Category: Pairings

This is VinePair’s Booze News Weekly Roundup, where we gather the hottest headlines and product releases every Friday for a snapshot of what’s happening in the beverage alcohol industry. This week, we have updates on Scottish distillers’ responses to a new English single malt category, Trump to lift Irish whiskey tariff, the latest product releases, and more. News to know: New English single malt designation riles up Scots: Scottish distillers

A group of former hipsters sit around a San Francisco apartment in bow ties, newsboy caps, and suspenders. They listen to 2012 indie folk music. Someone jokingly calls it a “lost ‘Portlandia’ episode.” The group has gathered — in the present day, mind you — to drink craft beers from the previous decade. A 2015 bottle of Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee, a barrel-aged quadruple from California. A Scarface Imperial Stout

Today on the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach take stock of Cabernet Sauvignon. Is the red grape variety actually going through a bit of an identity crisis, or is it still a red wine behemoth? Can producers and regions that built their successes on the backs of a bold, assertive style actually pivot to more restrained, lighter Cabernet expressions? Zach is reading: The 25 Best Scotch Whiskies for 2026

Over the past 30 years or so, craft beer evolved from a semi-obscure curiosity to a known commodity. Perhaps more importantly, it’s made this journey without the sector ever fully selling out to the mainstream. Sure, several key brands were acquired by beer behemoths or made the leap into the realm of widespread distribution and popularity. But for the most part, craft beer’s engine still operates through the steady hum

More than other regular diners, chefs have a firsthand understanding of what goes on behind the scenes at restaurants. They know the dishes made with low-cost ingredients that are then highly marked up, the kinds of meals professional kitchens just can’t deliver on, and the typical days certain food orders come in. (Remember Anthony Bourdain’s infamous tip to not order fish at restaurants on Mondays because seafood orders tend to

When autumn sets in, we tend to roll with the changes. We button up to take on the chill in the air and adjust our eating habits accordingly. It’s a period defined by a natural pivot that deserves to be taken full advantage of, especially from a food and drink standpoint. Enter Marqués de Cáceres, a family-owned winery rooted in Spain’s celebrated winemaking tradition. With vineyards in both Rioja and

This episode of The Buildout is brought to you by Farmer’s Gin. As a bartender, I get to taste a lot of gin, so I can be picky about what I offer my guests. Farmer’s Gin is one of those bottles I keep coming back to, because it delivers exactly what I’m looking for behind the bar. It’s clean, balanced, and makes a fantastic Martini, but it also shines in

When it comes to building a great Dirty Martini, many swear by vodka for its neutral flavor profile that lets the brine shine. Diehard gin lovers, on the other hand, stick by their spirit across all Martini forms. But not all gins are meant to be dirtied. Some bring light, juniper qualities, whereas others are intense with other botanicals like citrus or florals taking the lead. The options run the

Booker’s is releasing its second-ever rye whiskey as the label’s newest addition to its Reserves collection. Booker’s The Reserves 2026 is a limited-edition whiskey finished in apple brandy casks and flavored with cinnamon. The uncut rye, which was aged for over six years and bottled at 125.1 proof, is now available at retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $129.99. James B. Beam Distilling Co.-owned Booker’s newest release joins

You don’t have to pay top dollar to get an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. This may not always be easy to mentally reconcile. Even though it’s common practice in most states to pick up a bottle of inexpensive Cab Sauv at the grocery store, the grape variety’s sophisticated reputation holds strong. So strong that the sight of a cost-effective bottle may unwittingly deliver the assumption that the wine is inferior to