VinePair

After noting the senator's social-media condemnations of the federal government's de facto ban on hemp-derived THC last week, I reached out to her office for an interview. We spoke briefly by phone Thursday. The interview is live now and free for all to read VinePair. 🔗 Link in the comments.

Today on the VinePair Podcast: Are There Too Many Wineries in America? Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zachary Geballe discuss a recent column by Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle positing that there are simply too many wineries in California for the current market to support. Is this in fact true? If so, what happens next? 🔊 Apple: https://lnkd.in/ef3wnef3 🔊 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ezjQiSeM 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/e2MsEcU4 Watch a preview 👇

🚨🚨🚨 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭! Today on VinePair's The Buildout Podcast: schmuck. Every bar has a great story. Here on The Buildout, we’re going behind the scenes with the people who built them: the founders, dreamers, and industry legends shaping the world’s most inspiring drinking destinations. We’ll hear about everything, from the design to how they finance the project, to where the project is today. And to kick it all off, VinePair’s co-founder and host of The Buildout Adam Teeter sits down with Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy of schmuck. Moe and Juliette built one of Europe’s most celebrated bars — Barcelona’s Two Schmucks. But when it came time to open in New York City, how did the two ensure the follow up didn’t just live up to the original, it surpassed it? 🔊 Apple: https://lnkd.in/eDXqkvsA 🔊 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eQ8x_PQ8 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eJWyQXAF Watch a preview 👇

🦃 When it comes to Thanksgiving, food is undeniably the star. But, as always, great wine can help enhance the experience. 🍷 Unlike some holidays where you might want to show off a baller bottle of Champagne or break out a special vintage, Thanksgiving calls for wines that subtly complement the food without overpowering it, or falling into the background. 🎉 No matter how you celebrate, there’s a wine on this list for you. From sparkling rosé to get the festivities started to punchy reds perfect for the holiday table, head to the link the comments to discover the 30 best wines to drink this Thanksgiving.

💬 What Does the Wine Industry Actually Need Right Now? 9 Experts Weigh In. It seems like every wine professional — from producers and importers to sommeliers and writers — has an opinion on what the industry’s next step forward should be. In different corners of the internet people might find statements like “wine needs more gatekeepers” while others insist on increased accessibility and educational efforts. But what can the industry actually do to squeeze its way out of this slump? VinePair spoke with nine of wine’s most tapped-in and creative minds for their take on what actions we can take to help the industry regain its footing. Shana Clarke spoke to Jon Bonné, Dan Petroski, Shannon Saulsbury, Audra Chapman, Tom Wark, Daniel Johnnes, Marie Cheslik, Pascaline Lepeltier, and Dr. Liz Thach, MW. 🔗 Their thoughts linked in the comments...

Today on the VinePair Podcast: The Top 50 Wines of 2025 Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zachary Geballe are joined by VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers and managing editor Hannah Staab to discuss the Top 50 Wines of 2025 list: what are some of the trends that we can see in the #wine industry from this list, what are some of our favorite bottles, and how do you even put something like this together in the first place? 🔊 Apple: https://lnkd.in/dpVNwHhf 🔊 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dRnTyJgz 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dvmnUFkc Watch a preview 👇

In 2010, Allagash Brewing Co. drastically reduced its 30-state distribution footprint, and it's now celebrating its 30th anniversary stronger than ever. In my column this week at VinePair I wrote about how—and why—Maui Brewing Co. is currently following suit. 🔗 Link in the comments.

Today on the VinePair Podcast: Are Craft Cocktail Programs Helping or Hurting Bars and Restaurants? Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zachary Geballe react to a recent Full Book piece stating that craft cocktail programs are killing bars. Are the hidden labor and ingredient costs too much for most bars and restaurants to offset? Does the need for highly skilled and well-trained bartenders make aspiring to cutting edge cocktail programs too big a lift for most establishments? If so: what is actually reasonable to expect from most bars and restaurants? 🔊 Apple: https://lnkd.in/efuvRazG 🔊 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ez-8ieQJ 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ebSzqaXg Watch a preview 👇

Today on VinePair's Wine 101 Podcast: Wine 101: Zinfandel Hot Takes For the first time this year, VinePair conducted a Zinfandel roundup for our Buy This Booze column — and the tasting was illuminating. Getting to know this variety by tasting such a large amount from such a wide spectrum of styles sparked more than a few realizations about one of our oldest Vitis vinifera transplants. Today on the “Wine 101” podcast, Keith dives into Zinfandel and shares some hot takes on his favorite grape. Tune in for more. 🔊 Apple: https://lnkd.in/e_idDmJW 🔊 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/e6aHF4F6 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/e2XgDumC Watch a preview 👇

🍷🍷🍷 The 50 Best Wines of 2025 🍷🍷🍷 As 2025 comes to a close, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on the most compelling, eye-opening, and exceptional wines we’ve tasted this year at VinePair HQ. And as is true each year, while tasting through hundreds of wines to compile this list, some themes inevitably start to emerge. 🍷 Oregon continues to shine: What really blew us away this year were the distinct expressions of Chardonnay from across the Willamette Valley, ranging from mineral and bright to rich and savory. (Plus a few gems made from the ever-so-lovable Gamay.) 🍷 Looking south to California, this year’s selections reached far beyond the expected selections of Sonoma Pinot and Napa Cab. Skin-contact Viognier, Napa Valley Schioppettino, coastal Albariño from Santa Barbara, and a nutty, Jura-style Chardonnay from Mendocino all make an appearance. 🍷 Zooming out to the rest of the world, we were taken by crisp, high-elevation wines from Italy’s Alto Adige and Spain’s Sierra de Gredos, ripe expressions of Riesling from across Germany’s many terroirs, and some under-the-radar Sauvignon Blanc finds from France. 🔗 Link to the complete top 50 list in the comments!