The Wine Pair Podcast

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Gigondas Has a Reputation for Punching You in the Face. Does It Live Up to That? Jul 19, 2026

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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 balanced and elegant. We’ll explore the history and techniques behind this fabulous wine, but more importantly, we’ll give you our honest review of two Gigondas wines to let you know if either or both are worth your hard-earned money. And as we do every week, we’ll round out our conversation with some “wine in the news this week” fun as well as random side conversations like the names of the two main characters in Revenue of the Nerds. It’s hard to explain. You just have to listen. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Notre Dame des Pallieres Gigondas Les Mourres, 2023 Crous St Martin Gigondas Les Espaliers

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WTF is Verdejo? Jul 12, 2026

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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 sipping outdoors, and awesome with fish and shellfish, fried and salty foods, as well as chicken and charcuterie. It still flies a little under the radar, which is why now is the perfect time to be the one to introduce Verdejo to your family and friends and be considered the cool kid dropping wine knowledge! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2024 Marques de Riscal Rueda Verdejo, 2024 Bodegas Vatan Nisia Old Vines Verdejo

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Costco Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Wine Challenge: 2023 Pauillac and 2023 Saint-Julien! Jul 05, 2026

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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 alone, and we will help decode these Left Bank red Bordeaux wines from Haut-Médoc. Did we lose you already? Don’t worry. Just know that these are going to be Cabernet Sauvignon heavy blends, and the rest we’ll tell you about in this episode. Also know that we do not usually love Cabernet Sauvignon, so we were really pleasantly surprised by how much we liked these wines. Join us for a fun learning adventure! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Costco Kirkland Signature Saint-Julien, 2023 Costco Kirkland Signature Pauillac.

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Is Moscato d'Asti the Sweet Wine Serious Wine People Won't Admit They Love? Jun 28, 2026

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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 attracted to sweet. So, why do sweet wines get a bad rap? Some of it is for health reasons, frankly, but some of it is because wine snobs tend to look down their nose at sweet wines, and that’s not really fair. For much of the world’s history, sweet wines were the preferred wines, and based on sales of popular wines today, which we will cover in this episode, it seems quite obvious that they are still preferred by many, many consumers. So, we’ll let you know what we think, and if either of the wines we reviewed today are worth checking out. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2025 Kirkland Signature Moscato d’Asti, 2024 Saracco Moscato d'Asti

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This Ain't Chianti: Is Italian Sangiovese Better Outside Tuscany? Jun 21, 2026

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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 fruity like a Gamay to velvety and smooth like a Merlot. On that note, it may surprise you to know that about half of all of the Sangiovese grown in Italy is not grown in Tuscany, and regions like Puglia, Emilia-Romagna and Marche are making fantastic versions of it. In this episode, we taste and review two wines made from 100% Sangiovese from Umbria and tiny Molise, and without spoiling it too much, we can tell you that they are very different wines, almost hard to tell they are from the same grape, and are different than Chianti. In a good way. Join us to find out more! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Cantina Roccafiore Melograno, 2021 Di Majo Norante Terre degli Osci Sangiovese

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Pinot Grigio Is Boring. Alsace Pinot Gris Is Its Richer, Weirder French Cousin! Jun 14, 2026

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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 biggest and richest, which may surprise anyone whose idea of Pinot Grigio is something light, thin, and mostly harmless. This is not your grandma’s Italian Pinot Grigio. Alsace Pinot Gris can be big, rich, and high in alcohol, and people who love a fuller-bodied Chardonnay may find a lot to like. Surprise! In our tasting, we were struck by just how different these wines were from the Pinot Grigio most people know. Same grape. Very different experience. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2020 Pierre Sparr Grande Réserve Pinot Gris and 2020 Frey-Sohler Vieilles Vignes Pinot Gris

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They Make Wine in Lebanon?!? Diving Into One of the World’s Oldest Wine Traditions Jun 07, 2026

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Not only do they make great wine in Lebanon, the country has one of the oldest winemaking traditions in the world! The ancient Phoenicians produced wine there thousands of years ago and helped spread it throughout the Mediterranean. In this episode, we dig into Lebanon’s remarkable wine history and explore how it continues today despite many challenges and repeated threats to its survival. It is a story of extraordinary grit and perseverance. We also taste and review two Lebanese wines, including one from the internationally renowned Château Musar. And, as a bonus, this week’s “Wine in the News” story is totally shocking, and definitely not for the queasy. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Massaya Le Colombier Rouge and 2022 Château Musar Jeune Red

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Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #23: Jun Kono President and Master Sake Brewer at Sohomare and Leo Lê Sommelier of Kappo Sono and Momoya May 31, 2026

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Sake is not a beverage we often cover on the podcast, but when we had the chance to talk to one of the great sake makers in the world, we jumped at the chance. In this episode we introduce you to Jun Kono of Sohomare, one of the world’s premier sake makers, and Leo Lê Sommelier of the great Kappo Sono in New York City and Momoya. What a treat to meet these two leaders in their respective businesses, and get to know them. As you know, sake is often called “rice wine,” but that is not the best description of it because the brewing process is so different and complex. And while many sake makers are trying to chase more accessible and fresher versions of sake, Sohomare is focused on making deep, complex, and elegant sake that is made to be eaten with food. We know you will learn a ton, like we did, in this conversation, and come away with a new appreciation for one of the most significant alcoholic beverages in human history.

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Is Two Buck Chuck Actually Bad, or Is That Just Wine Snob Talk? May 24, 2026

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We KNOW you are curious! No matter what you think about Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck, AKA Charles Shaw wine, you want to know. If you love Two Buck Chuck or have been avoiding it like the plague. If you drank it in college but now wonder if your tastes have changed. Or, if you are trying to elevate your wine game and want to see if you should bother. We know you have questions and feelings. And we want you to work out those feelings and get those questions answered. So, on your behalf, we put together the most objective, unbiased, and honest tasting and review of Two Buck Chuck that we could. And guess what?!? We were more than a little surprised by what we found. We’re not going to spoil it for you in this description. That would be silly! But we are going to tease you with this . . . we may not have rated it what you think we would rate it. Intrigued?!? Then listen in! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Charles Shaw Chardonnay, 2023 Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon

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WTF is Malvasia? May 17, 2026

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You may not know Malvasia wine, but it’s time to introduce you to this “kaleidoscope” white wine! Malvasia is a really interesting varietal because, depending on who you believe, there are somewhere between 80 and 290 different versions of the grape and wine, some of which are genetically distinct. Woah. The reason it is called a kaleidoscope wine is because it can be made into so many different versions depending on the region and winemaker, everything from a sweet wine to a dry wine to a sparkling wine to an Orange wine. In this episode, we tasted and reviewed two Malvasia wines, one from Crete in Greece where Malvasia is said to have originated, and one from Slovenia which is considered a completely genetically unique version. The wines were both really good, but really different from each other, which was really fun. If you are looking for a great new white wine to add to your list of great white wines, Malvasia is a perfect wine to add. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Douloufakis Malvasia Femina, 2024 Rodica Malvasia

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