Grape Friends

It's the holidays, Grape Friends, and you know what that means -- long days filled with food and family and weird conversations and more food. Follow our tips for failsafe wine pairings for your next holiday gathering! Wines: Pommier Chablis 2019 $30 Domaine du Clos du Fief Julienas (Beaujolais) 2019 $18 (on sale) Heimann & Fiai Szekszard Kadarka 2019 $26

What do hip-hop, 70s rock, and modern soul have in common? That's right, nothing! Come on a musical journey through our favorite albums and the bottles we expertly chose to pair with them. Lineup: Jay-Z ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail' with Ponson ‘La Grande Montagne' Premier Cru Champagne Harry Nilsson ‘Nilsson Schmilsson' with Elios ‘Kata Cerato' Catarratto Lianne La Havas ‘Lianne La Havas' with Mas Théo Syrah/Grenache        

It's Anna's birthday and she'll cry if she wants to! She's not crying though, she is bringing you a stellar lineup of her favorite wines from France. Hold onto your chapeaux, mesdames et messieurs! Wines: Crémant d'Alsace Off-dry Alsace Pinot Gris Chénas Cru Beaujolais (Gamay) Loire Valley Saumur Cabernet Franc

We're BREWING up something good this week! Your Grape Friends are SQUASHING podcast norms and HOPPING on over to the magical land of Fall Beers. Do we even like beer? Only time will tell.

It's Anand's birthday week and we're celebrating the only way we know how — by eating and drinking to our heart's content. Grab a glass of fruity white and join us as we try our darndest to pair wines with the delicious spice explosion that is chaat. HBD Anand! Wines: Eminence Road Farm Winery Sparkling Gewurztraminer $25 Weingut Mann Cuvée Weiss $23 Somm & Kracher Lion Gruner Veltliner $20 The Finest Sake Gekkeikan $10

Did you miss us, Grape Friends? We're back with another season of shenanigans, killer wines, and questionable advice from the trio. This week, we reflect on our hot vaxx summers and taste some seriously savory sippers. Welcome back! Wines: Vins Nus Siuralta Orange, $23 Macari Vineyards Horses Sparkling, $25 Las Jaras Glou Glou, $26

Believe it or not, your Grape Friends have made it across the finish line of another season! Cheers to all of you, our loyal listeners, for sticking with us through this hot & cold & mountainous & beachy journey. Listen in as we toast terroir with some great, and some really not so great, bubbles! Wines: Arnaud Lambert Cremant de Loire Brézé, $25 House Wine Limited Edition Rosé Bubbles Can, $6 Rappahannock Cellars Sparkling Red, $30

Well, Grape Friends, this week we finally put our bountiful wine knowledge to the test with a blind tasting, and boy did one of us rise to the challenge. You'll have to listen to find out who was crowned the winner and earned eternal bragging rights! Wines: Seresin Estate Momo Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018, $19 Costers del Priorat Petit Pissarres 2018, $24 Ashbrook Estate Margaret River Shiraz 2017, $19 Grosjean Torrette Vallée d'Aoste 2019, $20

It's time to go on an adventure to your local liquor store! This week, we grabbed a few bottles under $13 to find out for our Grape Friends which big names are worth trying, and which ones you should stay far away from. It's a wild ride, friends. Wines: Josh Cellars Chardonnay 2019, $12 Mirassou Pinot Noir 2018, $10 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel 2019, $8

Even though Spring is on the way, this week we're moving on to Amanda's favorite wine category: cold climates! Listen to learn what Northern France, Tasmania, and the Finger Lakes have in common, and check out our Instagram for some super-enthusiastic, real-time tasting videos by Anna and Amanda. Wines: Gilbert Picq Chablis 2019, $26 Holm Oak Tasmania Pinot Noir 2018, $30 Wagner Finger Lakes Vidal Ice Wine 2017, $20 This week we also encourage you to check out and support these organizations: https://www.bradyunited.org/ https://momsdemandaction.org/ https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/ https://www.sendchinatownlove.com/

We're feelin' hot hot hot! this week, Grape Friends. Get ready for some big, bold, Anand-loving wines as we travel to Morocco, Southern Italy, and Argentina. We also talk about which wine grape matches our personality best, and the results are truly telling. Wines: Syrocco Syrah 2018, $20 Produttori di Manduria Primitivo di Manduria Lirica 2017, $19 Hermandad Malbec 2017, $22

Women's History Month is well underway, and we thought it was time to highlight some badass female winemakers from across the globe! Anna and Amanda also talk about how to punctuate your emails. Join us in making a point to buy woman-made wines this month! Wines: McBride Sisters Black Girl Magic Sparkling Brut, $24 Eva Fricke Rheingau Riesling Trocken 2019, $32 Carol Shelton Wild Thing Old Vine Zinfandel 2017, $20

The Terroir Trio is at it again with island wines this week, and our tasting notes are hot as lava. We hop from Santorini to the Canary Islands to Sardinia, uncover the different ways "minerality" shows up in a wine, and get worked up about Monica's apartment from Friends. Wines: Santo Winery Santorini Volcanic Terroir Assyrtiko 2018, $27 Los Bermejos Diego Seco 2019, $22 Argiolas Perdera Monica di Sardegna 2017, $14

This week your Grape Friends are taking a trip to the beach to teach you about coastal wines and all the beautiful saltiness they have to offer. Let our our choices carry your mind to sunnier times, but most importantly, listen as Amanda reveals herself to be a true, NYC fire-escape hero. Wines: Pessoa de Vinha Terroir Vinho Verde, $12 Zlatan Otak Otak Cuvée 2018, $15 Moorooduc Estate Pinot Noir 2017, $30

It's time to showcase some black-owned wines and wine brands this week, friends! Amanda hops on the bubbles train, Anna brings the pod's first Chardonnay, and Anand teaches us all a little about hip hop. We also talk about our role in making black-owned wines more accessible in our local shops. Wines: Bosman Family Vineyards Chenin Blanc Pet Nat 2020, $26 Aslina Chardonnay 2019, $22 True Wine Connoisseurs Off the Head Red Cabernet Sauvignon, $16

It's time we dive into what Season 2 is all about – terroir! Take a trip up into the mountains with us as we learn about acidity, aromatics, and how to convert meters to feet in our heads. Wines: Franz Gojer Karneid Kerner 2019, $27 Colomé Estate Torrontés 2019, $12 Bernabeleva Garnache de Viña Bonita 2018, $48

We're back with season 2, Grape Friends! As Amanda's favorite holiday draws near, we come to you with some ideas for what to drink with your special someone (or alone!) this V-Day. We prove that rosé should be a year-round drink, and Anna reminds us why Burgundy has such a stellar reputation. Wines 'Bubbles Cocktail' - Lamarca Prosecco & Ciroc Brandy Take Me Away Rosé, Gahlot Family via Tin Lizzie Wineworks Antoine Lienhardt Bourgogne 2018, $30

This week, we ring in the new (and hopefully improved) year by popping some corks and drinking some bubbly! Listen and figure out what you'll drink to celebrate the end of 2020. Happy New Year Grape Friends! Wines: La Caravelle Blanc de Blancs NV, $40 Heidi Schrock Nostalgie Pinot Blanc Pet Nat NV, $29 Canals & Munne Dionysus Cava Reserva Brut Nature NV, $14

Friends, we're coming to you au naturale this week with the wide wide world of natural wine! We tackle a Spanish Albillo, a German Dornfelder, and a French Gamay/Malbec blend, all the while asking Amanda the hard questions about her belief in certain childhood holiday characters.    Wines: García Viadero Blanco de Albillo 2018 Gustavs Vom Berg Zero S Dry 2016 Courtault-Tardieux Touraine Tradition 2018

You know when you're dog-tired at the end of the day, and you just want to grab a bottle off the shelf and pray that it's a good one? That's where we were at this week, Grape Friends. Listen to our alter-egos take a gamble on wines that we picked purely because they had great labels, and nothing else.    Wines: Niepoort Nat Cool Bairrada 2019 Sidekick Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Yalumba Y Series Shiraz 2018

We finally did it, Grape Friends. We finally tackled orange wine, and it was a grape success. Join us for some skin contact in Italy, Chile, and Georgia, and hear about that one time Amanda seared off her taste buds with Anand’s family.    Wines: Borgo Savaian di Bastiani Stefano ‘Aransat’ 2019 Maturana Wines ‘Naranjo’ 2019 Marani Rkatsiteli 2017  

Friends, you might have noticed we were getting a little too comfortable in our typical roles on this pod, so we decided to change things up a bit this week! Amanda presents at least 5 fun facts about New Mexico, Anand shows us his softer side, and Anna proves that wine can truly smell like anything.   Wines: Gruet Sauvage Blanc de Blancs NV Domaine Zinck Pinot Blanc Cuvee Portrait 2017 Vinedo de los Vientos Anarkia Tannat 2017

In honor of Turkey Day, we decided to keep our wines stateside this week. We settle deeper into our usual roles -- Anna starts us off with a dry white (Riesling), Amanda continues to push for that Virginia wine sponsorship, and Anand kicks us in the gut with a Meritage. Gobble gobble!    Wines: Forge Cellars Dry Riesling Classique 2018 Rappahannock Cellars Cabernet Franc 2018 Two Notes Triola Blend 2015

It's time to get a little bougie with some grape ideas for your holiday table! We talk volcanic wine from the Canary Islands, full-bodied white Bordeaux, and the cassis-bomb of Anand's dreams. Pinkies up!   Wines: Matias i Torres Las Migas Cosecha 2017, $26 Chateau Tour Leognan Pessac-Leognan 2016, $28 Les Fiefs de Lagrange Saint Julien 2010, $48

Join us at the inexpensive table, friends! We run through a full range of wines that come in under $15 (in NY dollars) and get into how to find some good bang for your buck in Italy, Spain, and France! Wines: Donini Pinot Grigio 2019, $6 Bodegas Ponce Clos Lojen Bobal 2016, $14 Chateau Maris Pays d'Oc Rouge 2018, $15

Friends, election night is here, which means we're all in need of something strong to drink while glued to the TV. Anna talks Spanish pet-nat, Anand teaches us about Madeira, and Amanda lobbies hard for Port. Vote, people!   Wines:  Anima Mundi Cami dels Xops Pet Nat 2018 Broadbent Madeira Reserve 5 Year Rappahannock Cellars Red Dessert Wine 2016

It's our debut! We kick things off this week with a bright Beaujolais, a spooky Oregon Pinot, and a leathery Rioja. Anna digs into Beaujolais and explains why you should skip the Nouveau this season.    Wines: Domaine Thillardon Raisin Libre, 2019  Omen Pinot Noir, 2017 Bodegas Hilvan Rioja Crianza, 2015