52 Responses

1. July 28, 2006

   Dan G

   Thanks for Wine Library TV, Gary. It’s a big help, and always entertaining.

   Glad to here your impressions on the Far Niente. There’s a bottle sitting on the shelf at our shop that I now know not to push on my customers. Appreciate your integri

2. July 28, 2006

   Colin D. Devroe

   Great episode, even though the wine sucked.

3. July 28, 2006

   Brandon M

   #2 Today…I’m getting there!!!…but I gota go watch the vlog.

4. July 28, 2006

   Cameron

   My funny wine story:
   During a big tasting at a winery that shall remain nameless, I managed to confuse the spit bucket with the communal water bucket. Both were in dark containers, so my mild inebriation is only partially to blame. I poured my remaining wine into the water; luckily, no one saw this. In my kindness, I figured ‘hey, I managed to get away with that, I don’t need to tell anyone.’ So, my apologies to whoever rinsed their glass/mouth out with that water. I’m sure I have bad wine karma coming my way.

5. July 28, 2006

   Jason

   This is the third episode I’ve caught, and I just love this podcast. It really says something about Gary’s integrity that he’s willing to go 0 for 4. Thank you!

6. July 28, 2006

   cgf

   I was at a winery in the finger lakes with my girlfriend and her two sisters and the girl pouring there was very nice. She did not charge us for some extra wines we had in our tasting, so I decided to leave her a tip. I mistakenly put the two bucks into the spit bucket instead of the tip jar, and everyone started laughing. Instead of leaving them there, I immediately stuck my hand in the half-full bucket and fished out my two bucks. I didn’t have any other small bills on me, so I just put my spit-meritage covered bills back into my pocket and exited without leaving her a tip. Oh well.

7. July 28, 2006

   Tim Faitsch

   Every time we go out after work for drinks, we go to a place that really isn’t much of a wine place. So everytime we go, I order a bottle of wine (or two or three). I know, it’s not a funny story, but all of my coworkers think it’s hysterical.

   Also, I don’t think you’ve done a show on Port. In my opinion, a great vintage port is one of the greatest non-sexual pleasures one can experience in life…

8. July 28, 2006

   Tony G.

   Okay, funny story; we were coming home from Cape Cod with a case of Angelini (my wife’s favorite), which we can’t seem to ever get in NJ, and got rear ended. My wife’s first comment . . . “THE WINE!”. Not are you okay, not how bad’s the car, just “THE WINE”. I’m glad to say it survived.

9. July 28, 2006

   Dave

   Funny (well more tragic) story:

   Wife and I are moving out of our apartment. I fugure, I’ll just wheel my small cellar out with the wine in it. Cellar hits a crack in the sidewalk on the way to the moving van. Out comes and ‘82 Mouton Rothschild. Yep. Smash! All over the sidewalk. Advice: always box up your wines if you’re moving. Ugh…

10. July 28, 2006

    garybee

    Gary,
    My wife and I were touring wineries in the Clare Valley. We stopped at Jim Barry Winery and were the only people there. Behind the counter was a little 75 year-old woman pouring wine. We’d tasted the four wines that were poured for us … and I asked if we could taste the Armagh. She said that it is not available for tasting. After telling her that we’d come all the way from the U.S. and had hoped to try the Armagh, she said, “Well, hell. I own the place, so I guess I can serve anything I want. Plus, I can have the rest of the bottle with dinner.”
    Seems that we were talking to Jim Barry’s wife Nancy.
    She cracked me up…and the Armagh was the nicest, smoothest Shiraz I’ve ever had.

11. July 28, 2006

    scotty

    My wife and I were married 2 months (1988)and deceided to have a bbq.We grilled up the perfect rib eyes and sides and I opened one of my first “real wines” a 78′Renato Barolo. The wine was massive and earthy,a delight. It was at this time when”Uncle Frank” deceided to come over to say hello,he couldn’t stay yet would love a glass of wine. New to the family I did not know what I was about to be in for. I poured a glass of this great wine approaching it’s peak, handed it to my new wine family and watched him drown it in coke and ice cubes. I must of had the “priceless” look on my face because my wife kicked me under the table several times to keep my mouth shut. I still think I have those bruses all these years later.

12. July 28, 2006

    John

    Gary,

    As soon as I saw the wines, I knew that you were going to go 0 for 4. All four of those producers have significantly dropped their quality of late. Mid-level Cali Chard has been virtually wiped off the map. If you go onto any of the wine forums, you’ll never hear any of the more experienced wine folk speaking of these wines, except with utter contempt, that is, unless they are reminiscing about when they were great……..like the ‘92 Far Niente. Nowadays to get good Chard, you’re having to go for the Kistler, Pahlmeyer, Loring, Kongsgaard, Peter Michael, Newton, Marcassin, or Brewer-Clifton. If you’re looking for something in a lower price range, the Hartford Court Stone Cote, Williams-Seylam, and Beringer Sbragia are all pretty good for under $35.

    As far as Merlot and Cab go, Duckhorn and SLWC have simply been left in the dust of the many excellent Napa wines that deliver much greater quality at the same price point. Duckhorn delivers some decent wines in its higher price categories ( Estate Napa, Monitor Ledge, Patzimaro ), but een those cannot compete since they run around $100 per. As far as SLWC, their time in the limelight ended in the early ’90’s. I think now they are surviving only on name recognition and an uninformed mass of new wine drinkers….but hey, thats what you’re here for, right?!?

    Looking forward to tomorrow’s episode.

    Wilks

13. July 28, 2006

    Kevin C

    Hi Gary,

    This is kind of off topic, but I’m wondering if you can do an episode on value Spanish reds, especially since you just came back from Spain.

    I don’t know if you were aware, but about a couple of months ago, RP began writing a column each week in the Business Week called “Executive Life: Parker on Wine” with a few recommendations each week.

    This week’s topic is “Spanish Reds, Incomparable Value”, and he’s got one of his seven buck 90 pointers, along with other value Spanish reds, listed. I have personally been more often disappointed than not with RP’s cheap 90 point recommendations in the past and wanted to get YOUR opinion on these, if possible.

    The wines on his recommended list are:
    Bodegas y Vinedos de Jalon 2004 Vina Alarda Old Vines 90 Points
    Finca Luzon 2004 Luzon 90 Points
    Bodegas Mas Que Vinos 2003 Ercavio Roble 91 Points
    Senorio de Barahonda 2004 Monastrell Tinto 90 Points
    Celler de Capcanes 2003 Mas Donis Barrica 92 Points
    Bodegas Castan 2003 Solanera 91 Points

    Now I don’t even know if you carry these (I’ve bought the Capcanes and Finca Luzon from WL before), but can you put the available ones to the test along with the Panarroz that was just aweful, in my opinion? Thanks in advance !

14. July 28, 2006

    Mike

    Wow, I was shocked to see so many highly regarded wines not show as well as you thought they would. You referred to the Far Niente as a “commercial” effort. Do you think that some of these bigger name producers are thriving more off there name than the actual juice now? Or is this something of an enigma? As for my classic wine story. A few years ago, my friends and I throw a huge party at our house. We bought 3 kegs and quickly ran out of them playing beer pong. At the time, I was drinking mostly 5L boxes of Franzia to appease my gf when she wanted wine. Long story short, after we ran out of beer, we had 50 people jam packed into our living playing wine pong with like 4 half drank, old boxes of Franzia. Needless to say, the next morning I awoke with a massive headache and swore off box wines forever after that.

15. July 29, 2006

    kw

    you guys have been out of jordan for a while…

16. July 29, 2006

    Denis

    My funny story. At a world famous Las Vegas casino, I was working in one of their fine dining rooms late one night when I saw a few sommeliers from the other fine dining rooms enjoying a bottle of 82 Petrus in the resturant lounge. I enquired as to what was going on and I was told that a sommelier had served a 82 Petrus to a comped player(high roller) and as soon as they pulled the cork they realized it was counterfeit. They decided to serve the tasting so as not to reflect badly on the casino and assume the guest would not accept the wine. The guest accepted the wine. Later on, a second bottle was ordered and this bottle was legitimate. The guest declined the bottle. A third bottle was presented and again the bottle was counterfeit. The guest accepted the bottle. So now the sommelier had an opened bottle of 82 Petrus and being a generous soul they shared it with the other sommeliers. This sort of thing happens because casinos buy private collections and some collections have fake bottles of prestige wines.

17. July 29, 2006

    MarcT

    Here’s a good story.
    I am a personal chef but I also do wine, cheese, beer, etc tastings for my clients. Two years ago Christmas I was doing a multi-bottle wine tasting for a super client of mine (party of 8). I had set up quite the seen with little bowls of coffe beans, chocolate, pepper, tobacco, leather, green apples, apricots, and so many other things that could be found in the nose and the mouth of the wines that we we’re to be tasting.
    I started the tasting and I was standing in front of my clients explaining the first wine that we were going to taste. I picked up my glass and started to swirl the wine…all over my white shirt!!! 1st wine, cabernet, on my chest! It was a moment of grace.
    We all laughed so hard we were crying. It was funny but also a great start to a very fun evening. It was the ultimate “ice breaker”.
    So that is my funny story. By the way if anyone cares…Mr. Lee (my dry cleaner and best cleaner in Douglasville, GA) got the wine out and saved my shirt

18. July 29, 2006

    MarcT

    the symbol is actually an 8

19. July 29, 2006

    Al Diaz

    Can you please do an episode on Ports. You don’t like ports? I have bought some great ports in the past and the last one from Benziger in Sonoma was awesome. Thanks, A

20. July 29, 2006

    mikep

    Too bad on the wines. Not surprising as thousands will be opened tonight (Saturday) and people won’t have a clue as to how bad they are, but they recognize he name, and isn’t that what’s important? There is a reason that the Jordans, Cakebreads and tthe like are top seller every year.

    Anyhow. Years ago (early 80s) when first married I would go to Christmas holiday at the in-laws home with great bottles of Bordeaux. Some quite memorable. My brother-in-law would pour his wine into a glass, add ice cubes and a little Coca-Cola!! I would cringe. My mother in law knew I was taking it rough and together we devised a plan. We keep the great wines (which she was a great fan of) in the kitchen behind the micro-wave, and on the table put a Bolla Bardolino. Perfect for the ice cube gang. We got away with it for a few years until the offending relatives started doing Christmas eve with the in-laws, and Christmas day at my brother-in-laws parents home. Sure enough, the Beychevelles, Pichons, Leovilles and Pape Clements (mostly all from the 60s and 70s) made took their rightful place alongside the Chateaubriand. Bottom line. He could care les what was in the glass, as long as he can add to it, even putting peaches in it for dessert.

21. July 29, 2006

    Doug

    Gary, Gary … you SUUUURE you didn’t plan this episode as a 0 for 4 when you started?

    You SUUUURE you thought you’d like those wines?

    Just wondering …

    

22. July 29, 2006

    garyv

    Doug huge fan of these wineries , I really am. So yes I am SUUUUURE

23. July 30, 2006

    Russ J

    The summer just after our college graduation, a couple of friends and I spent about 10 weeks trekking around Europe complete with the requisite backpacks and Eurail passes. About 2/3 of the way into the trip, we were in Venice and not really enjoying it: hot, smelly, rip-offs at every turn (I have been back since and loved it). That night, we bought a huge bottle of red wine. Not only was it a screw cap, but the bottle was plastic! We slugged it down while sitting at the edge of the Grand Canal heckling the “tourists” taking their evening gondola rides. Hours later, back at the flop house/hostel we were staying at, one of my friends succumbed to the charms of that wine and crawled out on the narrow balcony of our room to remove it, and his dinner, from his stomache. He wretched his guts out just above the heads of scores of oblivious revelers at the cafe’s below. To his credit, he managed to keep everything on the balcony so that no one below received a very nasty addition to their evening.

24. July 30, 2006

    WG

    I thought that this I saw the other day was pretty funny. It’s another wine video blog site (sorry Gary!) but it left me in hysterics, so i just had to share it with you all… http://www.virtualwine.co.uk/virtualwineblog/?p=139

25. July 30, 2006

    Susan

    Gary,
    This comment is off topic but this episode is GREAT for 2 reasons. I like your off-the-cuff style and honesty. I was taking care of my nephew on July 29th and he loved the part with the birds. He giggled, yelled and cheered for the birds. Well, we both loved the episode!:):) I like 2 for 1 deals!

26. July 30, 2006

    JP

    Gary,

    This may not be funny, but interesting. My wife and I went to the Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend this past spring. There were several big name wines as well as some unknown to us. We finished up at the Reynolds Family Winery tasting booth. I decided that they had one of the best wines of the show. At that time the show was closing and we had to leave. The next day I decided that I wanted to purchase a case of the wine but was not sure what I tasted. I contacted the winery and was told that they had served a cabernet and a red wine blend named Persistence. The problem is that I did not know which one we had. As luck would have it a local restaurant had a tasting that featured Reynolds Family Winery. My wife and I ended up going and paying good money to find out what I should have noted. The wine was the Reynolds Family Winery “Persistence”. I think this wine is exceptional and I would be interested in seeing if you agree. This winery has a great story and I feel that you’ll be seeing more of their name. By the way I purchased the wine from WL. You guys do a great job of finding unique wines. If you like Chardonnay they have a very good Chard. My wife and I don’t normally drink Chards, however we have made an exception for these guys and have you specialist ordering a case for us in for fall shipment. Keep up the great work.

27. July 30, 2006

    sheila

    I am not surprised about your conclusions about the Cakebread and Cask 23. After visiting Napa last year, the only awesome chard that Cakebread had was their reserve brand. As for the Cask 23, I am really not a fan of that. I do find it comical that you often hear others order these expensive, over-rated wines when out to dinner (prob to impress others!!!) I think that restaurants are a great opportunity to try a more reasonably priced option such as a wine from Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, etc.

    As for a wine story…I had a party where 2 of my beloved Riedel glasses were inadvertently smashed to pieces early in the evening (won’t bring those out again). Towards the end of the night, after having tried too many wines, I went to sit down on my chair, it slipped and I ended up on the floor covered in wine. To make a point, I made sure that everyone knew that at least my wine glass was still intact…

    Oh, and please do an episode on ports/after-dinner wines.

28. July 30, 2006

    Matty Van

    Gary love the show, will be placing my first order with winelibrary.com tonight so it is serving its purpose.

    I once after a few too many glasses decided to show everyone in the room how I can juggle three full wine bottles….after 5 seconds of juggling I managed to give one a bad toss back up into the air and it landed on my girlfriends foot breaking one of her toes. She was pissed and I did not get any for a week.

29. July 31, 2006

    Dennis

    Gary
    A simple thanks, your comments are insightful and appreciated. With so many wines to try, it helps to which ones may not be worth the effort or expense.

30. July 31, 2006

    Paul

    Always entertaining. Your Comment on the emmy’s and BV. That goes back to when seagrams owned universal studios. They alway placed there products in shows. Fraisier, Friends etc. It continue now with diageo. they have two full time people out in hollywood doing product placements
    Also Tony G – Angelini wines are import by Paul Angelini of New London Ct. They are available in NY. Localling they are distributed be the Little Wine Company
    Finally Gary New Jersey was just named the 5th largest wine producing state. How about a show about drinking locally.

31. July 31, 2006

    Tim Gatton

    Just found winelibrary.tv … letting my wine friends know about this.

    BTW: can you ship to Maryland yet?

32. July 31, 2006

    Buddy

    I was a a multi-couple dinner party (I wasn’t serving the wines), and this couple was raving about how great the Cakebread Chardonnay was all night and the truth was, the Cakebread was gone very early and Woodbridge was served the rest of the night. I have tons of similar experiences like that,that I find funny. Funny you mentioned Jordan and Landmark in this video. Two wines I didn’t think much of until I stayed at there guest houses. Now two of my favorites. Jordan was one of the beautiful properties I have ever stayed at.

33. August 2, 2006

    MBG

    Gary,

    I’m shocked that for someone so informed about wines, you’d seem suprised that these “restaurant wines” sucked. I’ve known this for years. That’s why I bring my own wines to most restaurants. Not only do these wines underperform, but the prices for them both retail and in restaurants are ridiculous. Duckhorn and Far Niente and living on their reputations from the 80’s and 90’s. Add to this overated restaurant list: Silver Oak, Grgich Hills, Jordan, BV, Nickel & Nickel and most Mondavi. For quality/affordable wines look to Chappellet, Peju and Flora Springs in Napa. In Washington, look for Gordon Brothers, Bookwalter, Fidelitas and Owen Roe. If you want to spend $$$ and get what you pay for, Pride and Lewis Cellars blow away all of the wines that you tasted today.

34. August 3, 2006

    Gino

    upon opening up a nice bottle of white wine with a relaive in Italy, she poured water into my glass. The look of horror on my face–whats wrong–you dont use water with your wine? oyyy veyyyy !!! NO!! i like it straight up i responded! LOL

35. August 3, 2006

    Ted

    Thank goodness for BYO restaurants. I just continue to patronize them – much better to bring my own than “stumble” upon the ones like you tasted. I have had the same experience.

    Keep up the great work.

36. August 3, 2006

    raymond nisi

    You know, while watching episode 60, I kept having to pause it to run into another room and tell my birds, a Mollucan cockatoo and a blue fronted amazon parrot to keep quiet. Now I find out it was your birds and I owe them an apology. Interesting on the rest. wines since if we don’t have these wines on our lists, people ask about them. Keep up the good work.

37. August 3, 2006

    Italian Stallion

    Now I see what the Sqeaking was

38. January 13, 2007

    Johnny

    Lay off da cracky buddy! duckhorn and stags leap are the best wines you probley have ever had moron!

39. January 16, 2007

    ThomasS

    Disaster? Now, I would not say that; it is maybe good to show again that you can’t judge a wine om name or price tag. Just the thing in the bottle, that what really counts.
    QOTD: The first time I got invited for a wine jury, i.e. Megavino – the annual biggest wine fair in Belgium – I had the spit bucket spitting back at me: just got a bit too enthusiastic in spitting, dropplets of red all over my face … Good first appearance in that world, I guess.

40. February 28, 2007

    cyrock1

    Hey Gary!
    Im glad to see these wines go 0 for 4. Cutomers are always dropping big names like this in the store and act like the store is in the wrong if we don’t cary them. There seems to be so many wines that are riding on the reputation of a once upon a time great rating by WS or RP. I would
    suggest just about any wine from Spanish importer Jorge Ordoñez over these over rated wines.

    Funniest story…

    I was at a tour at Fetzer (first of that day) and we were tasting juice straight out of the fermentation tanks. Every time the tour guide opened the spigot, juice would trickle out and we would put our wine glasses under it, get a few drops and taste. I thought it was all going well and thought it was quite a priveledge to taste wine during varying degrees of fermentation until…

    I was standing directly in front of the little spigot when the tour guide opened it and Fetzer’s finest red juice sprayed all over my very light colored khaki pants.

    Result… free bottle of Bonterra Syrah (not very good) and a new belief in the powers of the miracle wine remover Wine Away. By the time we arrived at Silver Oak the stain was gone.

    Keep up the great work Gary!

41. June 28, 2007

    David Canada

    I had a killer cask 23 from 1997 that rocked my world
    QOTD – I was tasting in Western Australia and Cullen and I was tasting their Dianna Madeliene and when i went to spit the wine out, I spit it all over my white golf shirt….idiot…yeah

42. August 29, 2007

    soyhead

    The first episode to suggest being the first to post
    (look at what a monster you have created)

43. August 31, 2007

    WA Ambassador

    I definitely want to see more of this. Trying wines at a restaurant is an interesting experience. I have found some really good wines that way. The latest discovery that I made while an a lunch cruise was a 2005 J. Lohr cab/sauv. It’s still young, but it has massive potential!

44. September 6, 2007

    GrapeStuff

    Agree – would definitely like seeing another Restaurant episode!

45. December 11, 2007

    Josh in Burgundy

    Gotta love the vintage Gary V. You even look a little uncomfortable on camera at some points. I am so proud, you have come so far. Keep on truckin my man we will get you on Leno or Letterman yet!

46. February 7, 2008

    Deeve

    Never mind the sounds of the birds, how about the constant sounds of sirens in the background.

47. February 10, 2008

    The Fanjestic

    Too much at a tasting and I accidentally knocked a wine glass out of someones hand and it got on my friends jacket. (White Jacket) I gave him a bottle of 04 Four Vines Maverick and he laughed it off. You couldn’t get that wine in Kansas at the time.

48. March 17, 2008

    Kristen

    Thanks for telling the honest truth about those wines…and seeing the birds was cool!

    QOTD: We had a party at my friend’s (tiny) apartment in France. Basically, it was like a single dorm room and somehow we fit 30-something people in there. We had his apt window open and it overlooked a courtyard. We bought a *lot* of cheap champagne for the party and when it got going, it was just a lot safer to open them up over the window and let the corks fly. The next AM (well, mid-afternoon, I won’t lie), we found about 10 different champagne corks all around the courtyard.

49. September 14, 2009

    John J.

    Ok, well seems kinda silly now to have left a comment on the last episode about the birds being that the episode is over 3 years old lol.
    And you want our help, more emails? I really would love to see a Vin Jaune and Charbono episode/tasting.
    And speaking of that transition you made, I’ll be curious to see when you 1st mention the oak monster.
    In the restaurant where I work, we do carry the Duckhorn merlot, now I’m curious to try it again. Sadly, I don’t control all the wine ordering, but we do also carry Duckhorn’s sav blanc, which I have had recently, and do like quite a bit. But, just like the BV which is way worse a winery in my opinion, that name sells it. Plus it tastes better to guests than it would if it were in a different label, due to that name recognition. Just reinforces the power of the blind tasting.
    And that Cask 23? We carry that too, not that vintage, but the 97, and I have tried that and I think that is a really good wine. I might steer away from the 98 now though lol.

50. September 14, 2009

    John J.

    oh and qotd: about 6 years ago, I was a waiter and I was serving drinks to a table. I had to reach across the table to serve this lady a martini, which was pretty much out of my reach and I had a glass of red wine on the tray I was holding. While trying to serve the martini, the glass of red wine fell off the tray. It fell and the glass broke on top of the man’s head in front of me at the table, and the broken glass and wine then fell into his entree that I had dropped seconds before.
    I ended up apologizing so profusely, he gave me a $20 bill on top of 20%. And that was at a bar and grill.

51. September 14, 2009

    John J.

    Man I hate having to leave a 3rd comment on 1 episode, but I just noticed the comment by Davivcanada. He had the Cask 23 97 vintage as well and loved it. I recommend you try that 1 Gary.

52. November 21, 2009

    Andrew D

    Hey Gary

    QOTD: Let’s just say it involved way too much wine, an ex-girlfriend’d motehrs 50th birthday party and a couple of shattered bottles. Oh the memories…

    Cheers
    Andrew

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