Zach Geballe

Seattle

Podcast Host and Producer at VinePair Podcast

Podcast host/producer for @vinepair, founder/wine educator for @disgorgedwine, sommelier/bartender-at-large, dad, believer in SO2. https://t.co/ADg9rK4ION

Featured in: Favicon

medium.com Favicon

salon.com

eater.com

vinepair.com Favicon

seattleweekly.com Favicon

thefreshtoast.com Favicon

sevenfifty.com Favicon

sipmagazine.com Favicon

pix.wine

flipboard.com + 6 more

Articles

Where to Eat and Drink in Guadalajara Right Now

1 week ago | vinepair.com | Zach Geballe

With Mexico City to the southeast and Puerto Vallarta to the west, Guadalajara has historically been an afterthought for many international travelers. Yet with the town of Tequila nearby to serve as a draw for drinks-focused tourists, its rapidly growing reputation as a culinary and cocktail destination has given the city a vibrancy and energy that has to be experienced to be understood. Like any big city, Guadalajara has a number of neighborhoods, each with its own distinct vibe and style.
The Mount Rushmore of California Cabernet, According to 9 Wine Experts

1 month ago | vinepair.com | Zach Geballe

California dominates the story of American winemaking in many ways, both by producing far more wine than any other state, and by creating and entrenching many of the trends and styles that echo out, not just to the rest of the U.S., but to the broader world of wine.
Has Tequila’s Stateside Popularity Boosted Tourism in Jalisco?

Feb 25, 2025 | vinepair.com | Zach Geballe

The story of tequila’s ascent to being one of the top spirits in America is well-trod ground by now. Yet there remains an unanswered question: How has the surge of American interest in tequila, the spirit, translated into interest in Tequila, the Mexican town and historic region of production? After all, wine lovers have proven more than willing to travel to Bordeaux, and bourbon lovers to Kentucky, so is America’s deepening love for agave spirits resulting in more tourism to Tequila?
As consumer demands change, wineries are offering more from the tasting room experience

Aug 12, 2024 | news.wine.co.za | Zach Geballe

Fifteen years ago, most winery visits would feature a quick flight of four to six wines, with maybe a few crackers on hand, ostensibly to cleanse the palate. Travelers would rove from winery to winery, often hitting five or more in a single day. For wineries, the revenue generated from tasting fees — if they were even charged — mattered less than bottle sales and wine club memberships.
In Northern California, 3 Great Wine Destinations (That Aren’t Napa)

Aug 6, 2024 | vinepair.com | Zach Geballe

Northern California has long been a mecca for wine. By the end of the 2010s, Napa Valley was welcoming nearly 4 million tourists yearly (not including neighboring Sonoma), and even a global pandemic and eye-watering prices have done little to slow down enthusiasm for the region.
In the Pacific Northwest, Fresh Hop Beer Is Worth Traveling For

Aug 6, 2024 | vinepair.com | Zach Geballe

It’s a cruel irony of the modern beer world that the growth and success of craft beer in America has served to essentially clobber beer tourism. When you’ve got one (or 10) great breweries in your town or city, and when those breweries are largely making the same kinds of beers as breweries the nation (and world) over, there isn’t as much point in getting on a plane or undertaking a road trip just to get a beer. Really, besides a trip to Germany for Oktoberfest, what else is there?
In Northern California, 3 Great Wine Destinations (That Aren’t Napa)

Aug 5, 2024 | flipboard.com | Zach Geballe

Drinking 16 hours ago Experts have spoken on the best Irish Whiskeys of 2024 The Manual - By Georgina Torbet • 16h It used to be the case that if you wanted great whiskey, you had to look to Scotland or certain regions of the U.S., and that whiskeys from places … Auctions Now ArtCrush Gala Auction Breaks Records, Brings in $4.5M for the Aspen Art Museum artnews.com - Daniel Cassady • 22m Aspen ArtWeek wrapped on Friday with the 19th annual ArtCrush Gala at the foot of Aspen’s Buttermilk...
As Consumer Demands Change, Wineries Are Offering More From the Tasting Room Experience

Jul 15, 2024 | vinepair.com | Zach Geballe

There’s rapid evolution happening in the wine tourism industry, as the experience and expectations of wine drinkers have changed. Fifteen years ago, most winery visits would feature a quick flight of four to six wines, with maybe a few crackers on hand, ostensibly to cleanse the palate. Travelers would rove from winery to winery, often hitting five or more in a single day.
Keeping It in the Family: Why Succession Plans at American Wineries Are No Sure Thing

Feb 7, 2024 | vinepair.com | Zach Geballe

One of the romantic notions that can connect drinkers to a given bottle of wine is the idea that said wine is the product of generations of labor, a plot of land, and a winemaking ethos passed down through the generations to the current standard bearer. It’s widespread throughout Europe, where family-owned wineries can easily date back several centuries, if not further, yet it’s still a rarity here in America, where relatively few wineries are more than a few decades old.
For Cocktail Bars Across the U.S., Is Fancy Ice Really Worth the Expense?

Dec 11, 2023 | vinepair.com | Zach Geballe

For many contemporary bars, ice has become one of the most critical and complicated elements of a serious cocktail program. Good ice, which is to say clear cubes carved by hand or produced by specialty machine, not only ensures a quality cocktail but also one that meets or exceeds guest expectations. It also shows well on social media — a crucial marketing tool for the industry — and helps justify the ever-increasing prices that craft cocktails command throughout the country.