white wine - a delicious 100% Fiano from Italy (duh) - and count down the Top Three Breakup Lines people use. Through the miracle of modern technology, I also run these top breakup lines through Google's new Emotional Translator to find out the real meaning of these lines. So get yourself ready, because honey, we need to talk...

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin' the podcast? Then you're going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.