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Ah, Thanksgiving! A time to celebrate and give thanks for all the blessings in our life. A time to get together with our family...and dread the inevitable, uncomfortable conversations. But this is why we drink wine, people! And for today's episode, Carrie Flaspohler and I talk about the Top 3 Thanksgiving wines we'll be pounding...errr...sipping while mom points out those few extra pounds we seem to be carrying and that maybe that's why we're undeserving of a serious partner. We're pairing...

In this special bonus episode, we say farewell to the spooky season with Ellen Clifford, host of the popular wine podcast—and perhaps the only goth wine podcast—The Wine Situation. Together, we count down six of our favorite all-time scary movies, along with the wines that pair best with them. Spolier alert: Apothic Red is not involved at all. So, pour yourself a glass of something luscious, light the candles, and compare notes as we reveal the six scary movies that rocked us the...

In the final episode of my two-part series on the Rules of Ghosts, I reveal the life-changing event that shaped the way I now look at the world beyond our own. Yet, I'm still left with questions. Namely, why hasn't a ghost just come up to me and said, Yo, JT, I'm a ghost, and we need to talk?" To get some insight into this answer, I reached out to writer, witch, and spirit medium Kristen Nedopak. Kristen's own incredible story—and the way it shaped her worldview—gives some fascinating...

Something strange happened to me not long ago. Something that kind of freaked me out. A bizarre incident that reinforced my growing suspicion that perhaps not all is as it seems here in the material world. I've long been a skeptic about ghosts, or spirits, or lost souls, or whatever you want to call them. I'm an empirical guy. Show me data, show me proof, give me the evidence. But my mind is changing, because of this recent incident and another one that occurred almost ten years ago. But...

In 1998, Steve Taylor reached up and touched the golden underbelly of rock stardom as leader of the greatest rock band you never heard, The Uninvited. Following ten years of struggle in Los Angeles—the epicenter of the dream/reality splatter zone—his band inked a major label deal with Atlantic Records, pulling back the velvet rope on the most exclusive club in the world. (I was there the whole time, BTW. Steve's my brother, and we formed the band together). For two incredible,...

What brings joy to your life (besides OBVIOUSLY this podcast...and wine)? Is it things & stuff? People & places? A big bank account and an even bigger wine store? What are your favorite things? This week, Wine Goddess Carrie Flaspohler joins me to talk about three of our very favorite things - things that make our lives just a little bit better during the Epic Early '20s Shitstorm (which is. the official title of the new decade, by the way). And no, we're not getting paid to pimp our...

According to a study released in May 2021, one in nine Americans have tried a poly relationship, and one in six would like to try one. In fact, according to a YouGov study, half of all Millennials do not want a "completely monogamous relationship." So what's the attraction to polyamory? Is it the thought of not having one sexual partner for the remainder of your life? Is it the prospect of sharing resources? Like being able to plunder more than one wine collection at a time? (That's what got...

After decades of priding myself as the only musician in the world who doesn't have a tattoo, I finally decided to give in and get inked. So what's it going to be? A tramp stamp? A Samoan tribal band around my arm? A screeching bald eagle carrying a banner that reads "Peace Through Superior Firepower" across my chest? The first tattoo is a tough decision. Actually, it wasn't. I had an idea for my first tattoo that has been simmering in my brain since the 4th grade. The real question is, why...

It's the 100th episode of The Pairs With Life Podcast! Who'd of thunk back in December 2018 when this podcast got its start on a kitchen table that it'd grow to the over-leveraged corporate media monstrosity that it is today? To celebrate 100 episodes of unfounded opinions, bad advice, weird-ass stories (along with about a thousand gallons of wine), I'm making a major announcement. Like, major-major. And it's all for YOU! (except the part where I make money from it. That's for me. Sorry)....

Strange but true, the idea of Natural Wine creates all kinds of controversy within the wine community. Some say it's a misnomer, an oxymoron, or just generally bad-tasting wine. Others say Natural Wine is a fad created just to appeal to Millennials, and that the whole notion denigrates the class, sophistication, and indeed the craft that goes into making fine wine. My guests on the podcast this week—winemakers Jack Sporer and Randy Czech—beg to differ. On the forefront of a new wave in...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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 to the vibes (and the wines) of summer! What would a wine podcast...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Actually, you're not supposed to drink Chateau Diana Zinfandel (or any other wine for that matter) when you get your vaccine shot. But the mere fact that I'm finally getting the shot is reason to celebrate...so why am I feeling so anxious? In this episode, I take you along on my First Shot Journey, and figure out in real-time why I'm panicking about something for which I should feel nothing but excitement. I also interview Kathleen Wilcox and Robin Shreeves, two amazing wine writers who have...