Category: Pairings

Hours before taking off for France to attend a summit with other world leaders, United States President Donald Trump threatened a 100 percent tariff on French wine and Champagne. The levy would come in retaliation for the French government’s 3 percent tax on services from American tech companies. Trump announced the ultimatum today in an interview with the New York Post. Unless French President Emmanuel Macron ditches the sales tax

The “cult wine” of yore still prevails. Priced in quadruple digits (or higher), released in scarce quantities, and scooped up by collectors who identify as Sotheby’s regulars, these bottles are often elusive and unattainable to all but a select few. Think: crates of Screaming Eagle, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, or Château Lafite — estates with centuries of pedigree bolstering their prestige (and their price tags). That said, these days, we’ve

While Scotch whisky sales surged in 2021 and 2022, the industry has since taken consistent hits. Last year, global Scotch whisky exports slid by 4.3 percent in volume, according to The Spirits Business’ annual Brand Champions Report. The report, which ranks the world’s 20 top-selling Scotch brands by 9-liter case sales, found 13 of the biggest brands were down year-over-year. The Spirits Business attributes the sagging sales to the tug-of-war

There are two ways to view the bourbon market in 2026. The first way is through the current lens of doom and gloom, lamenting the slowdown in bourbon sales and complaining about how Gen Z doesn’t drink as much as previous generations, even though data suggests this hot take looks increasingly like a load of fertilizer. The other (more positive) way is to take a longer view of the way

Kentucky bourbon is steeped in American history, and many producers tend to stick to tradition by mimicking classic mash bills and tried-and-true aging methods. At Rabbit Hole Distillery, however, founder Kaveh Zamanian isn’t afraid to go against the grain. Rabbit Hole is a rebel with a cause: producing spirits that are undeniably American whiskey but distinctive in their own right. After fleeing war-torn Tehran in 1979 for the United States,

You might have heard that, apparently, smoking cigarettes is cool again. Today on the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss what might be influencing this trend, why the health consequences of smoking might not resonate right now, and how that could impact the alcohol industry. Zach is reading: 21 Liqueurs to Know to Read a Cocktail Menu With Confidence Joanna is reading: Here’s How 7 Top Bartenders Make Spritzes

June is Pride Month, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the social media feeds or press releases of the country’s biggest beverage-alcohol companies. Less than two years into the second Trump administration, they’ve mostly abandoned their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, cut back on their donations to queer organizations, and re-embraced a homogenous vision of the American drinking public that’s as soothing to C-suiters as it is anachronistic

Baseball is “America’s Pastime,” and (American) football is the only thing people in the U.S. watch on television these days, but soccer is the world’s most popular sport and a truly global game, so it’s a huge deal that the FIFA World Cup is being played in North America this year. The last time the men’s tournament was played in the U.S. was 1994, and a lot has changed since

Green River Distilling Co. is releasing its oldest product yet: Toasted Double Oak Bourbon, bottled at 115.1 proof at eight years old. The high-proof whiskey will be the first in the new Distillery Select line, an innovative series launched to allow Green River to experiment with proofs, finishes, and rickhouse selection. Toasted Double Oak Bourbon will be available at the Owensboro, Ky. distillery beginning June 20 and the brand’s tasting

Just as spirits nerds yearn for hard-to-find bottles to add to their collections, oenophiles will always pine over a suite of coveted bottles. Whether due to astronomical prices or low allocations, some wine pros catch onto these bottles simply because they are so unattainable. As a result, these wines develop a “cult” following, but the quality of the product isn’t necessarily what merits that status. Oftentimes, a wine’s uber-popularity is