Adam and Zach discuss some of Adam's takeaways from hosting The Buildout, in particular about the tremendous importance of hospitality, and on making the guest experience welcoming and accommodating, as well as the need to be willing to change your concept, why you have to know your marketplace very well, and more. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: Monarch Tractors Promised to Save American Wine With AI. Then, It Closed. What Happened?Adam is reading: More Than Functional Fungi: How Mushrooms Are Flavoring Wine and SpiritsInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach are joined by VinePair spirits editor Aaron Goldfarb to discuss his recent list of the best vodkas, as well as how drinkers are relating to the spirit these days. Has the rise of the Martini, and particularly the Dirty Martini, given it a new relevance? Can cocktail bars find a role for vodka beyond either the classics or the "fruity/sweet" paradigm? Are producers doing anything interesting or innovative? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is drinking: Jean-Louis Chave St. JosephJoanna is drinking: Evening Land Vineyards "Seven Springs" ChardonnayAdam is drinking: Japonaise at The Rockwell PlaceAaron is drinking: Rothaus PilsnerInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of the recently-announced "Sauvy B" from Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits and famed winemaker Joel Gott, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether wine-based RTDs, particularly those that proclaim their wine affiliations proudly, can serve as a bridge, particularly for younger drinkers, from RTDs to wine, especially bottled wine. Will loving a Sauvignon Blanc-based canned spritz eventually convince someone to order a glass of wine at a restaurant, or pick up a bottle to have at home? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: Half of All Napa Vineyards Lost Money Last Year. How Are the Other Wineries Surviving?Joanna is reading: Exclusive: Trinchero Releases ‘Sauvy B,’ a Wine Spritzer With Added ElectrolytesAdam is reading: California and Burgundy Gave Chardonnay a Reputation. Can Oregon Break Through?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam and Joanna discuss whether companies that are making obvious dupes or copies of popular drinks are being smart or just trying to cash in on a trend. Can you copy and become more premium? Does it matter if the packaging is nearly identical? Does it matter what part of the drinks space you're in? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Joanna is drinking: Foradori TeroldegoAdam is drinking: Martini at Horse InnInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam and Joanna respond to a listener question: are RTDs actually a fad? Despite emerging in the late 2010s and becoming a significant part of the beverage alcohol industry in the 2020s, is it possible that they don't have staying power, or have they shown that there's a significant audience for convenience, flavor, and accessibility? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Joanna is reading: The Karaoke Bar Is Finally Taking Cocktails SeriouslyAdam is reading: How Cocktail Kingdom Grew From a Small Bar Supply Shop Into a Global Cocktail PowerhouseInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the renewed speculation that Jack Daniels manufacturer Brown-Forman might be for sale: while the family-owned company rejected two reported offers in April, rumors continue to swirl that they're on the market. Will Pernod-Ricard or Sazerac remain interested? Which drinks company makes the most sense as an acquirer, and how can they attempt to rebuild and grow the brand, especially outside the United States? Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is drinking: Upsidedown Wine RoussanneJoanna is drinking: Dogwood & Thistle Monticello RoséAdam is drinking: Thierry Richoux ‘"Les Cailles"’ Irancy 2017 Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Traditionally, summer (and the 4th of July specifically) have been opportunities for drinks brands of all kinds to (sometimes literally) wrap themselves in the American flag to move product. Yet even with the country's 250th anniversary just days away, it seems like relatively few are doing so this year. Is that because the current American political landscape is so fractious? Is patriotism and American pride at a low point, especially amongst the types of folks who tend to make that kind of decision? Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss that, plus how that kind of branding compares to more overtly targeting one political party or movement. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: Is It Time to Retire the Oversized Steakhouse Martini?Joanna is reading: VinePair's Best New Bartenders Class of 2026Adam is reading: Why Is New York City’s Hottest Cocktail Bar Serving Steak Frites?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Busy restaurants have imposed time limits on diners for decades. Yet bars have, historically, operated in such a way that once you get a seat, and as long as you're behaving, you can generally stay as long as you like. Well, in this new era of reservation-only bars, some are starting to impose time limits on patrons. Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether this is inhospitable, how bars should communicate this policy, and why bars in particular struggle to juggle the seating plans for a given evening. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is drinking: Henschke "Hill of Grace" ShirazJoanna is drinking: Frozen Cherry Cola at Kinda NiceAdam is drinking: Old King Cole Martini at Maison PremiereInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the siren's song of online wine sales, and in particular the idea of affiliate marketing and referrals. So many businesses have taken aim at this potential market, yet when even Amazon decides that selling wine online is a non-starter, why do people continue to try? What are the specific challenges that make selling wine (and other beverage alcohol) online so difficult. Plus, an extended discussion of flavored whiskey. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is reading: With the Industry Under Pressure, Should Bartenders and Sommeliers Finally Join Forces?Joanna is reading: Why Is Everybody Making Blackberry Whiskey?Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With two Gen Z-directed movies lighting up the box office, it turns out that despite the doom and gloom, young people do want to go to the movies...if the movies are made for them. Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss what the drinks industry might be able to learn from this recently phenomenon, and whether in fact it can be applied at all. Please remember to subscribe to, rate, and review The VinePair Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your episodes, and send any questions, comments, critiques, or suggestions to [email protected]. Thanks for listening, and cheers!Zach is drinking: PacificoJoanna is drinking: Vesper from Bar GotoAdam is drinking: Champagne BollingerInstagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.