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Valentine’s Day is coming, and if you are feeling stuck in the same old chocolate and roses rut, we have the perfect solution to win over your sweetie! Sherry as the ultimate dessert wine flex, especially if your goal is not striking out this V-Day. Inspired by a listener tip and Carmela’s unwavering love of ice cream, this episode dives headfirst into Sherry and vanilla ice cream as a surprisingly elite pairing. We know what you’re thinking . . . isn’t Sherry that syrupy stuff that your weird uncle drinks? Oh no, friends. It is a winner. In this episode, we explore this Spanish fortified wine from Jerez and tell you why the hype is real. We break down what Sherry actually is, how fortified wines are made, and why the Solera and Criadera System matters in keeping consistency from year to year. We also unpack the key differences between different types of Sherries like Medium, Cream, and Pedro Ximénez, and why different types of Sherries can give very different experiences. We also cover how the temperature can make or break the experience, because too cold or too warm can absolutely ruin the moment. Finally, we put theory into practice, tasting and rating two affordable Sherries with and without vanilla ice cream and giving you our honest take on which one actually delivers the Valentine’s Day win. Wines reviewed in this episode: Williams & Humbert Dry Sack Medium Sherry, Hartley & Gibson’s Cream Sherry. Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

Meet the wonderful René Barbier Meyer, head winemaker at Clos Mogador winery in Priorat, Spain. René is a winemaker who believes in being close to the land, the grapes, and juice so that he can make unique, artisan, gastronomic wines. In our interview, he shares his philosophy of winemaking, which is very similar to the way that a musician would describe making music - it is about feel, technique, and adaptation. René practices very low intervention winemaking because he wants the people to experience the wine as it was meant to be. He comes from a long line of winemakers who are French in origin, but who found their home in northern Spain, focusing on indigenous grapes and passionate winemaking. We know you will enjoy meeting René and learning more about his winery and wines. If you are interested in learning more, you can visit them on Instagram at @clos_mogador. Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

Every once in a while a wine comes along that makes us say, “What the f*&k is this $h&t?!? Meiomi is such a wine. Sometimes described as diabolical, this wine is still, somehow, the best selling Pinot Noir in the United States. And so, we decided to see if we could figure out why. Meiomi makes what we call “California-ized” wine. By that we mean big, bold, sweet, and lush wines that are as subtle as a mule kick to the head. More like cocktails than wine, they are not really made to be paired with food. In fact, we think they may pair better with leather shoes or the bottom of your sink. So, in the spirit of discovery, adventure, and foolhardiness, we explore all the grandeur that is Meiomi wine. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Meiomi Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2023 Meiomi Pinot Noir. Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

Wow! That’s about all we can say about this zippy, electric, and super tasty white wine from the slopes of Mt. Etna. Etna Bianco is a white wine lover’s dream. Great with food, great without food, and so good we describe this wine as dangerous. And to think that this was a wine that almost went extinct! Like its sister wine Etna Rosso, Etna Bianco comes from a long history or winemaking in Sicily that dates back to at least the Greeks, but in the 20th century, a reputation for cheap bulk wines and migration away from farmlands and to cities of industry almost completely eradicated commercial winemaking on Mt. Etna. But thanks to brave winemakers, in the last 30 years Mt. Etna wines have come roaring back. Etna Bianco needs to be on your wine list, and it is fantastic with seafood, and we will tell you why - so please join us! And learn about why you don’t have to cry when you macerate. It’s a long story. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Murgo Etna Bianco, 2024 Nicosia Etna Bianco Lenza di Munti. Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

Etna Rosso is sometimes referred to as the “Burgundy of the Mediterranean” and for good reason. This wine, made on the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily from the grape Nerello Mascalese, is a serious gastronomic wine, loved by sommeliers and wine nerds for its complexity, depth, acidity, and firm tannic structure. While it is not quite at the level of demand as Barolo, Brunello, or Aglianico, just give it some time. Nerello Mascalese is an up-and-coming grape whose parentage includes Sangiovese - that’s right, the same grape in Brunello and Chianti - and it makes powerful wines that have a lot of aging potential. In fact, we thought both of the wines we tasted and reviewed in this episode could age for a while before they are truly at their prime, and need some good decanting to really open-up. Plus, if you are a White Lotus fan and remember the season where they were in Sicily, in one of the episodes they went to a winery and drank Etna Rosso and Etna Bianco (which just happens to be the subject of our episode next week!). Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Masseria Setteporte Etna Rosso, 2019 Nicosia Etna Rosso Lenza di Munti Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

Welcome to our very own version of Spotify Wrapped! In this episode, we review the best and worst wines we drank this year, and share with you why we thought they were so good or so bad. In 2025 we drank 80 wines from 12 different countries and 3 different states in the US, interviewed 8 winemakers from all over the world, and released 5 minisodes on a variety of subjects. Listen in to learn about how many downloads we got this year, in how many countries our podcast was downloaded in, and how much money we spent on wine for the podcast this year. That’s right, we buy all of our own wine, we do not accept wines sent to us from wineries or distributors because it is really important that we share real, honest reviews with you and help you to find authentically good wines - or avoid bad wines - that are reasonably priced. It’s just what we do! You’ll hear excerpts from episodes where we rated our top 5 and bottom 5 wines, some of which are pretty darn funny! Thank you all for a fantastic 2025, and we can’t wait to hear from you in 2026! We have tons of fun in store! Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

Sometimes known as the “other” white wine of Burgundy, Aligoté is the bargain white from one of the world’s most famous wine regions. It is the child of Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, the latter of which is a wine that many think is now extinct because French nobility hated it so much they burned and banned it. Aligoté is often used in sparkling wine, and as a standalone varietal, it is often described as acidic and neutral, making it a very good food wine. We agree with that description. It is not a complex wine, but it is a wine that is easy to drink and would be fantastic with fish, white meat, creamy sauces, and spicy foods. If you are looking for a reasonably priced alternative to expensive Burgundy wines, this may be right up your alley! We also talk about the latest red wine and ice cream craze and give our two cents about it, and we have a guest appearance from Frank Racioppi from Ear Worthy. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Domaine de Rochebin Bourgogne Aligoté, 2017 Maison Chanzy Bouzeron Les Trois. Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

Forget what you think you know about Lambrusco, because this wine slaps! We walked away from this episode with one of our very few 10/10 rated wines! If you are looking for something fun, festive, and delicious to add to your Holiday table or bring as a special gift, Lambrusco is the answer! For many years, Lambrusco was the top selling imported wine in the United States, but it did not come with a great reputation. It was known as a sweet “soda-pop” wine, but today, great winemakers are making serious, gastronomic, and wonderful wines. We found these wines to be great food wines that would go with any part of the meal, from charcuterie through the main meal all the way to dessert, and would also be fantastic cocktail wines. It is hard for us to express how much fun we had in this episode and how much we liked the Lambrusco we drank. This wine is a must-have for your next Holiday celebration. Wines reviewed in this episode: Venturini Baldini Montelocco Lambrusco, 2024 Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Sorbara Vecchia Modena Premium Secco Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

Known as the King of Sicily, Nero d’Avola is a wine that can be very approachable and fruity, and might just be the wine that you need to serve your friends and family who have not found a wine they like yet. Historically used as a blending grape, sometimes called a ghost grape and “medicine wine” by the French, Nero d’Avola was added to blends to add structure and alcohol. But today, it is finding its legs as a standalone varietal. If you or someone you love is a fancy wine drinker, they will probably not love Nero d’Avola, but if you want a casual cookout or party wine, Nero d’Avola may do the trick. Listen in to learn more about this most famous of Sicilian wines, and see if it might be something you want to try. We also talk to another listener to get their tribe name for the week, and we learn about a brazen wine heist in our Wine in the News This Week section. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Purato Nero d’Avola, 2022 Planeta La Segreta Nero D'Avola Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

In the third installment of our Virginia winemaker’s series, we meet Corry Craighill who is the head winemaker at Septenary Winery as well as her own small label Wound Tight. Corry took a winding path to where she is today, learning her craft all over the world including experiences in South Africa, Oregon, France, Australia, New Zealand, and in California with modern winemaking legends Raj Parr and Sashi Moorman. Corry is forever curious, and brings that sense of wonder and desire to learn to the wines she makes today. She is also someone who really prizes connection - connection with people, connection to the land, and connection to the juice that is made into wine. We hope you will join us on this fun journey to hear how Corry got to the place she is today, which is just the first step on what we know is going to be a great career.  Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

You say you love Spanish wine, but you’ve never heard of Graciano?!? Then we have got a treat for you! Hailing from the Rioja region of Spain (as well as the Navarra region), Graciano has long been used as a blending grape to round out Rioja red wines, but now is being made into a single varietal that we think is worth seeking out. Sometimes called the third grape of Rioja, Graciano makes a red wine with robust tannins and acidity that some may find similar to Syrah or Petit Verdot. We think it’s kind of the punk rock grape of Spain. This is one of those red wines that is great with food, and we also think is a good “tweener” red for those dinner parties where some people want a bold wine and others want a more food friendly wine. This can be both, which is fun. Plus, it’s also a “wow your friends” wine because most people will never have heard of it, and we think they will be surprised how much they like it. Join us to learn more! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Viña Zorzal Graciano, 2022 Viña Ijalba Graciano. Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

We had to try it. We couldn’t help ourselves. And, can you blame us?!? Afterall, who can resist a $20 Barolo from Costco’s Kirkland Brand, or Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve label?!? Not us, and we bet not you either. The question on your lips, of course, is “are the wines worth their $20 price tag?” Look, you need to listen to the episode to find out, but here are a few things that might entice you even further. First, the wines are both from Serralunga d’Alba, both have pretty decent ratings from online sources, and both are made by very reputable and well known Barolo producers. So what could go wrong?!? We’ll give you our honest opinion about these wines, and we’ll also tell you about what all the hubbub is about Barolo. BTW, if you didn’t know, Barolo is considered by the majority of wine nerds to be the best of the best of Italian wines. We also have a scintillating wine in the news story about bribes and luxury watches, and an interview with a member of our tribe! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2020 Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Barolo from the Bersano Estate Lot #6, 2019 Costco Kirkland Signature Barolo Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

In our second installment of our Virginia winemaker’s series, we meet Justin Rose of Rosemont wine. Justin was able to leverage his chemical engineering background into becoming the winemaker at the winery his father started on their historical family farm. Today, in the southernmost wine grape growing region in Virginia, they make wines that are tailored to grow well in their area. That includes wines you have heard of like Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the latter of which is a wine that Virginia is excellent at, but also lesser known wines like Traminette and Chardonel, along with sparkling and sweet wines as well as a vermouth! Join us in learning more about Virginia wines and one of the winemakers in the area trying to make their mark on the wine world.  Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

This wine, friends, is the epitome of why we started our podcast in the first place - to help you find great wines at reasonable prices that you have just not learned about yet.  Spätburgunder is the Pinot Noir you didn’t know you were looking for - in fact, it’s probably the Pinot Noir you’ve never heard of. Part of it is because the supply and demand are well balanced within Germany itself, and part of it is because, well, frankly we don’t know why else. Because this is a wonderful, high QPR (quality to price ratio) Pinot Noir that has flown under the radar for far too long. And it’s time to change that. Did you know that Germany is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world?!? Yeah, we bet you didn’t know that either. And yet, if you want to find a wow your friends, great quality, reasonably priced Pinot Noir, you really need to get to know Spätburgunder. Listen in and we’ll tell you more, and we also have a fun listener interview and a wine in the news this week segment on a Champagne fraudster! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2018 Bercher Burkheimer Spätburgunder Trocken, 2022 Pfeffingen Alte Reben Spätburgunder Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]

If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing, bigger red wine, this may be the ticket. Wait, you’ve never heard of Bonarda or Charbono?!? Shameful! It’s time to get you edumacated! It is not uncommon that the same wine will have two different names depending on where it is from, but it is unusual that a wine that has been around for thousands of years, was once one of the most popular wine grapes in California, Savoie France, and Argentina (in fact was more widely grown than Malbec in Argentina for a while), is almost completely off everyone’s radar. But no more! This is an easy drinking and food friendly red wine that we think is compatible with almost every red wine drinkers’ palate. It may not be the most complex wine ever, but it is a wine that is hard not to like. We think it is a wine you should hunt down if for no other reason than it may be a wine that you are shocked is not more popular. It’s way better than the average crappy Cabernet Sauvignon by a long shot! Plus, one of the wines we selected is from a rising star in California named Kenny Likitprakong who some are calling the best winemaker in California making under $25 wines. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Folk Machine Charbono, 2022 El Enemigo Bonarda Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode! Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we’d love to hear from you! Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/ Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/ Send us an email: [email protected]