The Wine Pair Podcast

Latest Episodes:

They Make Wine in Armenia?!? (SOMM: Cup of Salvation) Oct 27, 2024

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Armenia may be the oldest wine making region in the world, and yet, have you ever had wine from Armenia? There are some good reasons why that may be, and probably most likely because when they were part of the Soviet Union, the government forced them to make fortified wines like brandy, and the winemaking industry was forced to go underground. Over the past few decades, however, winemaking is having a bit of a renaissance, led by people like Vahe and Aimee Keushguerian who literally risk their lives to make wine. Inspired by the documentary Cup of Salvation based on a recommendation from a listener, we set out to find some Armenian wines - and we found them (and so can you!). The story of these wines and the people who make them is fascinating and more than worth learning about. Please join us to start your own journey to find out more about Armenian wine! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2019 Van Ardi Red Blend, Keush Origins Sparkling Wine

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WTF is Furmint? (THE white wine from Hungary) Oct 20, 2024

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It may have an odd sounding name, but Furmint is a wine we are delighted to add to our wine list! Hailing from Hungary, where it is often made into the famous sweet wine called Tokaj Asuz, dry Furmint is a crisp, refreshing, and yet medium bodied white wine that can give any classic white a run for its money. In this episode, we learn a bit about the wine industry in Hungary (they are the 14th largest wine producing country in the world!), and we spill the tea on what exactly Furmint is - and this wine is the epitome of why we create these WTF episodes - to find wines that are fantastic but under the radar, so you can stop drinking all that crappy Chardonnay! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Chateau Pajzos Tokaji Dry Furmint, 2022 Disznoko Dry Furmint

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Minisode #15: Why Total Wine is Sus! Oct 13, 2024

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Look, Total Wine is big, it has a ton of wine (obvi), and it is often conveniently located, but we just are not convinced about Total Wine, and we do not enjoy shopping there. For a wine store that is so huge, the selection seems kind of crappy frankly. Why is that? In this podcast, we go into some depth into explaining why, and what some better alternatives are. This is just our opinion, though, so hear us out, and we would love to hear from you to hear what you think.

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Minisode #14: Is Sake Wine? Oct 06, 2024

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Sake is often called rice wine, but is it actually wine?!? You may be surprised to find the answer! And for this minisode, we are joined by our daughter Marianna who you can find on Instagram at munch.with.mar! They have been making sake in Japan in the same way for more than 500 years, and there are 12 steps to making it, so, whether it is wine, beer, spirits, or its own thing, it is a very involved process! You may also be surprised to find that they make wines from grapes in Japan, and there is a wine grape unique to Japan called Koshou that we are dying to try! Join us for this taste spoon of our podcast, and speaking of tasting, we give a little tasting of a sake just for good measure.

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Wallet Friendly Wine Reviews: Two Buck Chuck Sauvignon Blanc Challenge! Sep 29, 2024

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Sauvignon Blanc is one of our very favorite wines because it is rarely ever anything other than good, and a lot of people feel that way as well, but in this episode we put that to the test by seeing if really inexpensive Sauvignon Blancs can be any good. And, we have some news for you people - while you can find some good inexpensive Sauvignon Blancs, there are some cheap ones out there that are just not very good - we’re looking at you, Charles Shaw! In this episode, we talk about why Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most reliably good and inexpensive wines out there, and we do a tasting challenge with three that are really easy to find to see if any of them are any good. And - there is a clear winner, and a clear loser in our tasting. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc, NV California Roots Sauvignon Blanc, 2023 Kirkland Signature Ti Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

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WTF is Alicante Bouschet aka Garnacha Tintorera? Sep 22, 2024

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Did you know that most red wine grapes do not have red flesh? That is what makes teinturier grapes so unique, and why this is a great episode for expanding your wine knowledge and wine horizons. Alicante Bouschet, as would be appropriate, is one of those grapes. Derived from the French term for “dye” or “stain,” teinturier grapes have red flesh to match their red skins. Crazy, right?!? Alicante Bouschet is not a wine for the faint of heart. Hailing from Portugal and Spain, where it is better known as Garnacha Tintorera, this is a big, bold wine that will knock your socks off. In this episode, we discuss what the teinturier grapes are, and why Alicante Bouschet was a favorite wine for home winemakers during Prohibition. If you are a looking for an alternative to the same old Cabernet Sauvignon, this could be the wine for you. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Terra d'Alter Alicante Bouschet, 2020 Bodegas Venta La Vega Adaras Calizo Garnacha Tintorera.

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High QPR Pinot Noir #5! (Learning about Australia Pinot Noir) Sep 15, 2024

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In our ongoing mission to find high quality Pinot Noirs at reasonable prices, we bring you a taste of Australia and a discussion on where they can actually grow good Pinot Noir grapes in Australia, how warm climate regions like Australia and California try to deal with this grape that does better in cooler climates, and why Pinot Noir can be expensive. Our personal take on Pinot Noir is that it should be soft, acidic, relatively low in alcohol, and have rich cherry flavors, something that can be really hard to find in warm climate regions because the grapes grow fast and sugary, which alters the flavor and increases the alcohol. As you can tell, we are very picky about Pinot Noir, which is our favorite red wine, and so when we say we have found a High QPR (quality to price ratio) Pinot Noir, we really mean it. And we think we found one in this episode! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2019 Innocent Bystander Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, 2022 Sean Minor Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

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Italian Wine Adventure #13: Arneis! (A hidden white wine gem from Piedmont, for Chardonnay lovers?) Sep 08, 2024

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Known as “little rascal” in the local Piemontese dialect, this unique Italian white wine is elegant, rich, and flavorful. We usually prefer our white wines to be crisp and acidic, but we really enjoyed this rounder wine, and we think that Chardonnay lovers may find this to be a good option. In this episode we explore just exactly what Arneis is, and we found two nice Arneis wines worth seeking out that won’t put a dent in your pocketbook. We also talk about the number 13 being lucky in Italy, and how the United States once tried to move to the metric system in the 70’s. We also talk about the “evil eye” in Italian and why Joe is sweaty - look, you just have to listen in to find out why these things even come up. It’s too hard to explain here. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Cantine Elvio Tintero Langhe Arneis, 2023 Luca Bosio Langhe Arneis

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Bordeaux Bargains #2! (Plus: how to figure out what grapes are in a Bordeaux wine) Sep 01, 2024

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Confused by how to tell what is in a Bordeaux wine? We feel you! It’s confusing because there are a wide variety of grapes and blends to be found in Bordeaux wines and they don’t usually tell you on the label, but we have some secrets to share about how you can start to figure it out. Also, we think that, whether you are a Cabernet Sauvignon lover or not, you owe it to yourself to taste and try Bordeaux wines, especially Left Bank Bordeaux wines, so you can start to learn the way Cabernet Sauvignon wines were meant to be made. Unlike the punch-you-in-face style of California Cabs, Left Bank Bordeauxs have more nuance and balance. In this episode, we taste a Right Bank and Left Bank Bordeaux, and we think we found at least one wine that is more than worthy of adding to your list of wines to buy! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Château Bonesperance, 2019 Clos Marsalette Pessac-Léognan

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Portuguese Wine Primer #1: Vinho Verde! Aug 25, 2024

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With just a few weeks of summer left, we have the perfect wine to ensure that you do not squander those last few precious days. Afterall, there are some wines that just scream summer, and Vinho Verde is at the top of the list. Hailing from Portugal, Vinho Verde is a light, crisp, easy drinking, crowd pleasing little spritzer. Yes, spritzer because it is often also effervescent. Vinho Verde is also pretty easy to find in your local store, and very reasonably priced! This episode is also the perfect example of how we love to create content that our listeners care about - and we are starting this series on Portuguese wines based on a recommendation from our faithful listeners! And Portuguese wines are worthy of their own set of episodes because, despite being a smallish country in terms of population, Portugal way out-punches its weight class in terms of wine production. If you are a wine fan and are looking to expand your wine knowledge, learning about Portuguese wines is a must. And we make it fun! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Joao Portugal Ramos Loureiro Vinho Verde, 2022 Casal Garcia Vinho Verde

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