QOTD: If I perceive it to be real than it is real. All reality being a subjective experience unless you are a Buddah.

The laugh was great Gary – I can see why you’ve always wanted to do that! I had to rewind and watch it again it was so good!

QOtD-
Perception – the squalling, begging, screaming, laying-on-the-floor-tantrum toddlers in stores are a reflection of BAD, BAD, INEFFECTIVE parents!
Reality – (discovered after giving birth and raising 3 kids through toddler-dom) – NOT.

Great to have you back and (as always) I’m excited to have more Wine Library clips announcing their arrival in my e-mail!

I’ve been on a tear tasting as many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs as I can. The episode today will give me a reason to try some of the Sancerre wines and compare.

QOTD – There are so many examples of perception not meshing with reality it’s hard to know where to start. Just thinking about the subject of “politics” brings many thoughts to mind… Personally I’ve experienced a lot of perception-to-reality mismatches when traveling and sight-seeing: I think about the first time I actually visited the Grand Canyon. There’s no way to capture the first sense of vertigo and enormity though everyone has seen the pictures of the park.

I remember visiting the 360-degree theatre that Disneyland used to have as an attraction and how the senses could be fooled when you watched a movie being displayed all around you (they actually needed hand-rails as so many visitors lost their sense of equilibrium in there).

Also coming to mind was a fun party-game where team members would be blindfolded and then taste a “mystery food” concealed within a bag and tell everyone what they thought they had just tasted (things like a raw peeled potato would result in answers like an apple). A lot of familiar foods were frequently mistaken with often hilarious results. Lets me appreciate how difficult it can be in developing an “educated palate” for wine-tasting.

Hello Gary,

I believe you mentioned a kosher wine episode, is that gonna happen? I’m trully intrigued it sounded like you already had the wine in mind too. What is it?! there are only like maybe 5 possiblities Covenant, Valandraud, Capcanes, whos it gonna be Gary

Good to have you back Gary. I enjoyed a fair amount of wine in your absence.

I enjoyed the show, particularly because I’m looking to expand my horizons and pick up some crisp whites for the coming spring and summer months.

QOTD: My biggest example of where your perception was not reality? — Let’s see..the Detroit Lions every fall. 😀

Really, some big eye openers have been things like breaking down racial stereotypes. I’ve found that we often have so much in common that it’s a huge waste of time focusing, seemingly exclusively, on race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity/culture are important, but it shouldn’t be a barrier for friends and family.

At the risk of sounding like an ass kisser, another big one is breaking down the stodgy, snob persona of wine drinkers. You’ve done a huge favor to everyday people who really enjoy wine. I can be just as discerning about wine in jeans and a t-shirt than some jerk in a sport coat at some snobby wine shop. (Calvert Woodley in DC…oops did I say that.) Cheers to you Gary, the WL crew, and all the Vayniaks for keeping this thing going!

Good to have you back Gary. I enjoyed a fair amount of wine in your absence.

I enjoyed the show, particularly because I’m looking to expand my horizons and pick up some crisp whites for the coming spring and summer months.

QOTD: My biggest example of where your perception was not reality? — Let’s see..the Detroit Lions every fall. 😀

Really, some big eye openers have been things like breaking down racial stereotypes. I’ve found that we often have so much in common that it’s a huge waste of time focusing, seemingly exclusively, on race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity/culture are important, but it shouldn’t be a barrier for friends and family.

At the risk of sounding like an ass kisser, another big one is breaking down the stodgy, snob persona of wine drinkers. You’ve done a huge favor to everyday people who really enjoy wine. I can be just as discerning about wine in jeans and a t-shirt than some jerk in a sport coat at some snobby wine shop. (Calvert Woodley in DC…oops did I say that.) Cheers to you Gary, the WL crew, and all the Vayniaks for keeping this thing going!

QOD – many men think a certian something is bigger than it actually is, and many women think that the tight ass pants they have on look good…like they are blind to the fat rolls (muffin top) hanging over there jeans

Welcome back Gary!
It’s nice to see you, we missed you… And it’s nice to see you back in good shape and pumped up!

Welcome back buddy!

Gary:

When was peception not reality – My Honeymoon with my Ex-wife! It only lasted a year. I never should have gotten off the plane.

ps I’ve been happily married for 6 years with a Two year old and one on the way. Thats Reality!

ELWAY

ELWAY

Nice to see that charming young man back on the screen. While you were gone I hosted a wine tasting event for the local youth baseball team’s annual crab feed and to no one’s surprise wore my Vayniac T-shirt. The wine tasting table was such a hit, we couldn’t get anyone to sit down for dinner. Is it because we all appreciate wine and notice others that share in that appreciation or is wine really finding its way into more and more people’s lives?

QTOD: Perception: Live one day at a time and try to get the most out of each and every day are simply old cliches that don’t mean anything. Reality: They are not cliches!

Ciao

Hi Gary,

Sancerre was Ernest Hemingway’s favorite white, and being a great ‘Hemiac’ it was the first white wine ever I bought in order to understand why (and hopefully appreciate) when I was 18. From there my wine interest took off… Am still fond of the Sancerres and have visited and bought directly from Henri Bourgeois in Chavignol a couple of years ago.

Welcome back. Great show and nice footage man. Can’t wait to see more.

Welcome back Gary. We missed you.
Love the little teaser of your trip. I can’t wait to see more.

can’t agree with you enough on your comment about OVER PRICED and WAY OVER HYPED Cali wines.

QOTD: When I signed up for the Army a big selling point was the fact that I could not only get in great shape but go to college while I was in. Yeah between working 60 to 80 hours a week and alot of physical training, at least I got one of the two. I got out about six years ago, got my degree and am going through the VA to get disability. They dont tell you that when you sign up. Wouldnt trade the experience though.
Great to have you back Gary.

Are there any non-hyped California wines?

Good stuff man.

Gary,
Welcome back!!!!I missed watching you this past week-I’ve already watched all the old episodes so I was forced to look at Metal blogs all week (??!!). Great to have you back.
QOTD-this blog! I saw the ad in WS about 6 months ago and thought-this is either ok or extremely boring…and you are neither. Keep up the good work..I look forward each day to watching your videos.

Gary welcome back! nice purple tongue, the sign of a good day of tasting! Cant wait to hear your reccomendations on 2005. YOU ROCK!

I just drank wine #4 the Le Md last week with my tasting group. I picked it up at the reco of one of the guys on the floor when i was choosing between a couple sancerre options (greg, maybe?). He picked well (also turned me onto a great QPR semillion from Oz – the Willows) Anyway, i really liked it a lot and I actually found a lot of varietal typicity. Maybe it was true to SB and less so to Sancerre in particular?, but i thought it a really good effort.

Bon returne’ Monsiour Vanerchuk. I would have loved to have heard the Bordelaise pronounce your name. If you allow us to view your footage perhaps I shall. Perhaps that is why you syllabate it so pronouncedly. Which brings us to the QOTD. I have never been to Bordeaux. The closest I’ve been is I’le de Rey just north of there. As my favorite wine region I have built it up in my mind rather as a Mecca. I have read librarys full of info on the subject but have viewed very little footage. ‘Mondovino’ is about it. After we’ve seen your plethora of footage from your trip. It will be interesting to note how closely the new ‘reality’ matches my current perception. I wait with great an-ti-ci-pa…tion. my apologies to Richard O’Brien.

Welcome home! I love Sancerre. I love California Sauvignon Blanc (esp Sonoma, Preston is awesome). I love NZ Sauv Blanc. I love SB with a little Semillon blended in. Bordeaux blanc is awesome in that regard, but generally too expensive and hard to find. Well, maybe that’s my answer to the QOD– Bordeaux whites– why should they not be plentiful (and delicious) at the better price value points?