UPDATE:

July 18, 2006

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Guys I just want to let you know where I am and what’s happening. I have been in talks with many top Networks about doing WLTV on a national scale, and a part of these negotiations was to slow down WLTV. I will be back very soon, and will have tons of new awesome episodes. We will be back on track and full steam ahead in due time. Thank you to everyone who emailed me!

23 Responses

  1. July 18, 2006

    kevin

    hmmm….national eh…..weird, but good….

  2. July 18, 2006

    Tim Faitsch

    National scale? I thought this was already international. Are you talking about doing a TV show? Hopefully this format won’t change much…

  3. July 18, 2006

    Kevin C

    How about The Food Network ????

  4. July 19, 2006

    Rick

    Don’t go to national. It’s hard enough getting the Hot items before they sell out. The Fineliving channel works for me.

  5. July 20, 2006

    Eugene

    Just as I predicted!
    (see my comments on one of the first episodes).

    Good luck with that.
    Gary, don’t let big fat network executives tell you what to do.

  6. July 20, 2006

    David

    What do the negotiations to do WLTV on a national scale require that you “slow down” doing WLTV as it is right now? That makes no sense to me.

  7. July 21, 2006

    GeneV

    The surest way to drive the audience away is not to have a product there at the time it is promised. It stops the word of mouth in its tracks when you tell friends about the video and there’s nothing new there. Perhaps you don’t need to post them so often, but regularly.

    Also, the email hype on that Spanish wine was almost inexcusable. Despite the ridiculous price others are asking for that wine, 40 bucks for Spanish wine rated 93 Parker points and 86 Spectator points is about an average QPR–not the deal of the century.

    Trust is a fragile thing. Hype and missed appointments are dangerous.

  8. July 21, 2006

    Julius

    GeneV – you really nailed it. But hype is what Gary is all about. His marketing is what turned Sasha’s original store, Shoppers Discount Liquors, into the Wine Library. Fortunately for him, his knowledgeable staff do well tending to the needs of the customers in the store. As for the recent absence of episodes of WLTV, perhaps it would be better to schedule a regular release of episodes (like real TV), say one or two per week, so that even when production time is unavailable, a “show” would be available for airing. After all, no one could be expected to keep up the pace that was first initiated (23 episodes in the first month).

  9. July 21, 2006

    Jill

    I though that Gary had fallen off the face of the earth. Just say no to “national scale”. Your loyal following surely will feel miss our insider knowledge.

  10. July 21, 2006

    Marcus

    Well I’m pretty much fed up with Wine Library TV. I was coming here every single day to look for new episodes, but obviously they no longer care about their customers as much as they care about getting into the TV biz. I say, Keep it where is belongs….with the people who care about wine, you consumers. If this hits the TV airwaves it will be mindless drivel about mass produced swill as determined by someone who could care less about wine. I’m very angry at Wine Library and they have sadly lost, and will continue to lose, business if this apathy continues. I thought from the very beginning that Gary said that this was supposed to be “TRUE”. Well, guess what, TRUTH is being traded for GIMMICK and sold to the highest bidder. Sad.

  11. July 21, 2006

    GeneV

    Marketing is a very good thing when the product does not disappoint. One of the things I think we have all enjoyed about WLTV is that Gary does NOT seem to be hyping his wines excessively.

    I have been very pleased by several unknown wines he has tasted and presented in video with little exaggeration. Several, such as the Brice Champagne or the Maghie Merlot, turned out to be huge bargains. Rightly or wrongly, my expectations for the “biggest deal of 2006″ were a bit higher than what was actually offered.

  12. July 21, 2006

    garyv

    MARCUS NOT TRUE…maybe I did something wrong in the way I wrote it…WLTV will be BACK “TRUE” next week! This is not going to the highest bidder and it will be PURE as it always has been, i am sorry I got so swamped with all this and WL stuff but I will be back MONDAY!

  13. July 21, 2006

    garyv

    GENE Im sorry you didnt go nuts for the offer BUT trust me when I say that if you have tasted it YOU would be SMILING! it was a huge discount from the price it was selling for and the price the winery wanted me to sell it for in this offe ($52) I worked hard on that offer, Iam sorry I missed it for you

  14. July 21, 2006

    garyv

    “# David Says:
    July 20th, 2006 at 1:48 pm e

    What do the negotiations to do WLTV on a national scale require that you “slow down” doing WLTV as it is right now? That makes no sense to me.” David one of the talks got serious and they asked for this request after reading your post and getting other emails I have made up my mind to do a show MONDAY

  15. July 22, 2006

    GeneV

    Gary, thanks for responding to us all.

    Want to hear a shocker? I bought a six of the Palomero from you! However, when I read your comments in various places on the site, I think you just don’t get what we are saying. No one is knocking this wine. We are knocking the hype. It is inconsistent with the sincerity and lack of pretention we perceive in WLTV.

    For example, language like “Ready to be astonished??? You won’t believe the price on this wine . . . ” just don’t fit an expensive but little known Spanish wine only released for a few vintages. No matter how amazing it may be, we can’t be “astonished” by the price on a wine most of us have never heard of.

  16. July 22, 2006

    garyv

    Gean understood, I just want 1 thing really FOR MY CUSTOMERS to be VERY VERY HAPPY. Our hype may have gone overboard but I will take the blame for that, I think I might have over thought how many people might have known this wine. I adore this wine and this offer, maybe too much! I hope everyone is well and I can’t ait for the upcoming week to get back on the saddle!

  17. July 23, 2006

    Kevin C

    Gary,

    No need for apologies. Not everyone has the same opinions about your emails. We understand that WL’s first responsibility is to sell wine, not to show cool episodes on wine.

    I think most people that subscribe to your emails read it and if they don’t think an unknown wine is such a great deal that they’re willing to splurge $40 on, then they just ignore it. There is so much more great wines on your site and store, there’s no need to get so upset about an email. As with any purchases, it’s Caveat Emptor.

    Keep up the good work and look forward to seeing you again Monday !

  18. July 23, 2006

    Karen H

    Hi Gary,

    I’m a Canadian who has been watching your vids since about early 30’s episodes. I found you via Democracy Player’s available channels. So, maybe I have different viewpoint to offer here. Obviously I’m not a customer. I don’t get the emails being discussed for this very reason. Afterall I’m not even a potential customer. I suppose if you were only a marketing man, this means I’m not the “target” audience since I’m only here for the information and education, and not to learn which particular case of wine I should be shopping for and buying from you.

    So, if I may: This vlog is obviously much bigger than “national” anyway, but I think making it available to a wider audience, (and finding a way to maintain the vlog as well), would be great for you and for the rest of us. I wouldn’t be watching if the only use the vlog held was as a marketing tool for Wine Library, or as marketing tools for individual wines and winemakers you feature. What you’re doing is a great tool for people like me who are attempting to learn about wines without the pretense, without the cache, without a lot of unexplained jargon. I like it a lot and it has supplemented what I’m doing on my own to learn. Reading about tasting, about “terroir”, about wine regions, wine makers, etc., is only going to take me so far in learning. What I get from this vlog is a personal tutoring and real life understanding I take with me to my local wine “libraries”.

    You’re obviously a personable, intelligent, savvy guy who is using technology to his advantage as a marketing tool but also to share information freely, out of a genuine passion for your work. Definitely this is the essence of the internet, of sites like Democracy, digg, etc. Hopefully if you can maintain the vlogs and reach the larger masses via television you’ll only be creating something greater than what is already begun.

    I appreciate all you’ve done, good luck to you!

  19. July 23, 2006

    Greg

    I think it would be good to promise (and deliver), a predictable regimine of WLTV. Perhaps one a week would be appropriate. I haved loved the show from the beginning and hope it continues, but have always wondered if you could sustain the pace you were going over the long term.

    Please don’t make a deal that will restrict access to a “cable only” format. That would suck.

    Looking forward to Monday’s episode.

  20. September 25, 2006

    Brandon M

    WOW…I’m one of the WLTV die hards (I think), and I can’t believe how pissed people get when you miss. My wife thought this was the best thing as a break from my WLTVcholism was needed, like a huge TV show…you just weren’t at your fall prime time yet!

    :-) …people really take this too seriously, thanks for everything.

    B

  21. August 31, 2007

    WA Ambassador

    Noooooooooo… They’ll only screw things up! They always do. They take a great idea and flush it down the toilet as they “enhance” it with homogeneous junk. (I had a more colorful word for that, but I resisted the temptation)

  22. February 10, 2008

    The Fanjestic

    SO this almost happened before. Well – you know what, I would miss WLTV, but I wish there were some wine shows on TV. I mean it’s ridiculous that the FOod Network doesn’t already have several shows for wine and spirits. Maybe they do and I just haven’t seen them. Good Luck if this happens in the future!

  23. September 14, 2009

    John J.

    A national show would be great for you financially I’m sure. But that would make me (and others I’m sure) wonder about the ‘unbiasedness’ of how the show would go with so many businessmen having their hands in it. Because we wouldn’t want to see anything compromise the integrity of the show. If you ever get one though, and need ideas, a charbono or vin jaune episode would be nice.

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