John Taylor's Blog: The Pairs With Life Podcast, page 2

Pairs With Drinking and Knowing Things

The average person knows fuck-all about wine, which is one of the reasons why it’s so intimidating to get into appreciating this Magic Juice we love so much. Enter Michael Juergens (also known as Michael Amon), whose book Drinking and Knowing Things demystifies wine with a punk rock approach. We also talk about how Michael introduced the country of Bhutan to growing wine grapes. Seriously. All this while sipping the amazing 2016 Boutique Winery Petite Sirah from Lake County, which is now available from Final Swirl for an indecent $12.

You can pick up Drinking and Knowing Things here:

Pairs With Erickson and Caradin Chardonnay and The Bumble Swipe Session

In March of 2020, Tinder recorded its highest 1-day total of swipes: 3 billion. Without a doubt, the pandemic has cemented online dating apps as the go-to way to find the potential Love of Your Life (or perhaps Love of This Week). So, I figured it was time to revisit the scene and do a little swiping with Bethany Nicole, an LA-based writer and relationship expert. We created Bumble profiles, then discussed why we chose to swipe left or swipe right – a little exchange of perspectives if you will. Among the take-home lessons: everybody loves hiking, and dick pics are still a thing. A bad thing, but a thing nonetheless.

Speaking of online dating apps (well, not at all, actually), I also announce a big change to the program…one that leads to this amazeballs Erickson & Caradin Sonoma County Chardonnay that you can get for only $16 by going here.

Don’t forget: Pairs With Life (the novel) is now available in hardcover! Click here to get it!

Pairs With The Best White Wine In Cans For The Summer

White wine in cans: a white trash nightmare of alcoholic proportions or the next revolution in fine wine enjoyment? With summer upon us, I found four white wines in cans (well, three whites and one Rosé) and found out for myself. Well, myself and all of you, because I’m assuming that people actually listen to this podcast. The results? Kind of surprising, to be honest. And honesty is the key here: if the wine is dickwash, we call it as such. So grab your beach umbrella, pop the top, and let’s keep this summer rolling!

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin’ the podcast? Then you’re going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Stories From The Edge of The Wine Glass: A Conversation About Race

Well, here’s a bit of a touchy subject. Race. So, why is it a touchy subject? Because we don’t talk about it the way it needs to be discussed? Because the events of the last few years have brought long-suppressed problems bubbling to the surface? Or do we simply not know how to start a conversation about race?

To jump-start a conversation about race, I enlisted the help of Derrick Johnson, an administrator at Florida College and current Doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida. (He’s also a wine guy, and you should follow him on Instagram @100Wines4U). We sat down in front of the mic, did our best to put the slime behind us (listen, and you’ll understand what I mean), and start this dialogue from the very beginning: I’m white, you’re black, what does that mean, and where do we go from here?

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin’ the podcast? Then you’re going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Stories From The Edge of The Wine Glass, Part 2: A Conversation About Race

Well, here’s a bit of a touchy subject. Race. So, why is it a touchy subject? Because we don’t talk about it the way it needs to be discussed? Because the events of the last few years have brought long-suppressed problems bubbling to the surface? Or do we simply not know how to start a conversation about race?

To jump-start a conversation about race, I enlisted the help of Derrick Johnson, We sat down in front of the mic, did our best to put the slime behind us (listen and you’ll understand what I mean), and start this dialogue from the very beginning: I’m white, you’re black, what does that mean and where do we go from here?

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin’ the podcast? Then you’re going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Pairs With Hawk and Horse Petite Sirah and The Summer Mix (With DJ White Chocolate)

In case I haven’t mentioned it a few hundred times, summer is my favorite time of year. Last week, Carrie Flaspohler and I talked about our favorite summer wines. This week, DJ White Chocolate drops by to talk about the best music for summer. I produced this episode so you can listen to the music in its entirety with minimal talking, so it’s perfect to crank up and chill to with a glass of Hawk and Horse Petite Sirah. Here’s the vibes (and the wines) of summer!

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get the Hawk and Horse Petite Sirah for 50% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin’ the podcast? Then you’re going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Pairs With The Best Wines For Summer

Summertime and the living is easy. And what makes it easy? Wine. Summer is the turbo-charged Cleveland V-8 of seasons, and wine is its high-octane fuel. Better still, this summer we don’t have to drink through a mask, and we can go back to invading each other’s personal space. On this episode, I am once again joined by Friend of The Pod Carrie Flaspohler to count down the top four wines of summer and our favorite summer activities to pair with them. The best wines for summer are always the wines you choose, but just in case you’re looking for something new, exciting, refreshing (and probably cheap), have a listen and stock up.

What would a wine podcast be without the wine? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

Diggin’ the podcast? Then you’re going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Pairs With Two Old Dogs Sauvignon Blanc and Wine vs. Weed Growers

Weed growers have rejoiced ever since cannabis was legalized in 2016. Since then, a new kind of Gold Rush has come to Northern California. The pot industry has boomed, resulting in nearly $2B of additional tax revenue to the state annually. But does this windfall come at a cost for California’s grape growers and wineries? How much farm property can be bought up as grow lots? And are the risks that weed farms pose to some of California’s finest appellations a cautionary tale to other states considering legalization?

We talk to wine writer, marketer, and friend of the pod Kathleen Wilcox, whose recent article in Wine Searcher exposed the risks that grape growers and wineries face. As more weed growers stake their claim in prime agricultural land, will vineyards be affected by smell and terpene drift?

I also continue my dive into springtime wines with the delicious 2019 JACK Winery Two Old Dogs Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Get it from The Wine Spies using this link.

Pairs With Life – The Novel – is now available in HARD COVER! Get it here!

Pairs With Hawk and Horse Cabernet and The Soapbox Marathon

Hawk and Horse Cabernet? Pairs with the shit you wanna say. That’s right, grab yourself a glass of Hawk and Horse Cabernet Sauvignon, compose your thoughts for a two-minute gripe, and get on the soapbox. There have been things on my mind as of late, so I decided to do a marathon session on the soapbox. Don’t worry, each grievance is still only two minutes long, so if one offends your delicate sensibilities, you can fast-forward to the next. Oh, and my cat gets in on the action, too, ’cause everyone’s got something to bitch about around here, though some of us are less concerned about Cat Chow vs. Iams.

Want to get your hands on this amazing 2012 Hawk and Horse Cabernet Sauvignon? Get all the amazing wines we drink on the podcast for up to 70% off retail price! Sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies. Click here to sign up.

The HARDCOVER edition of the book is now available! Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.

Pairs With DRNK Chardonnay and Blockchain Wine

Earlier this month, Yao Family Wines in Napa became the first winery in history to release a wine online with an NFT (a non-fungible token). Will this revolutionary new way of releasing and marketing wine be the wave of the future? Are blockchain and cryptocurrency the next step for serious wine collectors? This week, I sit down with Yao Family’s Director of Marketing, Bill Sanders, to talk about how NFTs and the blockchain may not only mean the end of counterfeit wines, but be the beginning of an entirely new way of buying, selling and collecting wine.

The incredible DRNK Chardonnay I sip on this episode will be available April 24th through The Wine Spies. Avoid the FOMO and sign up for daily, no-obligation offers from The Wine Spies by clicking here.

Diggin’ the podcast? Then you’re going to love the book. Check out Pairs With Life, the debut fiction novel by host John Taylor.