Adam, Joanna, and Zach take a look at another reason why wine is struggling in restaurants: the drinking public is unable to perceive value with much of what's on offer. While restaurants decry the high prices that wineries and distributors charge, and producers and drinkers cringe at the major markups restaurants apply to wine, is it possible that there's another solution besides just "someone gets screwed over?" 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 podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and cheers!

Zach is reading: DISCUS Is Trying to Boost Spirits Exports. Tariffs Keep Getting In the Way.

Joanna is reading: The 30 Best Gins for 2026

Adam is reading: Route 66 Turns 100: A Brewery-by-Brewery Road Trip Guide From Chicago to Santa Monica

Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair

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With Joanna back from Scotland, she rejoins Adam and Zach to discuss her takeaways from visiting Panda & Sons, the iconic and world-class bar in Edinburgh. Do bars at that level tend to seem more similar than you'd think given that they're located in countries around the world? How tough is it to balance trying to be a place that locals might go to with being such a tourist destination? 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 podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and cheers!

Zach is drinking: E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie "Brune & Blonde de Guigal"

Joanna is drinking: Aberfeldy 21-Year Single Malt Scotch

Adam is drinking: St. Innocent Winery "Freedom Hill" Chardonnay

Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair

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Wine has long relied on tradition to sell itself: traditions surrounding wine producers and regions, traditions surrounding drinking occasions and traditions surrounding how all of that is used to market wine. Yet do those stories still matter to consumers? Do they get people excited about wine, or do they serve as barriers that keep some people out of the category? Adam and Zach discuss all that and more in this week's episode. 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 podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and cheers!

Zach is reading: We Asked 12 Bartenders: What’s the Most Exciting International City to Drink in Right Now?

Adam is reading: How the Upper East Side Became New York City’s Last Bastion for Craft Beer

Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair

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Adam and Zach discuss two recent studies, the first of which shows that, surprise, Gen Z is drinking at historically normal rates, despite all the misplaced doom and gloom around the generation. Why were so many invested in the myth that Gen Z doesn't drink, and how should producers and marketers be rethinking their strategy. Plus, another study explores what drinkers really value, and how being consistent in terms of messaging and price can be more effective than chasing trends. 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 podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and cheers!

Zach is drinking: Treveri Cellars Dornfelder

Adam is drinking: Sad Negroni

Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair

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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 podcast@vinepair.com. 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 Spirits

Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair

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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 podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and cheers!

Zach is drinking: Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph

Joanna is drinking: Evening Land Vineyards "Seven Springs" Chardonnay

Adam is drinking: Japonaise at The Rockwell Place

Aaron is drinking: Rothaus Pilsner

Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair

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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 podcast@vinepair.com. 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 Electrolytes

Adam is reading: California and Burgundy Gave Chardonnay a Reputation. Can Oregon Break Through?

Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair

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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 podcast@vinepair.com. Thanks for listening, and cheers!

Joanna is drinking: Foradori Teroldego

Adam is drinking: Martini at Horse Inn

Instagram: @adamteeter, @jcsciarrino, @zgeballe, @vinepair

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