The Wine Pair Podcast

It may be shocking to find out that there is such a thing as White Rioja, but what may be even more shocking is that a wine this good is hardly known outside of Spain! In this episode we focus on Rioja Blanco made solely from the grape Viura, known as the Queen of White Rioja, and we are here to tell you that while it is probably not on your radar today, it should be. Talk about an underrated wine! Often compared to White Burgundy, people in the know consider it a great value alternative to those much more expensive wines. And, trust us, if you bring this to your next dinner party, your family and friends will be wowed. We also talk about the history of white wines from Rioja, and what the blending requirements are for White Rioja - and as you can probably guess, they do allow single varietals, but only from certain grapes. If you are looking for a new white wine to add to your list, or you have just not found a white wine you love yet, this is the episode for you. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2024 CVNE Monopole, 2024 Sierra de Tolono Rioja Blanco
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After more than 200 episodes, we are doing something we have never done before. We are doing a head-to-head comparison of two wines that are from the same grape, same year and the same region and have high ratings from reputable wine reviewers, but one is twice as expensive as the other. And we want to know - can we actually tell the difference between these two wines that have such different price points. Does a more expensive wine taste better or bring you more joy? We will let you know! We also talk about why wine reviews can be unreliable (but not ours, heavens no!), and why Oregon Pinot Noir can be pricey. Hint: when you make great wine carefully, and you choose to work with a grape as finicky as Pinot Noir, and when you only make a small amount of wine, that shizz is going to be expensive. Rather than saying expensive, we would maybe say a luxury item. That sounds better. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Soter Vineyards Planet Oregon Pinot Noir, 2023 Chehalem Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir
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It sounds crazy, right?!? Wine is not supposed to smell like glue or kerosene or gasoline, is it? Well, friends, when you are talking about classic German Riesling, one of the great aromatic white wines in the world, airplane glue is exactly what you can expect. And trust us, you’ll like it. But, hold on, German Riesling is a delicious wine with other flavors and aromas like apple, pear, white peach (what the hell is a white peach?!?) and a steely, stone ending that the wine nerds call minerality. You should also know that, despite its reputation for being a cloyingly sweet wine, German Riesling has gone through a renaissance, and most of the Rieslings made in Germany today are dry. In this episode, we’ll tell you how to tell if your German Riesling is going to be sweet or dry (there are actually several clues), and we’ll talk about the great Riesling wine making regions of Germany. If you think you don’t like Riesling, it may just be that you have not found the Riesling you love yet, and we are here to help. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Weingut Dautel Estate Riesling Trocken, 2022 Kruger-Rumpf Estate Riesling
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Pét-Nat has a “reputation.” Some people love it, and some people think it is a revival of an ancient technique that should have stayed ancient. But, did you know that the Pét-Nat style of making sparkling wine, more broadly known as Méthode Ancestrale, is hundreds of years older than the Méthode Champenoise? The origins of Pét-Nat probably came about by accident when wine that wasn’t quite done fermenting yet was bottled, and so carbon dioxide, which is produced when yeast turns sugar into alcohol, was trapped in the bottle, producing bubbles that people found to be a pleasant surprise. Pét-Nat is also sort of attached to the Natural Wine movement which, in and of itself, is not without controversy, which we discuss in this episode. Some people find Natural wines and Pét-Nat to be more authentic and unspoiled, even exciting, while others find it to be flawed and funky. In this episode, we tasted and reviewed two Pét-Nat wines that could not be more different, and the ratings of each wine were really different between Joe and Carmela, which was really fun. Join us on this wine adventure! Wines reviewed in this episode: Domaine Lingot-Martin Pet Nat Gueule de Gamay, 2024 Lubanzi ‘Rainboat’ Pét-Nat
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Winemakers in the Alentejo region of Portugal have been bringing back the ancient tradition of making wine in Talha, also known as Amphora, also known as clay pots. In fact, there is a specific designation for wines made in that method in Alentejo called Vinho de Talha. Winemakers are attracted to making wine in clay pots not just because of tradition, but because clay pots, like oak barrels, allow oxygen into the wine, but unlike oak, they do not impart the same heavy, oaky flavors. In addition, making wine in Talha is also usually accompanied by more natural, low-intervention winemaking techniques. In this episode, we dig into this winemaking method, explore the history of winemaking in the Alentejo region, discuss why wine in Alentejo is different from wines made in the more well-known Douro and Dão areas, and give our honest review of two wines from Alentejo made in Amphora. It is an adventure worth taking! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2023 Bojador Vinho de Talha Tinto, 2020 Casa Relvas Art.Terra Amphora Red
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