The Wine Pair Podcast

Meet Brian and Jessica, a husband and wife winemaking team from Kansas. Yes, you heard that right - Kansas! It’s not as crazy as it sounds. In fact, did you know that in the 1800’s, Kansas was one of the top wine producing states in the country? Brian and Jessica are one of a group of winemakers bringing back winemaking in Kansas through their new winery Wendelin Vines. And, you won’t believe the story of how they got here, but you have to listen in to get the full story. All we’ll say is that their adventure started on a beach in Maui drinking Mimosas at 10 AM in the morning, and today, they are in Kansas making wine. Enough said. We had a wonderful time getting to know Brian and Jessica, and you will, too. They are what happens when curiosity, passion, and DNA combine into something pretty wonderful. 
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Nothing says summer like a nice, crisp white wine, and in this episode, we cover one of the greats that you may never have heard of called Vermentino. Vermentino is a fabulous wine most famously from the island of Sardinia that is a perfect summer sipper. Vermentino is also likely to be a wine that you start seeing more often because it comes from a grape that creates these crisp, high acidic wines, but can take the heat in warmer climates and keep its acidity. In addition to digging into Vermentino and tasting and reviewing a couple of great wines you should be on the lookout for, we also talk about the criteria that make a great summer sipper and we give you a short list of some other wines to look out for. Summer isn’t over yet! Enjoy it while it’s here! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2024 ColleMassari Melacce Vermentino, 2022 Tommasi Poggio al Tufo Vermentino
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Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us:  https://thewinepairpodcast.com/
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Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

Angelos Iatridis has a philosophy that stuck with us: if you want to be a better man, you make better wine. That's the kind of thoughtful conversation we get into in this special episode, a deep dive into PDO Amyndeon and PGI Florina, two of Greece's protected wine designations, with Angelos from Alpha Estate. He talks about Xinomavro, the region's signature red grape, which is often described as sitting somewhere between Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir, but shaped entirely by Amyndeon's high altitude, its ring of three mountains, and two nearby lakes that keep the climate in balance. He explains why the sandy, limestone soil left behind by an ancient lake gives the wine its acidity, and how that same acidity lets Xinomavro age for decades, slowly turning from red fruit into notes of dried tomato and olive paste. Angelos also opens up about how climate change has actually helped ripening in Amyndeon over the last 30 years, why he believes the best winemaking technology should be invisible in the glass, and how his own daughter's research helped preserve the purest expression of the grape for the next generation. By the end, he's picked the exact bottle he'd bring to a big Sunday family dinner, one he says carries both place and memory. It's a warm, generous conversation with someone who clearly loves what he does, and you'll come away wanting to track down a bottle of his Xinomavro for yourself.
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/
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Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

Are you a fan of powerful red wines like Châteauneuf-du-Pape but don’t love the price tag? Then Gigondas may be the wine you’ve been waiting for. Gigondas is often called the “little brother” of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and shares many of the same characteristics including hailing from the southern Rhône in France and containing the same GSM or Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes in its blend. And while it is a powerful wine that is the perfect companion to steak frites, it is also extremely balanced and elegant. We’ll explore the history and techniques behind this fabulous wine, but more importantly, we’ll give you our honest review of two Gigondas wines to let you know if either or both are worth your hard-earned money. And as we do every week, we’ll round out our conversation with some “wine in the news this week” fun as well as random side conversations like the names of the two main characters in Revenue of the Nerds. It’s hard to explain. You just have to listen. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Notre Dame des Pallieres Gigondas Les Mourres, 2023 Crous St Martin Gigondas Les Espaliers
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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/
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Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

If you are stuck in a Sauvignon Blanc rut, then Verdejo is here to come to your rescue. This great white wine from Rueda Spain is very similar to Sauvignon Blanc, in fact it is sometimes called the “love child” between Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, and it combines many of the wonderful tropical fruit and citrus smells and flavors of Sauv Blanc with just a bit more mouthfeel. This is a lovely wine from Spain’s most important white wine region. Verdejo is a fantastic summer wine, great for sipping outdoors, and awesome with fish and shellfish, fried and salty foods, as well as chicken and charcuterie. It still flies a little under the radar, which is why now is the perfect time to be the one to introduce Verdejo to your family and friends and be considered the cool kid dropping wine knowledge! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2024 Marques de Riscal Rueda Verdejo, 2024 Bodegas Vatan Nisia Old Vines Verdejo
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: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com