159 Responses

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1. November 15, 2009

   John J.

   Hey Gary, would be nice to see you sherlock holmes a vin jaune on here

2. April 9, 2009

   Leana Hellman

   Leana from South-Africa

   Gary, whohoooo for Pinotage! Just love the fact that you love Nederburg! I am a true blood South-African currently living in US. Just slowly getting into the wine industry and starting my first introduction course this month (April) in Miami, Fl…. looooong story short. I have been reading on grape varieties and man my brain is overwhelmed, I did not know how on earth to make sense of it all TILL I STARTED LISTENING TO YOU! You rock and thank you so much for putting your knowledge out there for beginners like me to absorb! You are now part of my wine journey!

3. August 26, 2007

   FritzTheCat

   Gary & The Vaniacs,
   Just had my first bottle of Pinotage…(Stormhoek 2005 – 12.5 bones here)…I am truly blessed. I’ll be in the park with a paper bag drinking several bottles of Pinotage every day… soon.
   I was thinking about Sugar Smacks a while ago, and considered that they are a product of our food industry that just wants to get kids hooked on stuff that’s not necessarily good for them; thus the name smack!
   We are truly fortunate to be here, now.
   Regards,

4. May 3, 2007

   Lar

   Gary,

   just tuned in via corkd.com. Love your no nonsense approach. Have you tried Diemersfontein Pinotage yet? Outrageous chocolate and coffee going on.

   Lar

5. April 28, 2007

   Neal

   Hey G-Man: Can a wine with a plastic cork be corked? If not does that mean the wine just sux?

   Peace out, …neal

6. April 27, 2007

   Jen

   Oh, yeah… I DID see this… I just forgot, for whatever reason, yet it was still nestled in my subconscious, and it beckoned to me to try Pinotage!!! Please pardon the blonde moment.

7. April 20, 2007

   TSchampaert

   Yuw Gary. Yes, at last a full SA-wine ep. You know I can drool over some bottles a whole day. It’s just the in-between of SA. It can so beautifully combine the OW aspects of terroir, austerity and dirtiness with the NW joy of fruit, revving noses and fancy pumped up … things, yeah things. Pinotage is the key grape in this. And of course Kanonkop is fantastic, when I just saw the bottle I knew you’d love it. Try some others to: Beaumont, Laibach, Tukulu, Allée Bleue, … they’re just amazing. So thanks for this ep.
   Btw peeps: Goats do Roam is a pun on Cotes du Rhone. Same varietals and all. Had a few bottles and I have to say that I am quite dissap. with it. Doesn’t bring much more than a bit of oompf to the table. That’s that. Pity, liked the pun though.
   QOTD: luckiness? Hm, I woke up yesterday with the news of the VT drama and I’ve to admit that, even being a far from my bed show, I didn’t feel just normal about all. I’m still a student and I just can’t imagine happening smth like this, you know. I just wonder why … that’s he only thing you can say here: just why? Just one individual donig this … makes you to wonder what’s going wrong with us on this blue planet. It’s not the first time smth like this happens and it’s everytime so shocking. Dunno why. Maybe because smth like this uncovers the full amount of despair hidden by some paperthin layer of glossy good-feeling our way of living keeps up. So, maybe you should keep doing that: talking about family/friends and all, and the REAL enjoyment (jouissance like one Derrida liked to say) of that, not the fake talk and the hiding away from authentic emotions.
   Lucky I am that I have still some Italian blood in my veins: the Italian feeling of ‘la famiglia’ will hopefully never be smth strange for me.

8. April 19, 2007

   GottaGoDrink

   QOTD- My 12 year old had a school project where he had to pick from a list the things he considered important in life. He made some nice choices like “a good education,” “loving family and friends,” etc, then he said to me that if he lived in Iraq, his choices would be totally different and he would have chosen “freedom,” “peace,” and “a roof over his head,” things we all take for granted in our great country. We had a discussion about all the other places in the world his “other” list might apply to. We are very lucky. Our hearts go out to the VT family.

9. April 19, 2007

   Bill

   Is Goats Do Roam considered a joke? Not the name, I mean — the wine. I’m hardly an expert, but for me it’s one of the more reliable supermarket-available buys, and an interesting change of pace with all that leather and tobacco and tar. I make a spaghetti Caruso — a tomato sauce with chicken livers, mushrooms and peppers — and that rustic character of the Goats Do Roam is great with it.

10. April 19, 2007

    luvgrapesqeezings

    Stuff to consider for the QOD:
    http://www.frontiernet.net/~jimdandy/specials/blessed.htm

11. April 19, 2007

    MikeMe

    Way lucky GV, way lucky!

12. April 19, 2007

    Jaimelia

    I used to work with a woman who was a magnet for bad luck. If it could happen, it happened to Gloria. One day I noticed that she was especially stressed out and asked her if she was ok. Instead of dropping a litany of complaints, she turned to me and said, “No matter what happens, I can still be thankful. If all I have to be thankful for today is that I woke up with the use of my arms and legs, I am still thankful.” I return to that often. Most of us truly have no reason to complain on any level. We live in such a chaotic and isolated world now…we often don’t have reason to stop to think about how lucky we are in so many ways. For me…I’m lucky that I’ve lived through enough pain to know how good it feels when the pain is gone, but not so much that it’s damaged me forever. I’m lucky that I can type this message and know that even if I piss someone off… I’m not going to jail for it. I’m lucky that I can pick up a telephone and still hear the voices of both of my parents, who are about to celebrate their 40th anniversary. I’m lucky that I had thirteen and a half years with the best dog who ever lived. I’m lucky that my brother and his wife are such smart-asses and understand my sense of humor. I’m lucky that I am surrounded by friends and family and 75 bottles of wine. I am blessed beyond imagination. You can’t really ask for more than that.

13. April 18, 2007

    JayZee

    Nice episode, once again. QOTD: I am so blessed! I am married to an incredible woman who loves me for no discernible reason. We have two really cool cats, live in a beautiful house and we both have great jobs. We have enough discretionary funds to have a nice wine cellar as well. How lucky are we? Very. We even have WLTV!

14. April 18, 2007

    Joe In LA

    Very nice expression of the sentiments we all feel for Virginia Tech students and the families.Horribly sad tragedy. Thank you for that GV.

    The Tasting…. Nothing like a corked or tainted bottle spoil a good time! (thanks for comment # 131, Jon B. ).SA wines don’t do much for me though anyway.

15. April 18, 2007

    Kathleen Lisson

    Gary,
    We are unbelievably lucky. Especially to have our loved ones.

    Advice to the person who is visiting the FingerLakes – Dr. Frank Wine Cellars is the winery to visit. Other winery reviews from the Hudson Valley and Long Island are on my blog – myspace.com/gamay

16. April 18, 2007

    Dom

    My family is happy and healthy. I couldn’t be luckier! Great question Gary!

17. April 18, 2007

    DryDrew

    Gary
    When you will do South African value episode you have mentioned, can you pleas include Backsberg Pinotage? I am shore you guessed why.

    P.S. If you did not guess, well it’s OU.

18. April 18, 2007

    StanVH

    Gary,

    I have wondered several times why you use the term “petrol”. Isn’t this the same stuff as “gasoline”? Or does it just sound better as a wine term, or do European wines (South Africa included) smell of “petrol” whilst New World wines smell of “gasoline”? Is there a difference?

19. April 18, 2007

    Ken

    Gary, once again you have put out another great episode. I watched a little late so that is why these comments are so late. As you are, I’m excited about the potential in South African wines. I must admit that a few years ago I was a little skeptical about these wines given that I was less than impressed with the Pinotages that I had sampled. However, I now believe that the vintners in SA are seeing the light and will be regularly putting out wines on par with the Aussies and Kiwis. By the way, since you could not recall it, Pinotage was created in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, a professor at Stellenbosch University – I could not recall this either but I looked it up ; – ) The Kanonkop & Rustenberg sound intriguing and I’ll have to give them a whirl. It’s too bad the Rustenberg was corked!!

    Since I don’t contribute to the forums I’m glad to learn that I am not a lurker because I add my comments here.

    QOTD: I consider myself to be very lucky because I have my health, my family, & WLTV to watch. Thanks.

20. April 18, 2007

    drydrew

    With regards to the QOTD when you start thinking about how many things you are to be thankful for, how can one ever complain!

21. April 18, 2007

    TagWorld Brian

    Gary, great QOTD. We are very lucky. Lucky to have family, friends, good wine to share. Lucky to be over age 21.

22. April 18, 2007

    Jim

    QOTD: My dad and I were having dinner a couple of weeks ago at our favorite restaurant, over a great bottle of wine talking about this very thing.

    Like Gary, I’ve had the good fortune to join my father in a successful business, and had a great time playing no small part in that success.

    I don’t know how God has it worked out as far as who’s born where and to whom, but the fact that I was born in the USA, in Texas, to the loving family I have which has also provided me with the opportunities I’ve had, and had the people in my life to provide me with wonderful spiritual influences; yeah, I feel like the most blessed person alive.

    Best wishes to all of you and your families.

23. April 18, 2007

    Clifford James

    Greetings Gary,

    I want to thank you for taking the time to mention that your hearts are with us here in Virginia as we struggle through this unusual and disturbing time in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech … uh … well, I guess you would truly have to call it a “massacre.” It is oddly comforting to know that people all across the country have been as affected by this as we have, and that their hearts are with all those here whose lives have been touched by this incident; I appreciate that you made mention of the event on your program.

    I now work down the road from Virginia Tech in a smaller university, but I used to work at Tech and still have many friends there; indeed, Blacksburg was my home in Virginia for ten years. Monday morning was certainly harrowing for all of us here. At first the local news was telling us that one person was dead and 17 were injured, which really didn’t make much sense to us at the time; how are so many injured, what kind of injuries, by whose hand and for what reason. The images on the television were surreal as we witnessed local, state, and ATF police running around the so-familiar streets and buildings in Blacksburg, on the Virginia Tech campus. “This is pretty weird,” we found ourselves mumbling, all eyes glued to the screen. My girlfriend’s mother (who was actually my last girlfriend: don’t ask … just read our book when it comes out!) works near Norris Hall, where the majority of the shootings took place. At this point the local Roanoke news was reporting gunshots in that building, but they still reported only one fatality and 17 wounded. I called my girlfriend, told her the news, and had her call her mother to make sure she was OK. Thankfully she was, but she was definitely shaken as they had been told to stay put, stay down and stay away from the windows … she said it was scary as hell.

    A murder on a local campus is certainly scary, but what the heck was still going on over there at Tech? I mean we were still seeing loops of images on the news, and they were trying to keep us updated, but the details were extremely sketchy. First they said there was a single murder in one of the dorms, but then they said there was another shooting across campus. At one point they reported at least three separate shooting incidents and locations, with an undisclosed number of gunmen and victims, but so far nothing was confirmed. For us, staring at the television in our offices, it was … nail-biting and otherworldly at the same time, as if time were suspended and our collective breath held for want of facts, information, and news that it really isn’t that bad, that it’s over, and even hope that it was just a hoax, rumor, and false alarms. Somehow, though, with that many police running around, we braced ourselves for the notion that this was bad …

    … but how can one prepare for what we learned next?

    The reporters mentioned a promised press-conference to be held at noon, but as noon approached, and ticked past, we were still left wondering what was going on, and feeling helpless and just a little bit scared. All they could show us was the same campus map with the buildings in question highlighted in red, but no additional news of what was happening, and how many people were involved, both victims and gunmen; we were certainly led to believe that more than one gunman was involved.

    Then it came … the press conference, which was not televised live, but reported on once it was completed. It was about quarter past twelve and we awaited news with, needless to say, extremely bated breath. Then, the unbelievable statistic: 20 dead.

    NO WAY! That HAS to be a mistake! They mean 20 wounded, don’t they? We stared at each other, a bit bewildered, truly looking in one another’s eyes, seeing the fear, the alarm, experiencing a newborn sense of solidarity as the physical space among us fizzled to a sort of grainy tunnel-vision between our eyes, everything else in our peripheral vision falling away… this can’t be happening!

    Sure enough, though, it was happening, apparently. The reporter exclaimed that an audible gasp swept through the room as the news was imparted; 20 confirmed dead, and an unknown number wounded. What the hell is going on!!! As if to augment and amplify the confusion and concern the electricity suddenly went out in our building, which was eerie, adding additional trepidation to an already tenuous day. What made matters worse for our particular campus is that our building houses all of the cable network connections for the entire campus, so that now, just after learning that things were far worse than we had originally been told up there at the Tech campus, the concerned students, faculty and staff at our campus no longer had cable working, so we were left in the dark at the precise fever-pitch of anxiety and alarm. We called around and found a honking generator which was immediately trucked over to our site as we scrambled around trying to figure out exactly what to power with it. Thankfully the power came on just as we were heatedly debating what was essential to power up and how to go about it, so we were back in business, rebooting equipment and checking the television and satellite status.

    By the time we had the cable and satellite feeds back up the fatality-count had increased to 22! Twenty-two dead! By now we knew for certain that this was an event which would attract national coverage, but there was still so much confusion and the police were still seen running all around with drawn guns and Kevlar vests and automatic rifles. Now there was additional footage and pictures from students and faculty on the Tech campus using their cell phones and digital cameras to record the unreal, incredible events that were continuing to unfold all around their campus. Reporters had called all the local hospitals and came back with figures that showed there were 58 wounded people being treated due to this incident. One individual called in to the news station from his cell phone and there were clear gunshots heard in the background of that call; this was scary shit, and still so much uncertainty of what exactly was happening, and, perhaps for the first time, the question as to “why” began to form in our collective consciousness.

    A colleague and I were called to an important downtown location to check audio video problems, and by the time we had that equipment working the television now said 32 dead! Christ that just CAN’T BE! It was only 22 ten minutes ago!!! This is getting out of control. WHAT IS HAPPENING?

    As the day tumbled ands skidded on the facts trickled in slowly so that by 4 o’clock much of the story had been demystified and the horror of what had taken place began to truly seep into our beings. We slowly came out of a numbing kind of trance and realized the enormity, and the ramifications, of what we had just witnessed, so close to us, in the streets and buildings that were oh-so-familiar, with people we knew, or knew about … it all hit home. Too close to home!

    Now, two days later, our nerves have begun to relax, but I wouldn’t exactly say everything is back to normal. My girl Darcey and I have held one another even tighter than we normally do, and more often. We have tried to imagine being in that situation, with classmates and colleagues being murdered right in front of you, and find that we simply cannot fathom that form of reality, in the same way that I have never been able to truly fathom war (as a side-note: we found it ironic that George Bush came to offer his condolences when in reality his “war on terror” has created far more deaths than this deranged youth, though couched in the framework of the legitimacy of war – what a crock! Just an observation … ).

    Darcey and I are now feeling the need to mourn, to breathe, to reconnect, and to celebrate in a new way all that we have, the blessings we enjoy, and the Love and intimacy we share. An event like this does indeed compel one to look at life in a different way, and to value the things that really matter while allowing the trivial and inconsequential to fall away. We have been saving one of those 500ml bottles of Neal Family Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as a $50 bottle of Margaux you recommended on one of your lazy Fridays (neither of which we had any business buying, in truth, given our financial situation, yet it seems so right, now, that we did buy them) … so we figure it’s time to pop those and enjoy all the stimuli, emotions, memories, and wonderment that come with a really nice wine. We are thankful to you, Gary, for helping show us the way toward greater and greater appreciation of the complexities of this elixir of the gods, and for making our buying decisions easier and more precise than ever before. Please keep up what you do, and know that, YES, it does indeed make a difference.

    Yes indeed!
    You make a difference.
    Isn’t that powerful?

    Thanks for keeping Virginia Tech in your heart!

24. April 18, 2007

    Kathy

    Thanks for the definition of corked wine. What is wrong when the wine has a taste of Sherry? I have gotten that on occasion and I find it horrible and thought it was corked. But I guess not.

    QOTD. So lucky to have been born in the land of freedom, have a husband who loves me and kids who are happy and busy in sports, with incredible friends, and also for parents who raised me in a community of faith. So sorry for all that has happened.

25. April 18, 2007

    wayno da wino

    “Dirty, zingy, zangy, weird junkyard flavors…”
    Yummy!!!! Gimme somma dat Black Rock White !!!!!

    Great energy/enthusiasm ona interesting episode!!

    QOTD: GOD has definitely blessed us; Health,
    Wealth, Family, Friends, WLTV, ………..
    It don’t get any better than this !!!!!!!!!!!

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