EP 659 Another Side of the Wine Industry

Gary Vaynerchuk tastes 3 value-driven wines and discusses with their proprietor how wine is marketed to the average consumer in the US.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2007 Once Bitten Riesling
2004 Pizza Vino Pinot Noir
2004 Pizza Vino Cabernet Sauvignon

Latest Comment:

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Luca Bercelli

90/100

I like this guest, he took some body blows and rolled with them really well. Not the sort of wines i’d go for but good luck to him, at least he’s honest.

Tags: cabernet, Pinot Noir, red, review, Riesling, Video, white, wine, wines

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  • I look at it the same way that he says he likes Cote du Rhone wines. Some CdR blends suck, some are great but for the most part they are pretty good.

    I think wines that are made “on purpose” are generally going to be better than a blend made up of other people’s second rate juice. That does not mean that there is not really good negociant stuff out there but from Gary’s comments, this ain’t it.

    Also lets not confuse custom crush with negociant wine.

  • I look at it the same way that he says he likes Cote du Rhone wines. Some CdR blends suck, some are great but for the most part they are pretty good.

    I think wines that are made “on purpose” are generally going to be better than a blend made up of other people’s second rate juice. That does not mean that there is not really good negociant stuff out there but from Gary’s comments, this ain’t it.

    Also lets not confuse custom crush with negociant wine.

  • my2cents

    Mott missed the 85 created by the extra point.

    Good show. Nice new perspective.

    Thanks!

  • my2cents

    Mott missed the 85 created by the extra point.

    Good show. Nice new perspective.

    Thanks!

  • Charles

    Wine is great keep up the good work!

  • Charles

    Wine is great keep up the good work!

  • innA

    Good work to Gary for keeping it fair with the scores and not feeling pressured to give one of the guest’s wines a big score.

    QOTD – nothing wrong at all with negociants. Wouldn’t one of the best examples be Krug? “Blended from 10 different vintages and 47 wines from 25 villages”

  • innA

    Good work to Gary for keeping it fair with the scores and not feeling pressured to give one of the guest’s wines a big score.

    QOTD – nothing wrong at all with negociants. Wouldn’t one of the best examples be Krug? “Blended from 10 different vintages and 47 wines from 25 villages”

  • I would have liked to see the vino paired with the pizza. I think the wine would have shined more and shown where it belongs in the range it is designed for.

    QOTD: All I care about is the taste (and a good value price as well.)

  • I would have liked to see the vino paired with the pizza. I think the wine would have shined more and shown where it belongs in the range it is designed for.

    QOTD: All I care about is the taste (and a good value price as well.)

  • zac weiss

    Wow, tough show, but Joe took it like a CHAMP. That’s enough for me to try out his wines, he’s clearly paying attention.
    QOTD: I’ll have to say thanks for showing me santa’s just a drunk dude off the street in a polyester beard (ok, maybe that’s a little too much…) I CAN’T care about anything but the quality anymore after that talk.

  • zac weiss

    Wow, tough show, but Joe took it like a CHAMP. That’s enough for me to try out his wines, he’s clearly paying attention.
    QOTD: I’ll have to say thanks for showing me santa’s just a drunk dude off the street in a polyester beard (ok, maybe that’s a little too much…) I CAN’T care about anything but the quality anymore after that talk.

  • thefaamakesmedrink

    Gary,

    WITHOUT A DOUBT, JOE IS THE BEST GUEST WINE LIBRARY TV HAS EVER FEATURED.

    Joe,

    I live 25 miles west of downtown Cleveland. I have seen the pizza wine here and there but always laughed it off as some cheap play for the uninformed. No more, my man.

    Your honesty and midwestern sensibilities have made me a fan. I have Tribe tickets seven rows behind the visitor’s on-deck circle at Taxpayer’s Field. If you wanna go to see the Wiffle Wahoos sometime and shoot the breeze about wine (yours and theirs), get my e-mail from Gary. The ticket is on me.

    Regards,

    Larry Dolan’s Conscience

  • thefaamakesmedrink

    Gary,

    WITHOUT A DOUBT, JOE IS THE BEST GUEST WINE LIBRARY TV HAS EVER FEATURED.

    Joe,

    I live 25 miles west of downtown Cleveland. I have seen the pizza wine here and there but always laughed it off as some cheap play for the uninformed. No more, my man.

    Your honesty and midwestern sensibilities have made me a fan. I have Tribe tickets seven rows behind the visitor’s on-deck circle at Taxpayer’s Field. If you wanna go to see the Wiffle Wahoos sometime and shoot the breeze about wine (yours and theirs), get my e-mail from Gary. The ticket is on me.

    Regards,

    Larry Dolan’s Conscience

  • ndog

    Great show. Really liked Joe explaining how he made the selections and exactly his mindset. I may not want the wines now since that’s not where I am at, but when I was coming out of college this would have worked perfectly.

    There are a lot of people who just want a bottle of wine. I really liked seeing how he defined that market, researched exactly what they were purchasing, understood the dynamics of the wine business and where he could play.

    Clear business plan and execution. Very solid show.

  • ndog

    Great show. Really liked Joe explaining how he made the selections and exactly his mindset. I may not want the wines now since that’s not where I am at, but when I was coming out of college this would have worked perfectly.

    There are a lot of people who just want a bottle of wine. I really liked seeing how he defined that market, researched exactly what they were purchasing, understood the dynamics of the wine business and where he could play.

    Clear business plan and execution. Very solid show.

  • Andrew

    I iwll jump on the comments “why no pizza tating with the wine?” and Mott could have gone to the 85 wiht the addition of th eextra point, however, its not a “pure” 85. There would ahve to be a review in the booth.

    Finally, the concept of Estate vs. Nogiciant should be explored, it would make the wine more “transparent”. I’m not afriad of the loss of innocence, hey, isnt Santa inside all of our hearts?

  • Andrew

    I iwll jump on the comments “why no pizza tating with the wine?” and Mott could have gone to the 85 wiht the addition of th eextra point, however, its not a “pure” 85. There would ahve to be a review in the booth.

    Finally, the concept of Estate vs. Nogiciant should be explored, it would make the wine more “transparent”. I’m not afriad of the loss of innocence, hey, isnt Santa inside all of our hearts?

  • Andrew

    oh, and QOTD…tough call, honestly I may be swayed by the estate wine, however, if I then carefully checked how many bottles i’ve had that were negociants, that would likely change

  • Andrew

    oh, and QOTD…tough call, honestly I may be swayed by the estate wine, however, if I then carefully checked how many bottles i’ve had that were negociants, that would likely change

  • Dan-o

    Not bad. Guest was a bit bland for my taste.
    I like the idea of marketing wines, it doesn’t mean that I have to buy them.

    QOTD – I like good tasting wine and I really don’t care where it comes from. I am big on terroir and other nerdy aspects, however there are times where a good $10-15 bottle of wine is much better than an “OK” $20-25 bottle.

  • Dan-o

    Not bad. Guest was a bit bland for my taste.
    I like the idea of marketing wines, it doesn’t mean that I have to buy them.

    QOTD – I like good tasting wine and I really don’t care where it comes from. I am big on terroir and other nerdy aspects, however there are times where a good $10-15 bottle of wine is much better than an “OK” $20-25 bottle.

  • Jeff

    missed the boat entirely; it was a PIZZA show! those wines were created as a QPR easy drinking food friendly niche. Just not fair to not have them with all that pizza sitting there. I doubt any of the competitors to these wines would have scored over 80 with or without pizza–at least on your palate.
    still a nice show!

    there is no arguement on the QOD;
    some of the greatest wines in the world are made by negociants; ie. burgundy!
    take your pick white or red; everyone agrees they rule on some level against any estate wine.
    best of both worlds; terroir AND excellence in winemaking!
    cheers

  • Jeff

    missed the boat entirely; it was a PIZZA show! those wines were created as a QPR easy drinking food friendly niche. Just not fair to not have them with all that pizza sitting there. I doubt any of the competitors to these wines would have scored over 80 with or without pizza–at least on your palate.
    still a nice show!

    there is no arguement on the QOD;
    some of the greatest wines in the world are made by negociants; ie. burgundy!
    take your pick white or red; everyone agrees they rule on some level against any estate wine.
    best of both worlds; terroir AND excellence in winemaking!
    cheers

  • I’m playing catch up on some episodes here but I’ve got to say I’m disappointed that the third wine taster got an 83-84, got the “bonus point” putting it to “85” and yet we didn’t zoom in on the jersey on the wall. :'( Someone’s slipping a bit Gary. 😉

    Funny that right before you drooled I was thinking “What’s up with this? No wristband!” Got a quick look at the other wrist, not there either, and then you dribbled. Would have been nice to see if the pizza changed your thoughts on the wine Gary since your guest did mention that they blended well in his opinion with pizza. Combine that with them being “Pizza Vino” and it could have been a bit of a disservice for the review. Just my thoughts as I know you want to hear them from folks.

    QOTD: If the wine tastes good, at the price point that suits you, then I don’t think you can really complain whether someone freshly mauled your grapes or not.

  • I’m playing catch up on some episodes here but I’ve got to say I’m disappointed that the third wine taster got an 83-84, got the “bonus point” putting it to “85” and yet we didn’t zoom in on the jersey on the wall. :'( Someone’s slipping a bit Gary. 😉

    Funny that right before you drooled I was thinking “What’s up with this? No wristband!” Got a quick look at the other wrist, not there either, and then you dribbled. Would have been nice to see if the pizza changed your thoughts on the wine Gary since your guest did mention that they blended well in his opinion with pizza. Combine that with them being “Pizza Vino” and it could have been a bit of a disservice for the review. Just my thoughts as I know you want to hear them from folks.

    QOTD: If the wine tastes good, at the price point that suits you, then I don’t think you can really complain whether someone freshly mauled your grapes or not.

  • JayZee

    Yo, Brian! Nice job on the show. I’ve had the Pizza Vino Cab and it was not bad. I gave it an 86 at the time. As a fellow Browns’ fan, also known as eternal sufferer, I can sympathize with your loyalties. And I used JayZee before you did, dude!

    QOTD: I have no problem with negotiant wines. Some of my favorite French wines have been negociant wines. They are usually a good value and if the wine is decent, who cared where it comes from?

  • JayZee

    Yo, Brian! Nice job on the show. I’ve had the Pizza Vino Cab and it was not bad. I gave it an 86 at the time. As a fellow Browns’ fan, also known as eternal sufferer, I can sympathize with your loyalties. And I used JayZee before you did, dude!

    QOTD: I have no problem with negotiant wines. Some of my favorite French wines have been negociant wines. They are usually a good value and if the wine is decent, who cared where it comes from?

  • I love the blatant honesty of this episode! Joe didn’t hold back on what he was selling or why he was selling it, and Gary, as always, gave an honest review. I was just watching Diggnation yesterday and they got a new sponsor (Coors Light) after having Michelob wheat the past few weeks. They were raving about Coors Light like it was the best beer ever and it seemed really fake. Way to keep it real guys!

  • I love the blatant honesty of this episode! Joe didn’t hold back on what he was selling or why he was selling it, and Gary, as always, gave an honest review. I was just watching Diggnation yesterday and they got a new sponsor (Coors Light) after having Michelob wheat the past few weeks. They were raving about Coors Light like it was the best beer ever and it seemed really fake. Way to keep it real guys!

  • CreightonE

    Looked at the pizza vino website. I would like if it said where I can get the item. It lists states, which is kinda helpful. It is like asking your grocer where the canned peas are and he says, “In the store”.

  • CreightonE

    Looked at the pizza vino website. I would like if it said where I can get the item. It lists states, which is kinda helpful. It is like asking your grocer where the canned peas are and he says, “In the store”.

  • Andy

    QOTD—– Not at all
    Great ep G …….. sorry i missed it

  • Andy

    QOTD—– Not at all
    Great ep G …….. sorry i missed it

  • Car0lyn

    QOTD – I have no issue with negociant wines. Drouhin and Jadot come to mind…

    It would be fun to slip these wines in a blind tasting. You know, Gary, you are due back to the Cleveland area – I’ll get Joe up here as well – it will be a blast! (Joe – find me on twitter(car0lyn)I believe we have a mutual friend.)

    LOVE the Browns bucket!!

  • Car0lyn

    QOTD – I have no issue with negociant wines. Drouhin and Jadot come to mind…

    It would be fun to slip these wines in a blind tasting. You know, Gary, you are due back to the Cleveland area – I’ll get Joe up here as well – it will be a blast! (Joe – find me on twitter(car0lyn)I believe we have a mutual friend.)

    LOVE the Browns bucket!!

  • KB

    the wine scores so much better with the pizza sauce acid on the tongue… it really should have been tasted after a slice of ‘zza.

  • KB

    the wine scores so much better with the pizza sauce acid on the tongue… it really should have been tasted after a slice of ‘zza.

  • richardvinifera

    How come no tasting with pizza?

    QOTD: I want some care taken in the vineyard, otherwise it can just be a volume production game. That said, there is a law of diminishing returns so I don't need wines (or perhaps can't afford) from super expensive management of vineyards.

  • John__J

    I’m sure Corkscrew will agree with me when he gets to this episode when I say that I’m certainly in no hurry to try these wines.
    Qotd: If it’s 2 wines of the same quality, I’m going with Estate Grown every time. If the neogociant’s wine is better quality, why wouldn’t I go with that then?

  • Anonymous

    John_J Correct! Funny, Gary talking down the salesguy…and I love Gary V. but it’s still a business.. QOTD-as long as the quality is there who cares.. http://www.winelx.com

  • 90/100

    I like this guest, he took some body blows and rolled with them really well. Not the sort of wines i’d go for but good luck to him, at least he’s honest.

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