Happy Hour: Holiday Wines with Kix Brooks & Adam LaZarre

Summary

Kennedy Saves the World

Episode: Happy Hour: Holiday Wines with Kix Brooks & Adam LaZarre

Date: November 28, 2025

Guests: Kix Brooks (Arrington Vineyards, musician) & Adam LaZarre (LaZarre Wines, winemaker)

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Overview

In this cheerful holiday episode, Kennedy is joined by country music star and vineyard owner Kix Brooks, and award-winning winemaker Adam LaZarre. Together, they explore the joys—and intricacies—of American wine making, regional viticulture differences, unique wine and music pairings, and the philanthropic connection between wine clubs and veteran support. The vibe is playful, curiosity-driven, and full of warmth, blending stories of celebrity, oenological expertise, and a touch of musical history.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meet the Wine Makers

• Kennedy welcomes Kix Brooks and Adam LaZarre, highlighting their unique roles: Kix as owner of Arrington Vineyards in Tennessee, Adam as the “chief” of LaZarre Wines in California (00:36–01:55).
• Kix clarifies Arrington Vineyards’ Tennessee location (“Texas is just in Tennessee,” he jokes) (01:55–02:04).

2. Wine in Unlikely Places: Tennessee’s Challenge

• Kix explains the tough climate for classic wine grapes in Tennessee (02:09–02:42).
  • “What really hurts us… is warm nights. So a lot of those varieties like to rest at night, and they really can’t do it when they’re ginning all the time. A lot of those flavors get lost, I think.” — Kix Brooks (02:42–02:59)
• Arrington focuses on hybrids and American varietals like Vidal Blanc, Viognier, and Chambourcin, which can handle local conditions (03:01–03:12).

3. Barrel Alchemy: Aging Wine in Bourbon Barrels

• Adam and Kix share a sample: Arrington’s Chambourcin, which finishes aging in used whiskey barrels (03:19–03:38).
• Discussion of bourbon barrels and their influence on flavor (03:38–04:00).
  • “[Bourbon barrels] just add something to it… My wife said she can taste the bourbon in there. I don’t.” — Kix Brooks (06:58–07:09)
• Kennedy, a self-professed bourbon fan, tastes and evaluates ("…I do taste a little bit," she notes) (07:39–08:04).

4. Wine Tasting Confidence & Personal Palate

• Kix urges people to trust their own tastes rather than wine snobbery (05:05–05:23).
  • “If you’re drinking wine, you need to let your palate decide if you like something or not. Exactly. Sort of like when you listen to music…” — Kix Brooks (05:05–05:19)

5. The Winemaker’s Craft & Sourcing Fruit

• Many wineries (including Arrington) source fruit from other regions, especially for grapes that won’t thrive in local climates (05:23–06:22).
• Kix’s hands-on involvement: “On my knees putting grape roots in the ground. Literally, I have been involved… but also I know where my expertise isn’t.” — Kix Brooks (11:39–12:06)

6. Adam LaZarre’s Journey & Veteran Connection

• Adam’s background: 34 years in winemaking, Navy veteran (08:04–08:12).
• Both guests discuss their pride in partnering with US Vets through the Fox News American Wine Club—proceeds support vet homelessness (09:15–11:03).
  • “Anything that I can give back… to help the people who’ve pretty much sacrificed… when you go in the military, you don’t come out unchanged.” — Adam LaZarre (10:12–10:34)

7. Kix’s Path to Wine & Nashville Stories

• Early wine curiosity sparked by a wine club gift from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (12:09–12:32).
• Colorful anecdote about accidentally using a rare Bordeaux in cooking, then learning its true value (12:32–13:22).
• Nashville’s community spirit among songwriters and musicians, Kix’s route from songwriting in the '80s to Brooks & Dunn stardom (13:51–15:00).

8. Parallels in Music and Winemaking

• Discussion on whether making wine is as creative and emotional as songwriting (17:56–18:16).
• Adam describes playing music in the winery—usually rock or heavy metal—and how sound can influence wine’s final taste and stability (18:05–19:38).
  • “I really do think… it impacts stability, what types of flavors that you pick up… Sauvignon Blanc tastes better when you’re listening to Metallica rather than Vivaldi, for example.” — Adam LaZarre (19:17–19:38)

9. Wine and Music Pairings

• Kennedy gets excited at the idea: “Music pairings with wine, that is the coolest idea. I mean, truly.” (19:49–20:20)
• The group muses over creating a suggested playlist for wine club members to experiment with music while tasting (20:20–21:03).

10. Pinot Noir: Challenges, Flavors, and Pairing

• Adam introduces his Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir (21:05–21:51).
• Explains geography (east-west valley orientation, influence of ocean air), and Pinot’s sensitivity and versatility (21:05–22:58).
  • “Pinot Noir is not an easy wine to make. It's a difficult grape to grow. It's very thin skinned… so the thinner the skin, the lighter the wine…” — Adam LaZarre (21:54–22:31).
• Kennedy and Adam taste the Pinot, noticing strawberry notes—both real and self-suggested from valley associations (23:10–23:32).
• Discussion of other flavors (Mr. Pibb, Dr. Pepper, prune), appropriate serving temperatures, and letting red wines “breathe” (23:33–25:49).
  • “Pinot has got to be served around 50 degrees.” — Adam LaZarre (25:38–25:41)

11. Final Toasts and Takeaways

• Adam: To experiment at home with music and wine pairings (26:57–27:15).
• Kennedy encourages listeners to join the Fox News American Wine Club and try their own multisensory pairings (27:16–27:39).
• Group toast: “To freedom.” (27:41–27:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you’re drinking wine, you need to let your palate decide if you like something or not. Exactly. Sort of like when you listen to music…” — Kix Brooks (05:05–05:19)
• “Anything that I can give back… to help the people who’ve pretty much sacrificed… when you go in the military, you don’t come out unchanged.” — Adam LaZarre (10:12–10:34)
• “Music pairings with wine, that is the coolest idea. I mean, truly.” — Kennedy (19:49–20:20)
• “Pinot Noir is not an easy wine to make. It's a difficult grape to grow. It's very thin skinned…” — Adam LaZarre (21:54–22:31)
• “To freedom.” — Kennedy, Adam LaZarre, Kix Brooks (27:41–27:45)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:36–02:09: Greetings, introductions, the realities of winemaking in Tennessee
• 03:19–04:00: Tasting the whiskey-barrel-aged Chambourcin
• 05:05–05:23: Wine snobbery vs. trusting your own palate
• 08:04–08:12: Adam LaZarre’s service background
• 09:15–11:03: Support for US veterans through wine club proceeds
• 13:51–15:00: Kix on Nashville songwriting community and Brooks & Dunn origins
• 18:05–19:38: Adam on musical influences in the winery
• 19:49–20:20: Kennedy proposes music and wine pairings
• 21:05–22:58: Adam’s Pinot Noir from Santa Maria Valley, why that location matters
• 23:33–25:49: Wine flavors, serving temperatures, letting wine breathe
• 27:16–27:45: Final toast and celebration of music, wine, and American freedom

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Conclusion

This episode delivers a cozy, enthusiastic dive into wine discovery and Americana, full of personal anecdotes, winemaker wisdom, and a dash of irreverent humor. Listeners come away with practical tasting tips, encouragement to develop a confident palate, and a sense of how wine, music, and community spirit all intersect—especially in supporting veterans and giving back.

Try at home: Experiment with pairing holiday wines and your favorite music for a truly unique celebration!

Transcript

[Announcer]

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[Kennedy]

Hello and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. It is happy hour. And if happiness for you resides inside a bottle of your favorite wine, well, I think you're gonna be pretty friggin happy here because we have the two stars of Wine Nation on Fox Nation who are also superstars in, in their own sectors of the world. Kicks Brooks and Adam Lazar join me now. Welcome, gentlemen, to Kennedy Saves the World.

[Kix Brooks]

Thanks. Can't believe you'd have us.

[Kennedy]

Holy hot dogs in a bottle. I'm super excited you guys are here because I've heard so much about the Fox News American Wine Club. We were talking about it on the five the other night. And I know people who are maybe really familiar with wines, they can join the club and be delighted. And people who are new to the world of connoisseurship, they can also get on board and have some absolute delights. So you're both vinters in your own right?

[Adam Lazar]

That is correct, yes.

[Kennedy]

So you are the CEO of Lazar Wines.

[Adam Lazar]

Yeah, well, I'm in charge of it. Yes.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Yeah, I just promoted you.

[Adam Lazar]

Thank you.

[Kennedy]

Congratulations. And you own Arrington Vineyards.

[Kix Brooks]

Correct.

[Kennedy]

And that's in Texas?

[Kix Brooks]

That's in Tennessee.

[Kennedy]

That's what I said. T, E, double N, E, double S.

[Kix Brooks]

W, E. Texas is just in Tennessee. Yeah, yeah, same kind of thing.

[Kennedy]

I love Tennessee. Yeah, I'm a fan.

[Kix Brooks]

Good music and whatever. Yeah, you know that.

[Adam Lazar]

Oh, and good wine.

[Kennedy]

Right. So tell me about the Tennessee wine. Because you, you think whiskey when you think of Tennessee. But you know, if, hell if, if you can bottle whiskey, why can't you do the same thing with wine? Do you have a good climate for it?

[Kix Brooks]

Well, not necessarily.

[Adam Lazar]

Okay.

[Kix Brooks]

Yeah. I mean, when you think of generally of Cabernet and Merlot and Riesling and wines like that, you gotta be where he's at.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, he's in Northern California.

[Adam Lazar]

Central coast of California.

[Kennedy]

Exactly right. Central coast. A very important distinction.

[Adam Lazar]

Yes.

[Kix Brooks]

That air coming off the ocean over there is very helpful for certain varietals. And we don't have that. What we really have that hurts us, the think is warm nights. So a lot of those varieties like to rest at night, and they really can't do it when they're ginning all the time. A lot of those flavors get lost, I think.

[Kennedy]

So what do you grow there?

[Kix Brooks]

We grow somewhat. You know, Vidal Blanc Viognier, you're probably familiar with, is popular. And a red grape that we use a lot is called Chamberson, which we might have brought you a sample of today.

[Kennedy]

Well, I think we should sample some of the wines. Can you show me what we have here, Adam?

[Adam Lazar]

Sure. Yeah. Well, let's start with Kick's wine right here.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that's beautiful.

[Adam Lazar]

Want to talk about it here?

[Kix Brooks]

Yes. So that's actually a wine that starts in French oak, the Chamberson does, And that's what it is primarily. It might have a slight blend to it, but then it gets put in. Some used whiskey barrels like to finish off.

[Kennedy]

I love it because as we know, bourbon barrels are single use. So when they cast them off, I know there are other spirits makers who love the flavor that comes from a good bourbon barrel.

[Kix Brooks]

Look at the whiskey expert over here.

[Adam Lazar]

Yes. I heard that you're a big bourbon fanatic.

[Kennedy]

I love bourbon. I'm a fan. So I'm from Oregon, where they're famous for Pinot Noir.

[Adam Lazar]

Right.

[Kennedy]

And I would argue that Oregon makes the best Pinot Noir in the world. French people don't like to hear that.

[Kix Brooks]

Yeah.

[Adam Lazar]

You know what? I made wine in Oregon for quite a while, Quite a long time. Washington and Oregon had a very popular Northwest brand. And I would argue that they're very good. Yes, they're excellent. I think some of the best Oregon Pinot are amongst the best pinots in the world. So I would. Yes, I would agree with that.

[Kennedy]

High five.

[Adam Lazar]

It's a little more difficult because the weather isn't so consistent there, as you know.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Adam Lazar]

And so in the event that they have fires like they did in 2020, oftentimes you look to places like the Russian river very consistent. Where I love to make Pinot is the Santa Maria Valley. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that.

[Kennedy]

Yes. And great strawberries there, too.

[Adam Lazar]

Great strawberries, yeah.

[Kennedy]

So tell me about this. What am I going to taste when you fill up my cup of goodness?

[Kix Brooks]

Well, it's interesting because people say different things, especially when they find out there was a whiskey barrel involved. I don't.

[Kennedy]

Are they skeptical? Are the wine snobs skeptical?

[Kix Brooks]

To some extent. But I think also in reality, if you're drinking wine, you need to let your palate decide if you. You like something or not exactly. Sort of like when you listen to music, you know, it's like, okay, don't.

[Kennedy]

Tell me what's cool. Let me listen and see if I like it and if it resonates with me.

[Kix Brooks]

Exactly. And that's what I always tell people at a tasting bar. And we make 18 different kinds of wine at Harrington. So it's a great opportunity from some fruit, wines that are just kind of fun and whatever to, you know, a couple of nice Cabernets and Merlot and whatever. Again, we have to bring that fruit in because we can't grow it. But that's really. I've got an expert here who can tell you a lot more about that, but a lot we were just discussing earlier, and he's a. I wouldn't say a totally rare exception, but pretty much because most, I would say most winemakers aren't necessarily farmers. Yeah, interesting. They have to source their fruit somewhere else. And that was kind of our ambition. It's like I just want to have. Have a winery where we make great wines. So in a cooler truck, you know, we go out to California and we talk to growers out there and whatever and get the best fruit that we can, that we can't grow, that we want to make wine with, and we put it on cooler trucks mostly.

[Kennedy]

On how many trucks do you have to fill up?

[Kix Brooks]

Well, we just do them like one at a time. They come in these, you know, a semi with 800 pound bins in it. That's a lot of work that you've got to do. When they get to Nashville, you gotta crush those grapes. You gotta make that wine, you gotta bottle that wine. And then we get it out to our people and we might part.

[Kennedy]

How long do they sit in the oak barrels?

[Kix Brooks]

And the oak barrels, do they start in that? They start in like the French oak or whatever. A year and a half to two, but then maybe six months or a little less in the whiskey barrels.

[Kennedy]

Oh, wow. Yeah. And what is it about the whiskey that accelerates the process?

[Kix Brooks]

It doesn't accelerate it. It just adds something to it. And again, that's where, like my wife said, she can, she can taste the bourbon in there. I don't really is this.

[Kennedy]

Will I taste bourbon in here?

[Kix Brooks]

Well, you tell me.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Can I, can I pour? You pour. You're. You're the man.

[Adam Lazar]

I'm the man.

[Kennedy]

Let's give it a good sniff. And I have to spin it around, act like I know what I'm doing.

[Kix Brooks]

You're doing good.

[Adam Lazar]

You're just. Yeah, you're.

[Kennedy]

I know you're supposed to hold it here if you, if you want to look like.

[Adam Lazar]

And then you have to hold it there if you want to get it to your mouth.

[Kennedy]

That's true. I mean, but I would be like, no, I wouldn't. That's not ladylike.

[Adam Lazar]

The crazy straw.

[Kennedy]

It smells good. Let's see if she has legs. I can't tell. Oh, that's nice. I do taste a little bit. And I don't, I do not have a palate. I don't have. I can't taste cassis and raspberry and resentment. Like the things that, that people who claim to have really advanced palates, they. I can't taste any of that.

[Adam Lazar]

You know that, that comes with practice. And, and I've been doing this 34 years now. After I got out of the service, I went to Fresno State.

[Kennedy]

You are a Navy veteran.

[Adam Lazar]

I'm a Navy veteran.

[Kennedy]

Thank you for your service.

[Adam Lazar]

Thank you.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Adam Lazar]

Yeah, thank you. And it's been fun. You know, we had just had Veterans Day and I've been able to do a lot of veterans related stuff and few things for this, for this network also, which has been really fun. But like anything, it takes practice. And you have this catalog in your brain that you stepped. I think, I think you need to lose things like birthdays and, and numbers and just, you know, your wife's name. Things like that have to go away for you, for you to start some room, make room for, for flavors and smells.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Adam Lazar]

And you, over a period of time, if you really love what you do, and I love what I do, you start to catalog these things.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Adam Lazar]

Intuitively.

[Kennedy]

That's really interesting. Like the idea of remembering taste. It seems like it would be easier to remember a fragrance, but remembering a taste seems weird to me.

[Adam Lazar]

I can remember a bottle of wine I had 15 years ago, smell of flavor. But again, that, that doesn't come naturally. It just comes with. That's culture. Like anything you do, you got to become. If you're going to become an expert at something, you really have to practice at it.

[Kennedy]

So you guys have also partnered with us vets, which is wonderful. I was at Marine Corps birthday celebration the 10th of November, and I got to hear Stephen Peck speak. So he was a Marine and a Vietnam veteran who. He's Gregory Peck's son. So he could have lived like a pretty easy Nepo baby life. And instead he threw himself into the cause of veteran homelessness. And it has made it his life's work through us vets to end and, you know, drastically curtail the tens of thousands of homeless veterans we have on the streets in this country. And it was really amazing to hear how he had poured himself into the cause and gotten to know so many people and hear their stories. And it's such a wonderful organization. So, you know, that's really an amazing thing that you have partnered with them.

[Adam Lazar]

You know, one of the most exciting. One of the reasons actually I'm doing this is because of the work. You know, we're with the Fox News American Wine Club, and a portion of those proceeds go to US thefts. And so anything that I can give back, I'm sure he agrees to help the people who've pretty much sacrificed. You know, when you go in the military, you don't come out unchanged, especially.

[Kennedy]

When you go into combat and you.

[Adam Lazar]

Go, for the most part, the change positive, maybe more discipline, self esteem, skills, the ability to work with a team. But there are a lot of other things that can happen too, and especially people who've been involved in combat.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Adam Lazar]

And so we see that. And you know, I work with some organizations back in Paso Robles for vets, and so it makes me proud. And I really appreciate the fact that Fox News Wine Club has offered to do this with the vets.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, it's amazing. And tell me how your wine works into the wine club because people like, people know you kicks Brooks, half of Brooks and done like, you know, these, these songs that, that resonate in their soul forever. And that's, that's what good songwriting and good performances do. But they actually, they. They get to taste the fruits of your labor and creativity.

[Kix Brooks]

Well, I can't take a lot of credit for the creativity because I'm not technically making the wine, but I have been there since day one.

[Kennedy]

But you share the vibe. Like, you got a great vibe.

[Kix Brooks]

On my knees putting grapes roots in the ground. Literally, I have been involved, but also I know where my expertise isn't. And I wanted to have great wine so the hillbilly singer doesn't need to come in and start screwing everything up. So I've been blessed with some guys who really know what they're doing. And I'm very interested in winemaking and how it works and everything, but I still let them do their thing.

[Kennedy]

How long have you been into wine?

[Kix Brooks]

You know, I'm from Louisiana, so I started drinking at a very early age. You know, I think Tim McGraw and Faith Hill gave me a wine club gift one year where we got oh, that's awesome. Yeah. Where we got two bottles from a different country every month.

[Announcer]

Wow.

[Kix Brooks]

Yeah. And I caught myself drinking and cooking with this thing from Bordeaux called Lafayette Rothschild.

[Kennedy]

It's like two Buck Chuck. I think you can get that across.

[Adam Lazar]

I'm going to trademark that right now.

[Kix Brooks]

So I went to buy some, and along with my other spirits that I had picked up that day, I told him I wanted a case of that. He said, well, we'll. We might have two or three bottles in the bag, but we don't have a case of it. Okay, well, whatever you got.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I got a lasagna at home I gotta make. That sauce is gonna make itself.

[Kix Brooks]

When I saw the bill, I went, what? I think we have a decimal place screwed up here. Maybe. Maybe you should take that. Laffy head back and I need to do some homework here.

[Adam Lazar]

Can I just take the grapes and make it wine myself? Would that be cheaper?

[Kix Brooks]

But I really did. At that point, I started learning more about. And we do have a lot of wine collectors, and in Nashville in the area, we have the oldest auction for cancer for anything in the country there. Tay defend. And so, yeah, I got into it. I met a lot of people that had great sellers and were very generous about helping me learn.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that's amazing. And, you know, you hear so much about Nashville and the community and the songwriters. Is it. Is it as tight as we hear, as we make it out to be in this American mythology is.

[Kix Brooks]

What do you mean tight?

[Kennedy]

The community of people. Is it as tight knit and as close?

[Kix Brooks]

Yes. I mean, it's. It is. There's. You know, it's really spread out and it's. It changes rapidly. You know, as far as. I mean, I started writing in Nashville in 1980. I think I started having success a couple of years after that. And through the 80s, that's really pretty much all I did. I had a record deal at Capital, didn't amount to anything. And it wasn't till 90 that a record company guy introduced me to Ronnie Dunn and we screwed up and started having some hits.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, you did. I mean, it was like one after another.

[Kix Brooks]

Yeah, it was weird, though. We, like, met on Tuesday and wrote Brand New man and Next Broken Heart the same week, and he'd already written Neon Moon and Boot Scootin Boogie, and next thing you know. Yeah, we're riding a bus that kicked.

[Kennedy]

Off the line dancing craze.

[Adam Lazar]

I know.

[Kix Brooks]

We'll get everyone therapy for that. I'm sorry.

[Kennedy]

Are you the reason we have Billy Ray Cyrus?

[Kix Brooks]

I don't Think so?

[Adam Lazar]

That's a funny question, actually.

[Kix Brooks]

We happened really at the start, same time. Honestly.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Kix Brooks]

Yeah. Literally the same year.

[Kennedy]

So where was country in terms of, you know, like the national awareness and conversation? When you started writing, where was it?

[Kix Brooks]

It was. Garth had just started. Alan Jackson was into his second hit, that thing that was really going to blow up in the 90s. They had just Clint Black. It had a big record. They were kind of the three that I can think of off the top of my head leading the charge. Reba and Straight were a few years before that, but just a few. They were all obviously part of the groundwork that sort of kicked things into a whole different gear in the 90s.

[Kennedy]

And who was it like influence wise for you that really solidified the kind of songwriter that you wanted to be?

[Kix Brooks]

I was very. I'm from Shreveport, Louisiana, which is more on the Texas side. Okay. So I was. And I definitely was influenced by being in Shreveport. That was Louisiana, Hayrod. So Hank Williams and Johnny Horton. Hank Williams, his widow, or his widow was Audrey, but he married Billie Jean Horton who lived like two blocks from us. And Johnny Horton did, too. So it was very much a part of our world there. But the songwriters, Willie and Waylon, you know, when they hit that whole thing coming out of Austin, that's where my pencil got sharp. And I just wanted to write those great story songs and those tales and just it was just a little different than it was somewhere between Nashville and California. You know, it was really song smithing and cool melodies and just a lot of.

[Kennedy]

And those lyrics that just.

[Kix Brooks]

Yeah, and a lot of hell raising, which I was in college at the time. I wanted all of it.

[Kennedy]

Where'd you go to college?

[Kix Brooks]

Well, I started at smu, but my dad wouldn't buy me a Ferrari, so I couldn't get a date. I wound up back at Louisiana Tech, wherever you, me and Terry Bradshaw went and Carl Malone and. Yeah, and loved the Mailman. The Mailman, exactly.

[Kennedy]

That's so cool. Don't go anywhere more Kennedy Saves the World right after this.

[Announcer]

It's Will Kane Country Watch it live at noon Eastern Monday through [e-mail] or on the Fox News YouTube channel. And don't miss the show. Listen and follow the podcast five days a week at foxnewspodcasts.com or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

[Kennedy]

This is Ainsley Earhart. Thank you for joining me for the 52 episode podcast series the Life of Jesus.

[Announcer]

A listening experience that will provide hope, comfort and understanding of the greatest story Ever told. Listen and follow starting November 30th on.

[Kennedy]

Foxnewspodcasts.Com is there as much creativity that goes in emotion, that goes into wine? Like, do you sing to your grapes?

[Adam Lazar]

You know that we. Do you want the leaves to fall off the vine? Yeah, I actually do. I play a lot of music in the winery. I do believe that music can influence the direction that wines take.

[Kennedy]

I agree completely.

[Adam Lazar]

I mean, it certainly impacts your mother.

[Kennedy]

I mean, obviously, like, there. There is, you know, truth in wine or whatever they say, but there's also. If there's truth, there's also emotion.

[Adam Lazar]

Right.

[Kennedy]

So. And if there's remote emotion, then there are receptacles, and they. They can feel something on some level.

[Adam Lazar]

Absolutely. And. And not just how you perceive wine. I mean, there's been plenty of studies which show certain types of music do better with certain. Makes wines taste a certain way. For example, I just. For me, I just absolutely adore music, and I adore wine making, and it's nothing. I can't imagine doing anything else.

[Kennedy]

Does kids ever sing to you when you guys are all the time out on the road?

[Adam Lazar]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

So.

[Adam Lazar]

So, yeah. So in the winery, I play music. It's usually rock and roll. Sometimes it's heavy metal. We find that.

[Kennedy]

I know you're a Slayer fan.

[Adam Lazar]

Well, I love. I love all good music, but particularly this is. This is the stuff that I listen to when I'm in the winery or at the gym.

[Announcer]

The.

[Adam Lazar]

When I. When I play music in the. In the winery, sometimes I'll start with Mozart. I think. I really do think, though, it impacts stability, what types of flavors that you pick up and stuff. I think one of the studies I saw showed that Sauvignon Blanc tastes better when you're listening to Metallica rather than Vivaldi, for example.

[Kennedy]

Interesting.

[Adam Lazar]

So it triggers various things. What you brought up was actually very interesting, and it is true. I believe it is. But, yeah, so, I mean, being in the winery is, you know, my. My sanctuary.

[Kennedy]

And I love the idea of. Because we all always talk about food pairings with wine, and we talk about food, we talk about cheese. But music pairings with wine, that is the coolest idea. I mean, truly. Like, I think that's something that you guys could author a suggested list for the American Wine Club. For the Fox News American Wine Club. So when people get them, yeah, it's like, listen to these five songs when you're drinking a glass of this and have. Ask people, does it enhance your experience? Yes.

[Kix Brooks]

Yeah.

[Adam Lazar]

Does it taste different? Do you Pick up the bourbon in.

[Kennedy]

This little guy world.

[Adam Lazar]

The cherry. This is my Pinot Noir.

[Kennedy]

I love Pinot Noir.

[Kix Brooks]

As discussed earlier, you should, you know, I'll do the. I'll do the country pairings and you do the. You do the rock pairings.

[Kennedy]

How great would that be?

[Announcer]

That would be.

[Kennedy]

I would love that.

[Adam Lazar]

Probably a dream of mine.

[Kix Brooks]

Wouldn't that be fun? Let's do that.

[Kennedy]

You should totally do that.

[Adam Lazar]

I think that would be fantastic.

[Kennedy]

I mean, it's like all the great pillars of your worlds coming together. You know, it's like music service, wine, people all in. In one place. So people can have a multisensory, complete experience.

[Adam Lazar]

Yeah. I think people would be surprised at how much different that certain music impacts wines.

[Kennedy]

I can't wait to. I can't wait to experiment with that.

[Adam Lazar]

Okay, so this is Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley. And if I know you're familiar with the Santa Maria Valley because of strawberries, but the Santa Maria Valley is one of the only valleys in California that run east, west.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Adam Lazar]

Which is huge because it draws in when the heat of the day rises on the east end of the valley. It draws in all the cool ocean air. And so that you end up having a very, very, very consistent growing season there. We were talking about you need to be near a large body of water which holds and retains heat, and it moderates the temperatures in the vineyard. And also, so it's very impactful for grapes like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which have a very. They're very sensitive to be big swings. They like having a.

[Kennedy]

They need temperate. A temperate climate.

[Adam Lazar]

So this, for me, this is great because I love working with these grapes. Pinot Noir is not an easy wine to make. It's a difficult grape to grow. It's very thin skinned. So idea being is that when you get, obviously, yeah, you get very. Yeah. Very sensitive. Yes. You want to cry. So you get your color and your flavor from the skins in red wines. For anyone who's not familiar with that. So the thinner the skin, the lighter the wine is going to be. Lighter the flavor, lighter the color, lighter the structure. So Santa Maria Valley can grow some Pinot Noir with some fairly thick skins.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Adam Lazar]

And we let the grape hang a little extra, extra long in order to get those skins. And so you end up with wines that are very, very intense in flavor and smell. And something I love. I love working with Pinot Noir. Getting into French oak, I don't use bourbon berries.

[Kennedy]

I didn' realize it was that difficult to grow. I Didn't realize it was that temperamental.

[Adam Lazar]

It's temperamental, yeah. Yeah. I mean, the clusters are tiny.

[Kennedy]

I love it because I feel like, you know, it's. It's so versatile. Like, you can enjoy it with anything y. Especially salmon.

[Adam Lazar]

It's probably the most versatile of the red wines out there. I mean, it works with fish, it works with foul duck, for example. Turkey and. And pinoiras.

[Kennedy]

Hells, yeah. I'm gonna have some for Thanksgiving.

[Adam Lazar]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. All right. Let's give this a whirl. All right. Well, that's nice. You can taste the strawberries.

[Kix Brooks]

That's true. I swear.

[Kennedy]

You can taste the strawberries. And maybe that's just like the power of self suggestion, because I associate Santa Maria with strawberries, and I think the.

[Adam Lazar]

Flavors of the wine show that too.

[Kix Brooks]

This has.

[Adam Lazar]

There's a couple of different vineyards that I blended in here. One very being tough and tonic, and the other one being very delicate and pretty and perfumey and so strawberries, Cherry. Cherry Cola, for example, Mr. Pibb or Dr. Pepper or something. You get. You can get those flavors and smells in here. But again, it works with red meat, it works with fish, it can work with foul. So I think it's the most versatile red wine.

[Kix Brooks]

Mr. Pibb, that's a good call. And it is. Dr. Pepper. What. Whatever that. What is that flavor?

[Kennedy]

What is the flavor?

[Adam Lazar]

Black cherry Cola is, I think.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I think it's like, I remember as a kid, they're like, it's made.

[Kix Brooks]

With prune juice, and that's kind of don't care. So many times I love it when. When I taste those kinds of. Of wines, I'm thinking, is that a. Is that prune I'm tasting? Because that is. It's kind of. What?

[Adam Lazar]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get that. You know, people pick certain. Certain grape varieties which they pick a little overripe in order to get everything ripe, and you can get some pruning characters out of it.

[Kennedy]

The prune has such a bad reputation. And it's just like, we love raisins.

[Adam Lazar]

It's medicinal.

[Kennedy]

We love dried apricots. It's a plum.

[Adam Lazar]

Why buy Metamucil? You've got.

[Kix Brooks]

So I have a question. Say you're. People are always asking about wine breathing and whatever. Okay, so like, you're talking about. You might have this with your turkey at Thanksgiving. If you were gonna open a nice bottle of pinot before dinner, when would you open that?

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah, good question.

[Adam Lazar]

You know, it depends on how old it is. This is still a fairly new wine. So you could actually open it maybe an hour. The risk, of course, opening it too early is that you're drink it before. You know the joke wine to make.

[Kennedy]

Dinner while I'm stirring the giblets.

[Adam Lazar]

So, I mean, so if you want to be able to share it and enjoy your meal, I think Pinot Noir, fresher Pinot Noirs are fine within the hour. And older Pinot Noirs, anything other than five years, I would. I would open it as close to dinner as possible because it's a very interesting window where it's really, really good.

[Kix Brooks]

Okay.

[Adam Lazar]

And we really want it to pop.

[Kix Brooks]

Gonna happen fast.

[Adam Lazar]

And I serve a chill too.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Adam Lazar]

Pinot has got to be served around 50. 50 degrees.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. See, that's the thing people don't realize. Like, they think red wine has to be room temperature, and it's actually fine.

[Adam Lazar]

If the room is 55 degrees. Yeah.

[Kix Brooks]

I totally agree. Because there's a reason that wines are in a cellar besides the potential for east waking up again.

[Adam Lazar]

Oh, yeah.

[Announcer]

But.

[Adam Lazar]

But we've all been there.

[Kix Brooks]

I know, but I really feel like. And that's part of the whole opening up process, too. As the wine starts to catch room temperature too, it starts to wake up and do things.

[Adam Lazar]

You just did my whole spiel for me.

[Kix Brooks]

Sorry about that.

[Adam Lazar]

No, you're all right. That is. And I will serve even Cabernet Zinfandel chilled because as it warms up in the glass, as he said, it starts to do things. And in this case, it starts to liberate certain aromas and flavors and smells and really exciting things. And if you really want to learn about wine, you should do that. Crack a bottle. That's cool. Let it warm up, smell it every 30 seconds. And it's going to change. It's going to change over five minute period. And that's the excitement for me. It's about trying to figure out a way to manage and manipulate those smells and flavors. A year and a half down the road, when I put the stuff in the bottle, I can try to make those changes in the vineyard. I can try to make them with the oak barrels that I use. I can try to influence them by what type of heavy metal I play in the winery. I don't know. I'm still experimenting with that.

[Kennedy]

I know, but there's so much to be done there. This is beautiful here. I'm going to. I'm going to just pour us each a little splash so we can toast our farewell. And people, where are we going? We're going back to the cellar.

[Adam Lazar]

We're gonna do a music and wine taste.

[Kennedy]

Absolutely.

[Kix Brooks]

I was just starting to learn something.

[Kennedy]

Adam and Kix, thank you so much for being here, sharing your joy and expertise.

[Kix Brooks]

Appreciate it.

[Kennedy]

This has been awesome. So everyone, if you, if you have the chance, Fox News American Wine Club. These are incredible American wines and now you compare them with your favorite music and you can do the experiment and find out what you think pairs best. So cheers to you, gentlemen.

[Kix Brooks]

Cheers.

[Adam Lazar]

Thanks, Kenny.

[Kennedy]

To freedom. This has been Kennedy Saves the World along with Adam and Kicks. I'm Kennedy.

[Kix Brooks]

Thank you for your service.

[Kennedy]

Amen. Listen ad free with the Fox News podcast plus subscribers description on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Prime. Members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News podcast network.