Clef du Vin Goes Up Against Chateau Montelena and More

Clef du Vin Goes Up Against Chateau Montelena and More – Episode #274

July 12, 2007

Gary Vaynerchuk uses the Clef Du Vin and sees how it works and to see if it is worth it!

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Comments on this episode(225) Leave a comment ›

“Fascinating and fun episode. It’s nice to have this kind of experiment…” by Adrian aka AnGkEr
“Gary,
Love the music in the background, didnt know you were a journe…” by Chris Lotz
View all 225 ›

Wines tasted in this episode:

2005 Bzikot Puligny Montrachet AcPuligny Montrachet
2003 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet SauvignonNapa Cabernet

Links mentioned in todays episode.

225 Responses

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June 27, 2009

Adrian aka AnGkEr
Fascinating and fun episode. It’s nice to have this kind of experiment……great show
January 29, 2009

Chris Lotz
Gary,
Love the music in the background, didnt know you were a journey fan?
i really am the only Vayniac i know, but i always leave comments, past and present episodes.
December 1, 2008

Phil
Gary, When will we ever learn that instant anything eg. coffee etc. is a sad commentary on our society. Only in our instant society would anyone even think Clef du vin could possibly in one second equal one year. Thank you for saving me from relearning an old lesson the hard and expensive way. Great show. I look forward to viewing your others as I just found it while searching the net.
October 27, 2008

barry
Gary,
Very interesting presentation. I am partly responsible for importing the clef du vin into the US after the creator brought samples to me. The clef du vin emulates the oxidation/reduction equation catalytically. That is, it combines the short harsh tannin chains into longer soft tannin chains, thereby softening the wine and usually bringing out the fruit.Note it does not change the PH of the wine. What you experienced with the first wine was that the wine went through a “dumb” phase, where it seemed disjointed. At 10 years it was back to its ageing curve. The montelena shows to me that this particular vintage is not an age worthy wine as it fell apart. There was simply not enough fruit and too much tannin. I have personally tested many wines with many growers and winemakers in California and found that it is an excellent diagnostic tool. It basically tells you where the wine will be in the future.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have with regards to gadgets and gizmos in the wine world as I try to keep on top of them via my business Wine Accessories Unlimited http://www.wineaccessory.com
September 29, 2008

Casey Lee
hey gary thanks for the video…
ive used this item before myself, my uncle has one it was a gift that he recieved. for me, it doesnt work. it makes the wine have more of a metal taste to it. i didnt enjoy it..it didnt really ruin the wine but it dulled out the taste. kinda added a flavor of metal that shouldnt be there. my uncle doesnt use it himself. . . hes pretty wine smart too. but i wouldnt waste my money on it but hey thanks for your opinion thanks for the video always great and fun to watch ! keep em’ comin’
July 24, 2008

Dessert Wine Nerd
Wow. Hands down my favorite episode ( and strangest ) one ive seen out of the first 274. Kind of sad to see it didnt positively change the wines, even if it was just a little bit. Too bad its it costs a Benjamin, or else I’d grab one just to test this out. Liked the surprise ending with the white zin, too. Strange little device, but I think im going to pazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Yes, that was 40 z’s. QOTD: I know of no lurkers because I havent yet introduced myself to the Wine Library community.
July 1, 2008

Matt Dixon
Can anyone else hear Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’?
April 20, 2008

thisIslandEarth
Amazing, fun, interesting episode. Thanks GV. Now I know my spark-plug gap setter works as good (or better) than the Clef.
LOL
March 19, 2008

Davis
Great episode, coming out of that dark lurker closet. Being a science student I love a good experiment! And probably won’t be shelling out for the device on that evidence. Especially not with the Aussie dollar where it is.
December 21, 2007

spyder47
Thanks for the (partial) science lesson Dr. Vaynerchuk. Maybe we could all save ourselves $99.99 by getting a penny, scrubbing it up so it’s nice and clean, drilling a hole in it, threading some fishing line through the hole and then performing the same experiment.
December 15, 2007

Kristen
Excellent episode GV…it’s snowing outside, so I need something to do- so I’m catching up on old WLTV eps. Counting in Russian was cool. Nice touch.

And I’ve tried the Vinturi, it does work (for quick decanting) in my opinion.

QOTD: I used to be one, but now I post at every episode.
November 25, 2007

David James
Very interesting…but I guess it’s like the difference between bulking up naturally and using steroids: if you use steroids you might look the same, but your bulkiness will be mostly water and not real muscle.

So with this little thing, it might seem like it’s aged but it’s not. Still a fun experiment though.
October 26, 2007

NateO
QOTD: Me
October 20, 2007

Mulie
First time on the show that I found be Googling the Clef. Great show! I’ll be back.
August 29, 2007

Withnail
Great ep – very interesting/entertaining.
August 24, 2007

Brandon M
Are you done with #300 yet?
August 9, 2007

Sam I
Two educational episodes in a row!!! Awesome!
August 1, 2007

mcj
QOTD: I don’t know any, but I sure there are tons.
July 19, 2007

1855class
fascinating episode. i’ve been curious about that product, and now i’m not anymore. i recently aquired a wine gadget called the VINTURI- its a wine aerator. i have not done an emprirical studies but it seems to work for me. does anyone else have any experience with this product?

-word
July 17, 2007

Mike S.
Hey Gary,

I was checking out clef du vin’s web site and it says that the device is not supposed to accurately age the wine, but rather give you an indication of if the wine can be aged for long periods of time or not. According to their site, some wines do not age well, and some do age well, and the clef du vin will tell you if the wine will age well. If the wine still tastes good after say 5-8 seconds, then the wine can be aged, but if the wine taste bad after 5-8 seconds, then the wine can not be aged and should be drank within 2 years.

Just thought you may want to know if you don’t already. By the way, when is your Temecula wine episode coming?????????

Mike
July 17, 2007

zerokreap
gary, i rmember emailing you about that thing 2 years ago and you said it was probably crap…i am glad you finally did a show on it.
QOTD: i think i am the biggest lurker i know….
July 16, 2007

wine newbie
why do you have all comments on your main page to watch the episodes? i don’t want to wait for all the comments (sometimes 100’s!!) to load to my screen. why not have a link to see the comments instead of cluttering your main page? LOVE THE SHOW !!! signed, wine newbie
July 16, 2007

Donald Pipkin
And its great when you appear to almost puke a little in your mouth prior to tasting that oh-so-elusive 50-year old White Zin.
July 16, 2007

Donald Pipkin
“The grade skipper” – excellent! Intellectually may be there, but socially awkward.
July 16, 2007

Karl Satirev
If you want to kill algae in a pond, dump in copper sulfate (you’ll probably kill all the fish too if you overdose). Given the sulfur compounds inherent in wine, the device will have a dramatic effect, as all the “oxidation/reduction people” point out. The upshot is that now you know what B.S. tastes like.
P.S. Your Russian pronunciation has not suffered from disuse. It still is perfect. Slava!