VinePair

The overwhelming majority of craft brewery workers remain without unions at a time when they’d most benefit from them. But to paraphrase an old labor movement saw: the best time to organize for better working conditions is before shit goes bad; the second-best time is before shit gets worse. In my column this week at VinePair, I put the recent macrobrewer retreats from craft brewing in context with the segment's stubbornly low union density.

Today on the VinePair Podcast: Can Alcohol Benefit From Cannabis Going Bust at the Ballot Box? With a recreational #marijuana ballot initiative going down to defeat in Florida and uncertainty about the incoming administration's interest in federal legalization, cannabis companies and their investors are getting cold feet. Since #cannabis has been coopting some classic drinking occasions, does this setback give #alcohol some breathing room? Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zachary Geballe weigh in. ?? Apple: https://lnkd.in/dGcmEdQ6 ?? Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dqG9cHyb Listen to a preview ??

At Clemente Bar and Eleven Madison Park, fermentation has transformed the way Sebastian Tollius and team approaches the art of balancing drinks. Read Jack Schramm's latest Techniques! column @ https://lnkd.in/e8TRTvMZ

I wrote about the lasting impact of The Flavor Bible, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg’s 2008 cookbook, and how it’s quietly attained cult status as a trusted source for bartenders for VinePair https://lnkd.in/eeNcjCBa

Today on the VinePair Podcast: Is the Sober-Curious Movement Just a Midlife Crisis? Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zachary Geballe dive into the provocative notion that the much ballyhooed sober-curious/alcohol-free movement among Millennials is just a new (and overtly public) manifestation of the same panic that grips any generation entering middle age, and the focus on healthy living (likely overstated to begin with) will subside as they adjust to life after 40. ?? Apple: https://lnkd.in/ev6K9BYZ ?? Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eGi5K3b9 Listen to a preview ??

As 2024 comes to a close, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on the standout wines we’ve tasted this year at VinePair HQ, ranging from traditional producers representing their regions to new, up-and-coming winemakers pushing the boundaries with lesser-known grapes and techniques. We compiled an initial long list of our favorite bottles from this year, and evaluated each wine individually. Over the course of many tastings, and following much deliberation, we pared it down to the most outstanding and exceptional bottles to share with our readers. So here it is, our 50 Best Wines of 2024: https://lnkd.in/e57x6Tn6

Today on the VinePair Podcast: Cocktails Are Getting Sweeter. Why? Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zachary Geballe discuss a curious trend of cocktail menus at bars around the country focusing more and more on sweeter drinks. After over a decade of bars focusing on bitter, boozy, stirred concoctions, what's driving this shift in flavor profile and approach? ?? Apple: https://lnkd.in/eauGTmt9 ?? Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eRfDaFHr Listen to a preview ??

Drinkers are thirsty for high-ABV "beyond beer" products like Twisted Tea Extreme and White Claw Surge. Brewers can target this market — but as I write in this week's column at VinePair, so can distillers, who are already using the similarities between fermented-base and distilled-based canned cocktails to lobby for tax and placement equivalencies.

Who is this new Seattle-based competitor scooping up winery after winery? And given the current climate of panic in the industry on the whole, what’s driving them, and what’s the endgame? Let's find out in my latest piece for VinePair ... https://lnkd.in/ecf5sb28 #Wine #Washington #WashingtonWine #ColumbiaValley #Oregon #OregonWine #WillametteValley #PacificNorthwest #Business #Industry #Investment #Winery #Winemaker

Today on the VinePair Podcast: Global Cocktail Culture Is Stuck Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zachary Geballe take the occasion of the release of the The World's 50 Best Bars list to discuss the sameness of so many of the establishments, how the mostly seem to exist to the jetset crowd, and why America is once more paving the way for a new kind of cocktail bar experience, even if the rest of the world doesn't quite recognize that yet. ?? Apple: https://lnkd.in/dp7qKg8K ?? Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dHvHDemY Listen to a preview ??