Thanksgiving Wine Episode

Thanksgiving Wine Episode – Episode #586

November 27, 2008

Gary Vaynerchuk talks about the 4 wines in the secret pack that many of you got. Sit back and enjoy.

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Comments on this episode(113) Leave a comment ›

“Tried the Thunder…very intriguing. Good job. Excellent with sushi. W…” by Chris and Liz
“QOTD: Didnt get the secret pack since no shipping to Washington, so a…” by Dessert Wine Nerd
View all 113 ›

Wines tasted in this episode:

2007 Poesia TorrontesArgentine Torrontes
2006 Thunder Napa WhiteNapa White Meritage
2006 Christophe Buisson Bourgogne RougeBourgogne Rouge
2005 Shifrin Howell Mt ZinfandelNapa Red Zinfandel

Links mentioned in today’s episode.

The first Shifrin Zin episode

113 Responses

November 27, 2008

LB in KS
happy thanksgiving!
November 27, 2008

shawn
week 15 !!!!!!!!
November 27, 2008

David Dickinson
Happy Thanksgiving all!
November 27, 2008

Dale Cruse
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2008

boingoal
Happy Thanksgiving.
November 27, 2008

Lorem Ipsum
I love it…an EFA. How long before we hear “mother EFA”?

Peace and happy thanksgiving.
November 27, 2008

Derek F.
Great episode Gary!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, thanks again for everything you do for us!!
November 27, 2008

Greg Noorman
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2008

DrEdwardo
Top 10. Now to watch the episode….

Edwardo
November 27, 2008

Andy
Happy Thanksgiving G …. Hope to enjoy some good vino
November 27, 2008

Marc-China Wine Tours
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
November 27, 2008

dherbie
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Haven’t posted in a while.
Gary – any chance you are going to make the site Cooliris friendly?
November 27, 2008

Jerry Bob
Happppyyyyy. Turkey day!
November 27, 2008

Scott EJ
Happy T-Day to you as well, G. Looks like a great lineup on the pack. Perfect for this day.

I’m with you on the Lions/Jets game. Although, I just don’t think the boys from MoTown got what it takes on both sides of the ball to pull it off. They are to me like a very, very unballanced wine with zero finish.
November 27, 2008

Jonathan
Great pick on the 4 wines in the secret pack. My favorite is the Pinot Noir, wow is all I can say for that price. The zin and the Torrentes were also awesome. Thanks for the choices. The tannens on the back of the zin is great. Thanks for it all.
November 27, 2008

Susan
Gary & Chris, Happy Thanksgiving!!! All of you working at WL today really are dedicated to the job and the wine business!!!!!!!! Thanks for all of the long hours!!!!!!!!!!!
November 27, 2008

Top 20 Baby!
The vid has been out for 30 minutes and on 17 comments. Does anyone still watch Gary? Don’t worry Gary, I promise you can always count on an audience of 20 or so.
November 27, 2008

hi
nice
November 27, 2008

Daniel Kemp
Happy Thanksgiving.

If you want to see Bobby’s e-mail it is at part 18:26
November 27, 2008

Kevin K
The Thunder White is quite delicious.
November 27, 2008

Rob
Happy T-Day to all. I laughed out loud when my wife tried the Poesia Torrontes

“It tastes like I just took a sip of Lysol.”
November 27, 2008

Dr T in NC
QOTD — still working on the last two secret packs, so didn’t join in. Sorry I missed the white Thunder.
November 27, 2008

Roberto
happy thanksgiving to you and your family!!!

did not get the secret pack, but do have 3 of the 4 wines here (coincidentally) so I will try them tomorrow!!!

go dolphins.
November 27, 2008

Withnail
Great ep! HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all!
November 27, 2008

M
I didn’t have the secret pack. My loss. Torrontes is on my to do list along with Assyrtiko (spell?). Last year we had a yummy Bourgogne for Thanksgiving and this year we’ll have a Chilean pinot noir and an Italian Bardolino (spell?).
November 27, 2008

mikek
Gary & Chris, Best to you & yours this Thanksgiving! As a new member of the “Vaynor Nation”, I have to sincerely “Thank You” for all the effort, and especially for the passion you guy’s bring to the show! May you be surronded by family & friends this Thanksgiving…(and always)!Keep bringing the Thunder!

QOTD: Have not yet sampled the secret pack. Can’t wait to open it up!
November 27, 2008

JBagley
“That’s all that polony stuff that I hate” – I killed myself laughing!
November 27, 2008

Griz4life
Happy Thanksgiving Peeps!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to shipping laws I won’t be able to enjoy this secret pack for a bit. Hopefully my mule coming back from St. Louis can fit all of my wine in his car along with his wife and 2 year old…
November 27, 2008

lawschooldrunk
happy thanksgiving, gary!
November 27, 2008

Ditch
Great show gary. Loving the enthusiasm as always. Been with you now for a couple of months though as I currently live in NZ always miss out on the festive packs.boo!
November 27, 2008

Lawrence Leichtman
Happy Thanksgiving. Had the Schifrin and the Bourgone both bought at WL in August. Did not have any of the whites as we didn’t get the secret pack. They were both outstanding with the turkey and by themselves but this is the third time we’ve had the Schifrin. The Lions didn’t disappoint 47-10 loss.
November 27, 2008

platopoker
Hi Gary and Happy Thanksgiving. Great episode as always. While we can’t order out of state wines here in Arizona, I did pick up a Torrontes from Uraguay and a Pinot Noir from Sonoma for our Thanksgiving feast here. So much for your football hopes as the Lions got crushed. Anyway, I look forward to finding and trying the wines highlighted in the pack. I hope that the ones I have this evening are as good.
November 27, 2008

italianwinelover
HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!! GV-Great Ep great pcks!! Hope everyone is enjoying your time with your family!!! May you all be as blessed with many fond memories!

QOTD: didn’t get the pack cuz I live in IL will search out the B. Shifrin though!!! Love 2 try NEW wines!!!
November 27, 2008

wayno da wino
Happy Thanksgiving to the WLTV Family !!!
November 27, 2008

wayno da wino
Yo G, Hope Ya look like one of the Geico Cavemen by February (due to
a JETS Undefeated Streak)…….
November 27, 2008

Mike
Gary,
From all of us at Cult Vines wine, http://cultvines.com, we wish you and your entire crew a happy and safe turkey day!
Mike
PS-We hope you love our Roussanne as much as we do.
November 27, 2008

JudeMurphy
Gary I’d have tasted it if you were able to send secret packs overseas and if you could send wine to Ireland you would indeed be my hero!! ; )
November 27, 2008

sam
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to my American neighbors to the south!

Thanksgiving was a month and a half ago here in Québec, Canada. Nonetheless, hope you are all having a great time with the people you love.

QOTD: No secret packs here in Canada.

Hey Gary, how about hooking us up!?

Cheers!
November 27, 2008

blizzard
anyone else ever snort the wine up a nostril when trying to sniff it?
November 27, 2008

John
These tastings are very educational to my nose and palate.

QOTD: B. Shifrin Zin a big winner, a gorgeous wine. Pinot second. Torrontes third. And (sorry Gary) Cuvee didn’t bring the thunder.

Happy Holidays to Gary V., his family and the family of Vayniacs. Oh, and to Mott too!
November 27, 2008

Bill
Happy Turkey Day!
November 27, 2008

AJ
My beard is way bigger than yours!!!!!!!!!

QOTD: Didn’t receive my secret pack. UPS didn’t deliver. ( Thanksgiving was ruined.
November 27, 2008

rguynn
Took the pack to neighbors. Pinot was hands down winner. I myself ordered some more of it. Great value imo. 2nd probably went to the torrontes but it was hotly contested with the Zin. (I really wish it had been open a bit longer though. It was drank within an hour of opening.) Sadly the thunder cuvee was last and didnt get much attention.
November 27, 2008

DF
Had a great Thanksgiving wine experience with a secret pack put together by my friend and someone else who brought wine.

I smelled blackberry jam in a wine for the first time. In other words, I identified it and it was a correct identification.

I also thought of oily melted plastic in a nose for the first time. This came from the Georges Du Boeuf 2005 Pinot Noir.

Thanks for adding the imagination to the wine breakdowns. They help.
November 27, 2008

SAMMY S
Hey Gary – Great show – yet again!!!! Would love to try those wines you had on todays ep, but unfortunately I can’t get them here in our great land of Australia… Also I hpe you, Mott, and all the other Vayniacs have a wonderful thanksgiving and enjoy all your friends and families company….keep up the great work gary
November 27, 2008

CaseyLee
cant wait to watch this
November 27, 2008

apj_bobswineguy
Interesting show. Pinot & Zin were my Thanksgiving choices today as well.
Cowboys rolled!
Thanks for sharing your time on Thanksgiving. Good stuff.
November 27, 2008

Fred
Love you, man! hehe, nice thanks-giving!

Spent 10 hours in wine shopping yestoday…and got a 2002 Bordeaux white, a 2004 Chablis, a 2002 Pouilly-Fuisse, 2 veneto whites and a 2005 veneto cabernet(being curious about the effect of those hails there)…No matter where the economy goes, I’ll certainly love wines, especially at grand sales…hehe. The prices in China are a little stupid, and all I am doing is looking for some smart ones who are changing the situation…

BTW, the “episode picture”(even on http://widgets.winelibrary.com/episode_picture) hasn’t been changed for weeks, since our lovely Ms. Jancis Robinson came by…Maybe we can update it by Christmas? Yeah?:)

Fascinating episode, I was also there looking for some torrentes yestoday! Really good episode! Say hello to Matt, Sasha and all the families and vanyiacs! Love you guys!
November 28, 2008

Robin C
Of course you’ll have lots of Thunder Cuvee on the Thunder Cruise.
Wondering why Brett Favre has an ice cream cone. Couldn’t make out all the writing or see for sure what flavor it was. Haagen Dazs coffee is the best.
Wish I had a Thunder pack to dissect. We had Ridge Montebello 2000, and the part of the meal it went with best was the fresh cranberry and walnut molded salad.
Getting used to the beard. Hope the Jets keep winning.
November 28, 2008

Glen,....winecrazy.com
Great show Homey…..

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you, your Wife, your Dad and all at Wine Library… And of course THE MOTTSTER!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the work you do…!!!

You deserve all the success in life you achieve!!!!!
November 28, 2008

ev
Gary, I believe Verdelho is pronounced “ver dell o”, not “ver day ho”. Read all of the following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdelho
November 28, 2008

Francisco
Hello Gary,

I’ve been watching the Thunder Show for over a year, and every day that passes I love it more.

I am from Brazil and download it every day so I can watch after work, while having a good glass of wine.

I just wanted to leave this message saying that people all over the world are enjoying your show and with your help “Trying to change the wine world!!”.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bye…
Chico
November 28, 2008

Chris D
Happy Thanksgiving.
- Got the pack, only opened the Pinot Noir so far – I thought it was quite good, I will have to reply again once I have the others opened and tasted.

I was thinking of opening the others with my family who traveled in and show them your show so we can taste along as a group!

thanks and best wishes for this Holiday
November 28, 2008

Terence
Happy Thanksgiving~

Too bad I cant order the pack and have fun with you guys since I live in Hong Kong……………..
November 28, 2008

Richard Ritter
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you enoyed the company of your family.
No secret pack here, but we did some PAL expansion of our own. Love the show.

Hey Gary…I have a suggestion.. how about instead of the chalkboard in back of you…use a white wipe board and leave some space at the bottom when you write on it. That way you can hold wine up to it to see the color.
November 28, 2008

Phil G
QOTD – no secret pack…

Hope everyone had/has a good holiday!
November 28, 2008

Rick D
I shared the secret pack with several family members yeserday. We had a great time tasting along with you. Unfortunately we had to pop and pour due to time constraints. No so bad with the two whites, but definitely a issue with the Pinot and the Zin. After allowing them to open up for an hour or more really helped. The Pinot ended up being the favorite of the group, although they were all quite good. This was the first Torrontes for all of us and it was quite enjoyable, especially at that price point. I will have to try another.

Thanks for the fun time.
November 28, 2008

Bimi
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

QOTD: no secret packs in germany
November 28, 2008

WineWoman
QOTD: The Breakdown: Torrontes – Liked the nose very much. Tasted like someone sprayed glade aerosol in your mouth.

Thunder White – Not crazy about it–I’m in the 10% meh range. As I felt with the Thunder red, the percentages of the grape blends weren’t harmonious. Each grape could be singled out, but I felt they didn’t work together as a whole. I give you kudos on the effort and with food I’m sure this wine would have worked much better for me.

The Pinot is what everyone flocked to at dinner, without even letting me give a heads up on the 2 whites. Even my 86-year-old Godmother was getting a little “glow” on and she hardly ever has wine with us. Thankfully, for Prilosec (anti-heartburn acid reflux med) she, and many more of us can eat and drink without the agita. This wine was the clear-cut winner.

Bobby’s Zin—nice jammy, versatile, well-made Zin. Aging nicely. First tasted in October. On the lines with Neyers and Hartford Court. Great Job!
November 28, 2008

ex-lurkdawg
Thanks for another great episode. I didn’t get the secret pack, so here’s what I thought of the wines that we had:

Nicolas Feuillette (sp?) NV Brut: This is the only non-grower Champagne I will buy. I think it’s great for the price. It’s made in the fleshier, rounder style that I prefer. I got nice autolytic flavors (toast, bread) with nice ripe citrus (making its way from lemon into orange) and red apple flavors with a strong midpalate and reasonable length on the finish. It’s not overly complex, but I don’t expect that without spending more.

Domaine Weinbach (sp?) 2004 Cuvee St Catherine Riesling (Alsace): Great ripe fruit (peach, citrus, even a little melon) with nice acidity and the backbone of stony minerality that I look for. It’s youthful and delicious. I’d love to revisit it in 5 years or so.
November 28, 2008

catherine.
hey, i don’t remember if i commented yesterday or not, but happy thanksgiving! lots of love to you and the whole vayner-fam…and mott too!
November 28, 2008

Murso
ev-

Though Gary’s pronunciation is like that of the Spanish Rueda grape, Verdejo, (ver-DAY-oh), the grape in use, as stated by his identification as a Madeira grape, is, like your link, the Portuguese Verdelho(vair-DAY-leo). The Italian Verdello is a third grape, entirely. The genetic sameness of these varietals has not yet been verified.
November 28, 2008

Brad
Thank you for the secret pack. We had a great time with the family drinking the wines. We did not open the Zin yet (only four of us drinking last night). But the winner by far was the Pinot, it was amazing. We also loved the Torrontes, my favorite white. Hope the thanksgiving was great.

Also as a 4th generation Denverite, all I can hope for this weekend is a good game!
November 28, 2008

CrazyManAndy
QOTD:

Torrontes – The nose was awesome! Like sniffing a bunch of very fragrant flowers. Good acidity and fruit flavors. But it has a very perfume/air freshener like flavor which kind of turns me off.

Thunder Cuvee – I enjoyed this one. It wasn’t a knockout, but really solid, I thought. Went well with food.

Zifandel – Honestly, I’m still wrapping my head around this one! Haven’t gotten to try much of it yet.

Pinot Noir – This was probably my favorite of the bunch. The sour cherries are so obvious and delicious. Obnoxious even! Really good.

Overall, I thought it was a great and educational secret pack. Great job, Gary!

CMA
November 28, 2008

CrazyManAndy
Forgot to mention, I tried the Zinfandel with turkey. That’s a very good pairing!

CMA
November 28, 2008

Dominus
“The most passionate wine show on the internet” lived up to it’s billing yesterday at the in-laws. Since my brother-in-law and I are the only “wine drinkers” (he assumes) I brought with me the Torrontes and the Pinot. The annual Pinot is usually Flowers but I went out on a limb, as did you< and assumed this pinot would do quite well.

I bring the MacBook Pro, fire it up and Ted and I begin to watch the T’Day Thunder Show. After a few mins, we had an audience of avid onlookers. “Who’s this guy?” “He’s funny . . .” and on and on. Of course, it was hard to hear by that time but nevertheless, the vino was being poured and to tell you the truth, the Torrontes was the group’s hands-down winner. “Interesting, nice, and floral” were the notes shouted by the crowd. Granted, I really liked the Tor though Ted and I grabbed the Pinot and sat in a quiet corner and enjoyed.

Fun, fun show. Everyone in Columbia, MD loved you. Of course, they are late to the game but as they say, “better late than never.”

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

P.S. Tonight I try the Thunder SB and the Zin.

Cheers!
November 28, 2008

Johnnyboy
I can’t find any ratings on B. Shifrin’s Zin. Is anyone drinking it besides Gary?
November 28, 2008

Ray Barnes
Nice to see some good Zin after the bland tasting (sic) debacle earlier this week, and some decent priced red Burgundy. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.

I’m taking the Jets over the Broncos and the Pats over the Steelers.
November 28, 2008

Anthony L.
Love Torrontes. Great choice. Hope everyone had a very happy thanksgiving
November 28, 2008

Miguel Cavalcanti
Very nice show, Gary. I didn’t have the secret pack, but I did have another Torrontes, Nomade ‘07 (12 bones) to taste while viewing, and it was close to the way you described the Poesia. But I would never hand so acidic and stinky a wine to a guest who just walked in! Cali bubblies like Iron Horse and Schramsberg seem to please everyone. The Torrontes went well with green olives, though.

I am watching more regularly now but heard nothing about the secret pack. Is there someplace I should be clicking on this site to read about the next one?
November 29, 2008

Ben Morris
Hey Gary,
How come Some of us aren’t receiving WLTV via e-mail, anymore?
It’s not some lack-of-comment punishment is it!? Sheesh……
November 29, 2008

Susan
Enjoyed the show. I served the Torrontes with the hors d’oeurves and the Pinot Noir with the dinner. I liked both wines a lot, however my sister and her husband loved the Torrontes, poured themselves glasses of the pinot noir at dinner, each took one sip, pronounced it “dry” and did not drink it. Looking forward to drinking the Thunder White and the Shifrin zinfandel. Go Jets.
November 29, 2008

Dan-o
Wish I could break down the wines, but I live in MA and you won’t ship here.
Any way that I can get involved?
November 29, 2008

Herb
Happy Thanksgiving to you!!! QOTD: I didn’t get this secret pack. Saving my money for what I assume will be a soon-to-be announced Christmas Pack.
November 29, 2008

Capt M
Very, very nice show, Gary! Loving and loyal effort on your part to offer your Vayniacs (us) a Thanksgiving show. You know what? THANKS! It’s thanksgiving day! I hope that you and your loving family had a meaningful and joyful thanksgiving day, as Concepcion and I did. And as I always say.. see you on the Thunder Cruise!!
November 29, 2008

Capt M
Happy Thanksgiving Mott!! you do great job and make this possible as much as Gary does. See you on the Thunder Cruise!
November 29, 2008

Harry
Didn’t get the secret pack this time, but had some great wines, including a 2002 Hirsch Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein, an E & E Black Pepper Shiraz (also 02), and some delicious cider. I made a video (in three parts due to youtube) with my picks and tasting notes:
Wine Picks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd-0zRV1QmU
Cider Notes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyGGsOxn6yY
Cider and cheese pairing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPxtMDXwdOA
November 29, 2008

Pastafari Pirate
Good episode. I didn’t get the secret pack (Maryland, no shipping), but I had the Francis Ford Coppola 2005 Rosso (51% Zinfandel, + Shiraz & Cabernet Sauv) and a Gascon 2006 Malbec. At $10 or less each, both were very solid. Then, I even mixed a bit of both together, which made an even better composite wine.
November 29, 2008

Brock
Discovered an awesome Zin Gary.

Golden Mile Cellars Estate Winery
2006 Zinfandel, Okanagan Valley, BC

You’d appreciate this Italian wine too. It’s aged for 18 months in Slavonian Oak, but NO Oak Monster.
I get nice floral notes, Lillies specifically.

Tommasi Viticoltori
“Ripasso” Valpolicella 2005

Hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving my American friend!
November 29, 2008

David Dadekian
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, Gary. Thanks very much for a great show with some new things.
November 30, 2008

YoungDave
HAPPY (belated) THANKSGIVERS! Great episode, and I hope tha everyone enjoyed spending the day with their family or at least with loved ones.
November 30, 2008

Herm
Thanks for the Thanksgiving day show…..I really enjoyed it…..I have had a Torrontes and enjoyed it very much and also had a Muscat and Grenache Gris blend that was very good….any info on Grenache Gris?
November 30, 2008

David Falchek
In agreement Gary on Torrontes.

Can the Argentine advertorial in Spectator be accurate? Torrontes is less than 2 percent of plantings?! WTF?
November 30, 2008

Susan
Gary & Chris, Excellent episode!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will have to get the Shifrin Zin soon………………………………………… BTW: Go Panthers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 30, 2008

jjmabaseb
Go Broncos!!

I’m sorry to see your beard go, but I’m glad it was my Broncos that made it happen.

-Jon from Denver
November 30, 2008

Marla
Can’t wait to try the Pinot and Zin from this show. Both sound great!
November 30, 2008

Cameron W
Happy belated Thanksgiving. Did not participate in the pack, but did watch the Jets fall to the Broncos today. Hey, who am I to gloat, I’m from the PNW – home of the ‘Hawks, the Huskies and the Cougs.
November 30, 2008

Arnie the one man party
I had 8 other people do the tasting with me on thanksgiving and was really fun to taste along with you. Some watched your show for the first time and now have a different view of the wine world. I didn’t get to leave a comment that day because I wanted to taste how the wines developed in a couple days.

About the wines.. that Torrentes was really nice, my first ever.. I will definitely seek that out more often.. I tasted the wines on Sunday and it went from a super tropical nose to a very fruity pebbles cereal kind of smell (my childhood favorite cereal).
The Thunder cuvee is really good! Pretty well balanced. Very interesting blend.
I never had a “text book” pinot noir so now I know the difference from all the other ones.. this was very nice.. it got even more floral to me after tasting it a few days later.
Zinfandel is one of my most favorite varietals and the Shifrin zin is up there.. very nice weight and far from being AC. I see what you mean now that it can last for the next 5-10 years.. it was still dry on the back end when tasting it Sunday but still brings a lot of flavors to the table. I want to put a few away in my cellar.

I happened to have WS # 10 wine which was the 2007 Seghesio zin and did a battle of that between the Shifrin.. The Seghesio won at first (yeah I popped and poured unfortunately) but now that I tasted it Sunday, the Shifrin smashes the Seghesio by far.. they’re both very good but the Shifrin is so good!

Thanks for being apart of my Thanksgiving!
December 1, 2008

Robert Hawkins
Gary
Great show, I’m in the US Navy stationed overseas and my wife “AI” pronounced “EYE” is Japanese and also a BIG wine drinker; mostly italian. she LOVES the show, and I say “Go Jets”

All the best without the oak monster
Robert Hawkins
December 1, 2008

KW
Another Zin to try.
Sorry about the Jets. Probably a let down after the big win last week.
December 1, 2008

GatorGunner
Did this episode (along with the secret pack) with the family/friends on Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit. This was a blast and now they all want to do another one!
December 1, 2008

Chicago Wine
The Just Grapes Wine Blog has tons of info on holiday pairings, gift giving ideas, and when you are ready to buy just the right presents for the wine lovers on your list, head on over to JustGrapes.net and have it shipped to their door.

The Just Grapes Wine Blog http://blog.justgrapes.net
Online Store http://www.justgrapes.net
December 1, 2008

CaseyLee
QOTD – what happened to the question of the day?
December 1, 2008

David
Loved the 5 second history of Gary Vay-Ner-Chuck and WLTV.
December 1, 2008

manonthemoon
Too bad I missed out on this one, but the mailing lists have taken their toll. Happy belated Thanksgiving to all.
December 1, 2008

Larry M
Really enjoyed the Torrontes. Had not tried that grape ever before. I bought two more to try of that varietal from two other South American producers. I agree that the nose is great. We also had the Shifrin Zin with our Thanksgiving dinner and it stood up very well to several other more expensive wines that night including a Caymus. Have not tried the white Thunder Cuvee yet or the Pinot. By the way, as someone who has dissed the Nouveau Beaujolais the last few years, I have to say this year’s was pretty tasty for what it is. A big improvement over last year. Regards, sorry about the Jets. My Bears were also disappointing.
December 1, 2008

kaybee
QoTd
Super nice reds on the T-Pack GV! I did not get them because I received a 4 bot pack from my wine club!
December 1, 2008

Jimmy T
Great show!!!! Happy Tday!
December 2, 2008

Huntman24
Caught ya!! I was at the store a couple of Saturdays ago and you were there. Among the 85 questions I asked you that day (sorry!) I asked you for the perfect Thanksgiving Pinot Noir under 30 bones. You didn’t hesitate for even a nano-second. You walked straight to the Buisson, took it off the shelf, and handed it to me. Now I learn you had never tried it before!!

There’s a happy ending, though. I poured it into a decanter the night before (your recommendation) and poured my first glass during “Alice’s Restaurant” at noon on T-day (a family tradition). It was fantastic!! My brother was over, and he’s not far from a wine newby. This is now his “all-time” favorite wine!! Cudos to your guy that recommended it to you.

Dude – keep doin’ what your doin’. You make wine fun. Go COWBOYS!!!!
December 2, 2008

Susan
Gary & Chris, LOVE the secret packs!!!!!!! LOVE this ep as well!!!!!!!!!!
December 2, 2008

MattUD
Great show, I really enjoyed this one..so much for the Lions, they are terrible.
December 2, 2008

JayZee
Nice show, but I did not get in on the Secret Pack so I cannot comment on the wines. One of these days…
December 2, 2008

Sharon
Can’t get the secret pack, but glad it was so great for everyone! That Pinot (Bourgogne Rouge) imported by Kermit Lynch looks verrrry tempting! Added it 2 my CT wish list.
December 2, 2008

Capozzi
The Thanksgiving Secret Pack was a great success. The pinot noir and zinfindel were great.

10 new Vayniacs attended the tasting and loved it. They like the passion you bring to the wine world.

Look forward to participating in more secret packs.
December 2, 2008

Preston Vowels
I have a question for Gary about the comment he made about ‘Sideways’. What is his email? I couldn’t find it on the site.
December 3, 2008

Andrew D
Thanks Gary

Happy Thanksgiving to all the America’s out there. I actually cooked a turkey for the kids at my school in Hong Kong. Unfortunately no wine so I had to make do with a swig of liquor from the cupboard in the cooking room

Cheers
Andrew
December 3, 2008

theemptyglass
The Thanksgiving secret pack and tasting was a big hit with my family! My family sends their gratitude.

QOTD: For me (different family members had different opinions but the first and last were favorites for them)

Wine #1: The sniffy sniff alone was worth the price of admission, as you say. But unfortunately drinking the wine was like taking a swig from a perfume bottle. Not my style

Wine #2 More up my alley. I like the minerality. But where is my sniffy sniff??

At this point my Dad stopped the video and passed out a viognier. I don’t remember which one, but it was a good transition wine.

Wine #3 Totally new experience for me. Never tasted anything like it. I like that it tastes savory. Kinda salty. But it lacked a little umph. Kind of like pizza crust with tomato sauce and mushrooms, quite tasty but I kept thinking, where’ the cheese? It may be me personally, but I crave a little bitterness or a little funk.

Wine #4 You may make a zin fan out of me yet!! Deep and complex, a little overpowering but with a little breathing much improved.
December 3, 2008

pawncop
Was not able to get the secret pack this time around. Looks like great wines.

Had to work a five (5) stretch at the hospital then at the police department.

I cannot emphasize how important family is at this time of the year. There seems to be so much trauma during the holidays, hug your children tight and be blessed to have them.

God bless you all.
December 4, 2008

Kristen
Good episode! Even though I didn’t get the secret pack, I got to taste Bobby’s Zin when I was at the WL. I was impressed.

For Turkey Day, I took GV’s suggestions when he was on Fox and Friends:

-2007 Vadesil Montenova Godello: Okay, can I say that the cork *really* sucked? I was almost ready to break the neck of the bottle just to drink the damn thing (and I’ve opened a lot of bottles). All the work was worthwhile for it though! Great nose (floral, with pears and apples) and the mouthfeel was great! What a steal for 10 bones. And everyone loved it- the Godello was gone in the blink of an eye! So other than the cork issues, I loved it.

-2006 Ví Negre de Nulles: The nose kept changing with every swirl, which kept me on my toes. It was like red berries covered with cinnamon. Yum. And not only did I get to share it with my family on Turkey Day, I also got to have my friends try some that weekend.

Thanks for the suggestions GV!
December 4, 2008

Jayhitek
Good episode. Liked it a lot.
December 4, 2008

Sean
I really liked the Shifrin Zin.

That said, this was the last secret pack that I will buy. There have now been 3 Wine Library backed wines in the last two secret packs. It is one thing to use your show to promote wines that you have a vested interest in. No problem. It is entirely another to continually force them on us when we don’t know what we are buying.

Honestly, I feel used. What started as a special way to share the Wine Library TV experience feels just like a product dump where the suckers will take inventory you can’t otherwise sell.

It’s funny that there was the blind tasting where you didn’t want to publish the results because you gave a house wine a high score. That is nothing! With a simple disclaimer, you could have warned us about a conflict of interst. Here, you seem to think it is ok to surreptitiously sell us wine that you have a vested interest in. Shenanigans!
January 29, 2009

Dessert Wine Nerd
QOTD: Didnt get the secret pack since no shipping to Washington, so all I can say is great show and im glad all 4 wines brought it.
July 9, 2009

Chris and Liz
Tried the Thunder…very intriguing. Good job. Excellent with sushi. We enjoyed tasting right along with you!