The Wine Pair Podcast

Latest Episodes:

WTF is Cava? Dec 19, 2021

Show notes

Just in time for the Holidays, we bring you the next in our WTF series - and this time we ask WTF is Cava?!? Sparkling wine is great for any time of year, but we all love bubbly a little more around the Holidays - and Cava is a perfect choice for a delicious and reasonably priced sparkler! In this episode, we talk about the difference between sparkling wine and Champagne, why a dry sparkling wine is called brut, and why a sweet sparkling wine is called dry, and Carmela gets quizzed on some Holiday specific questions. Find out why she thinks shopping mall Santas are creepy and more! We review taste and rate three easy to find Cavas: Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava, Segura Viudas Brut Cava, Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Cava - which we score somewhere between 6 and 8 out of 10. Not bad!

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F that Wine: Merlot Dec 12, 2021

Show notes

The Wine Pair returns to the F that Wine series, facing down their fear of Merlot. Let’s just say that one of the three wines they taste gets a 2/10 rating, proving to be a terrible wine, definitely not worth your time, and clearly deserving its entry into this series. Truly and honestly, F that Wine! Joe and Carmela briefly discuss the movie Sideways and Paul Giamatti’s famous Merlot quote, try to unpack Joe’s obsession with security cameras and video doorbells, and taste and review some reasonably priced and easy to find Merlots. Wines in this episode include a 2017 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot, a 2019 Bogle Vineyards Merlot, and a 2019 Dark Horse Merlot.

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Costco FTW: Kirkland Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Cotes du Rhone Dec 05, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, The Wine Pair tastes and reviews wines from Costco’s own Kirkland brand. Listen to Joe and Carmela talk about why they love Costco, what they love to buy there, and why Joe has serious issues with Starbucks. In a nutshell, Starbucks sizes are too large, their bagged coffee smells like fish, they have created an alternate universe around the macchiato, mispronounce biscotti, and, most importantly, Howard Schultz sold the Seattle SuperSonics to another city! They review three Kirland wines, and rate them somewhere between 5 and 7 out of 10 on their rating scale. There are some winners in this group - and a few that they think are great for parties and cookouts! Wines reviewed: 2020 Kirkland Signature Friuli Pinot Grigio, 2020 Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay, 2020 Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone Villages.

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Charcuterie and Trader Joe’s wine: Practical Pairings Nov 27, 2021

Show notes

The Wine Pair tastes and reviews three wines from Trader Joe’s paired with a charcuterie board - all selected by their very special guest: daughter Marianna! Joe and Carmela talk about how Italian families start early building a taste for wine in their children. Marianna introduces the audience to her Instagram account @munch.with.mar, and goes over how she puts together a charcuterie board, and selects the wine to pair. And we find out that part of the decision on what wine to choose may or may not be influenced by art on the label! The three of them review three different wines all purchased at Trader Joe’s - 2020 Pike Road Pinot Gris, Lazy Bones 2020 Cabernet Franc, and 2019 La Sonriente Granacha - which they three rate between 5 and 8 points out of 10. And you will also discover Joe’s secret suspicion of Trader Joe’s - why are the people so nice, and how are prices so low?!? A great episode for occasions that call for charcuterie and wine!

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Cork Free! Rose' Bubbles in a Can! Nov 21, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, The Wine Pair tastes and reviews three sparkling rose’ wines in a can. What did you say?!? A can?!? YES! This is fun wine, and perfect for a weeknight celebration! While on an anniversary trip in Honolulu, Joe and Carmela visited an ABC Store, found some canned sparkling wine, and decided to try it. Mind blown! The Wine Pair also talk about the magic of the 8th floor pool at the Halepuna on Waikiki, the flavor profiles of sparkling rose’, and the wonders of wine in a can. Consider the following. Cans don’t break! Cans are easy to carry and store! Cans don’t require a corkscrew! Wines reviewed in this episode include Underwood Sparkling Rose’, House Wine Sparkling Rose’, and 14 Hands Unicorn Sparkling Rose’. You have to listen to the episode to find out, but you might be very surprised to find out that the cans fared very well in the tasting and reviewing! Find out which of these taste like a Jolly Rancher, which tastes like grapefruit, which tastes like the syrup of canned fruit, and which tastes like strawberries and cream. You even get a quick lesson on how to get red wine stains out of your Seahawks hoodie.

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WTF is Riesling? Nov 14, 2021

Show notes

The Wine Pair discusses what people get wrong about white wine and riesling, a wine some people either don’t know about or are afraid to try. Joe and Carmela taste and review three dry white rieslings, two of which get a 9 out of 10 rating, and along the way talk about how white wines are often stereotyped as uninteresting and sometimes gendered. Carmela talks about her love of seafood, which is a great pairing for a dry riesling, and they honestly find that one of the wines smells like gasoline! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2020 Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Dry Riesling, 2019 Kung Fu Girl Riesling by Charles Shaw Wines, and a 2018 Trimbach Riesling. Ratings for these wines vary from 5 to 9, some of our highest rated wines!

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Big Macs and Pinot Noir: Practical Pairings Nov 07, 2021

Show notes

The Wine Pair brings out the Big Mac and some reasonably priced Pinot Noirs to see how well they pair together, and if any of the Pinots are worth your hard earned cash. Carmela tastes her first Big Mac, and has to come clean about not knowing that the Big Mac has a bun in the middle. They sing the famous Big Mac song (which does not talk about a middle bun!), and discuss their opinion on McDonalds all up. Wines reviewed in this episode: Wine by Joe 2017 Pinot Noir, Barefoot Pinot Noir (non-vintage), and Rue de Perle 2018 Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Listen in to hear the ratings, which go as low as a 3 out of 10, and that may be a generous score! And, can someone please tell us who the hell Jerry Mead is and how the Jerry Mead International Wine Competition gave one of these wines an 86 rating?

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F that Wine: Cabernet Oct 31, 2021

Show notes

The Wine Pair takes on some easy to find and affordable cabernet sauvignons to determine how good - or bad - they really are. Joe explains why he hates cabernet, and Carmela chastises him for being a snob and judgy. Wine reviewed in this episode: H3 Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Chateau Ste. Michele Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, and Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. Ratings range from a high of a 7 out of 10 all the way to a 3 out of 10, which means one of these wines may end up giving you a raging headache, and another of these wines is a great choice to serve at a party.

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Introduction to The Wine Pair Podcast Oct 31, 2021

Show notes

The Wine Pair Joe and Carmela acquaint you with The Wine Pair Podcast. Get a sense of their witty banter, review the purpose and format of the podcast, and get introduced to what Joe really thinks about cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and merlot. The Wine Pair explains that they will focus on selecting and reviewing wines that normal people drink - everyday wines at reasonable prices that can be found at your local store. And giving their honest, irreverent, and hilarious opinions about wines, and other things! Learn about the series they will create within the podcast, including the “F that Wine” series, the WTF series, and the Cork Free series among others. Wine reviewed in this episode: Treveri Cellars NV Blanc de Blancs brut.

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