Here’s a huge comment (and my contest idea) broken up into a few chunks; Gary, I hope that these four cents grow you into the beautiful flower that you want to become.

French wines scare me. It seems like they are generally expensive and then as they get into the $10 to $15 range I have the impression that the variation of quality is much wider than what you get from California in that price range. I could be totally wrong, I can’t say I’ve branched out much; from the 87 bottles I’ve recorded on CellarTracker, 47 are from CA and only 2 are from FR! Maybe it’s the labels, they all look the same to me and that’s just plain scary. I need to get on the ball and branch out. That said, I did try a Nebbiolo and a Pinotage (plus gave one as a gift) for the first time this week, just haven’t made it over to France yet (though I do have four bottles of ’05 Bordeaux on the way, you’re changing my wine world).

Here’s a huge comment (and my contest idea) broken up into a few chunks; Gary, I hope that these four cents grow you into the beautiful flower that you want to become.

French wines scare me. It seems like they are generally expensive and then as they get into the $10 to $15 range I have the impression that the variation of quality is much wider than what you get from California in that price range. I could be totally wrong, I can’t say I’ve branched out much; from the 87 bottles I’ve recorded on CellarTracker, 47 are from CA and only 2 are from FR! Maybe it’s the labels, they all look the same to me and that’s just plain scary. I need to get on the ball and branch out. That said, I did try a Nebbiolo and a Pinotage (plus gave one as a gift) for the first time this week, just haven’t made it over to France yet (though I do have four bottles of ’05 Bordeaux on the way, you’re changing my wine world).

You want a to raise the Vayner-warness of the collective consciousness but this is wine, people can’t really get it through some viral, electronic Web 2.0-me up campaign. They have to drink the wine—they have to smell the wine—anything else wouldn’t be true to the WLTV mantra, “You with a little bit of me….” The only way to have that spark is in the flesh with Vayniacs bringing their friends into the fold. People need to buy wine, drink it with their friends, and talk about the wine experience.

WLTV is a great facilitator for that experience—here’s the new contest:
You and the WLTV team pick about fifteen episodes that people can use as inspiration. They’ll be episodes that highlight a varietal, an appellation, a winemaking style, or just a Vaynerchuk attitude.
Your viewers, the Vayniacs, will buy some wine that fits into the themes of one of those episodes, drink it with friends and watch the episode together. They may taste the exact wines that you tasted; it’s much more likely that they’ll taste whatever is readily available at their local supermarket or wine shop and has some vague connection to the episode theme. Maybe they’ll all be sugary Rieslings and over-oaked Cabernets or maybe they’ll be perfectly balanced trocken gems and virgin vegetal varietals. It doesn’t matter whether the wine is “good” or “bad”; what’s important is that people will be trying wine with friends and introducing the people they care about to revolutionary WLTV way of thinking.
Having tasted some wine and talked about it, everyone gives back. To get credit for the contest and to really see the benefit of joining a wine-oriented community, everyone posts their thoughts on Cork’d or their own blogs, linking to the person who introduced them to WLTV and linking to the episode that they watched together.
Rinse and repeat. Friends introduce friends, everyone’s appreciation for wine grows, a winner is declared, and a prize that rivals the prize from the T-shirt contest is awarded to the contest winner.

Not edgy enough for you? Bonus points for people who join their friends in palate training and send in pictures or videos; double bonus points if it involves something that you can’t buy in the grocery store.

I’m eagerly anticipating the unveiling of the new Cork’d (and I really expect it to happen on Thursday), so this should tie in perfectly with that. I’m also a great candidate for iPhone since my cell phone screen gave up the ghost two weeks ago (it only shows white now) and I played with my friend’s iPhone when he was in town, getting me totally hooked (by the way the WLTV spreadsheet is not at all iPhone-friendly).

Sup Gary,
I just fimished watching the episode on my ipod and i gotta say it was great to see u enjoying those last two wines! Well this is my first post and i gotta say i really love the episodes! I started watching after i saw you on Conan, cant believe he licked his sock! Well i told my friend Mike from NC , who is a displaced New Jersey Boy, about you since he is crazy about wine and he is also a Jet fan (What A Combo)! Well i gotta tell you i love the episodes and cant wait to see what else u gonna do.

p.s. I cant see any of the comments when i watch it on my iPod 🙁
Is it the same on a iPhone? Maybe you should give me one so i can find out! 🙂

the iPhone should come to South America. Gary, you would have a South American Corespondent, a voice for the WLTVN in Rio de Janeiro. An insider’s view on Local wines from someone that would, indiscriminately, flag his WLTVNC Press ID to get a free lunch at all the tasting in town. How cool is that?

QOTD: How about my 11 year old over-hearing the sounds emanating from the laptop during a post dinner, evening watching WLTV, and exclaiming: “Who is that? I keep hearing this voice and it sounds familiar”. Upon seeing Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk, she asks for me to continue playing the 10 second introduction to the last 20 wine library tv episodes. Next thing i gotta do is make an audio loop of: “welcome eveyone to Wine Library TV, I’m your host Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk and this is the Thunder Show, Wine Library TV.”

AND IT STUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (remember???, the cork??)
alright good episode!! 🙂 now YOU KNOW you gotta do Margaux….
I think I get the “sincerity” in a wine, that I love, that’s pretty much why I stay on French, Italian and German wine….
hmmmm damm I forgot the QOTD… sorry 🙁 BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
PS: do not laugh at me for asking you to try a beaujolais 🙁

GV, Thank you for going Bordeaux on us. You influenced a purchase of a Bordeaux tonight. I went with a Margaux though, the 04 Chateau Lascombes…killer bottle of juice!

Gary, I love your show. And I want trackback feature to each episode page. I sometimes write about you in my blog, and trackback feature will show you my feedback more easily.

great episode!!!, now I need a bordeaux haha
cant wait until thursday, pretty nervous!! hope it is a good thing!!

Enthusiasm… Gary, you make me walking into a shop and buying a 64$ bottle of wine out of nothing! Maybe this was the answer of the QOTD? Brilliant show!

As always, a great episode. For those being Bordeaux, the prices are not bad at all. I think a lot of beginners have a misconception that Bordeaux, from an economic standpoint, is out of reach. Thanks for shattering yet another misconception and bringing the enjoyment of wine to the masses.

Dear Gary
Have just discovered your site and love your enthusiasm and knowledge. I am from New Zealand, mainly famous for its Sauvignons and increasingly Pinot Noirs. I was recently reading Steven Spurrier in Decanter saying the Hawkes Bay Cabernet blends from New Zealand are the closest appoximation in the new world to those from Bordeaux. It would be good to see you compare say Te Mata Coleraine or one of the Craggy Range bordeaux blends with bordeaux wines in a similar price bracket, maybe some Chilean blends as well, avoiding the overblown Australian offerings.

Like the episode. And I’m actually glad you omitted the Vay-Ner-Chuck. It shows you can keep yourself grounded and stay fresh. I’ve always wanted to get myself into wine and on the special occasion of my second comment I would just like to say, your site allows such a smooth transition for a lay person seriously interested in getting into the wine that it’s ridiculous. Thanks. I watch you a dime’s worth a week now.

Gary,

Today was the first day of the new semester. It’s going to be busier than ever, but I’m really excited. I’ve got a brand-new haircut, and I’ve even chopped the goat off. I wonder if you’ll even recognize me the next time I haunt a meetup.

I currently don’t have a cell phone at all, but I have to admit that if I won an iPhone, I’d be pretty stinkin’ psyched. However, I’d be happy to let my prize go to anybody who could enable WineLibrary to resume shipping to NV. That’s what I think you should use it for. And if it works, I’ll get you some new viewers myself.

I really like the wide-reciever/ballerina analogy. Sometimes your sports references seem a bit forced, but this one is a reminder of why you’re the best in the business.

Hmmm… the QOTD isn’t a question at all, but here’s a short one for ya: I went to a huge family gathering about a month ago, and I was wearing the “pickles” shirt. My grandpa, who’s really far-sighted, noticed the shirt, but was having trouble reading it. He began reading the back of it aloud, and when he got to your name, he sounded it out just like you usually do on the show: “Vayy – nrrrr – chuk” My girlfriend got a major kick out of that.

I think Vernieri is on to something with his contest ideas.

Quick note on lurkers. Growing up I watched just about every MASH episode, and every Monty Python episode (yes, I can recite every line). But I never wrote a fan letter. (snail mail, as we are pre Internet), but that does not diminish the love for the shows and the stars. To look forward to the next 300 WLTV shows I would keep the intensity Vay Ner Chuck, But maybe some more food pairings. Also a lesson on how to order wine out on the town. Gary goes for French Food episode. How about a Winelibrary secret discount with the code LURKER.
How about a go on the floor of Winelibrary and grab someone at random and ask why did you buy that bottle? Open it and taste it with them and maybe steer them to other choices (if not a great bottle).
Last if Wine Woot can have their own lable why can not the WLTV Nation?

QOTD: I started working in the tasting room of a winery recently (there’s a thread in VV about it…probably way back on the 3rd page by now) and in the past few weeks i have called in tons of my internet connections. at this point i have people in ontario wanting to import from us, people wanting to evaluate our event capacity, and TONS of people wanting to take a road trip up and taste @ my place.

This site has helped me access a key, unharnessed demographic for my employers. seriously, gary. thank you for the opportunities that your community has created for me.

keep up the good work

you rule.

Great episode.QOTD about 3 months ago I had mentioned WLTV to my sister,who enjoys wine but wasn’t what you call into it.However now on many occassions we’ve discussed episodes,and had laughs about the show and what not. I’m pretty sure she’s catching wine fever or at least a thirst for WLTV. Thanks Gary and WLTV crew.

GV
Great episode, love wine from Pauillac, I will definitely seek out the Reserve De La Comtesse, it sounds like a winner and one that isn’t too out of the price range. As one who drinks Grgich and Caymus, etc… or should I say buy (I have a bunch in our “cellar”) I will have to buy the Pichon Baron and Pichon Lalande, maybe do a big tasting with the Grigich and one of the years of Caymus, not the special selection though.

QOTD: After the Conan show, friends emailing calling asking if that crazy guy on Conan last night is the wine guy that I talk about all the time.

IPHONE GIVEAWAY – I have no idea how to drag the lurkers out of the dark, but I will be racking my brain for ideas because OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH do I want an IPHONE.

GREAT EP

J DUB

QOTD: When some friends were visiting recently I showed them all WLTV and people seemed to find it funny that I watched a wine video podcast. I have subsequently found out that at least one of them has been watching it since. That may not be spreading the thunder at the rate at which you are but every little counts!

Keep up the great work – I love watching the show every day.

Doggone it! I just placed an order, got my cart all cleaned out and now I feel the need to put more into it. Why are we never happy with an empty cart?
I’ve never had any “Poo-Yak”, and now I must give it a “whirl”. Sometimes gaining knowledge is expensive!

The contest: If you want to reward loyalty, give the iphone to the Vayniac who’s been a customer the longest. Course, that’s not quite fair because not all loyal Vayniacs can purchase from WL.
Beats me. Maybe a random drawing of all Vayniacs. Maybe have us pick a number between 1 and whatever. I don’t know. I hate contests; TimF would probably win this one, anyway!!! 😉

Great show…again! Just don’t let the T-Cats steal the show! 😉 Pichon Lalande is one of my favorite Pauillacs even though I do not get to drink them as often as I like. I will be sure to seek out the Comtesse though.

QOTD: I visited Long Island last weekend to see friends and family and of course the wineries. I was wearing my Oak Monster T-shirt when I walked into Roanoke Vineyards. I was being served by the owner’s wife and she was talking about the reviews on the Red Blend #1 and said and I quote, “This crazy wine shop owner in New Jersey who has some kind of internet tv show reviewed it and loved it.” I said was it this guy and turned around to show the Wine Library logo on the back of the shirt. She laughed. We talked about the Conan show, and she poured me a few “extra” samples.

great show G :)…*starts saving for a bottle of the 2004 Chateau Pichon Baron*

iPhone giveaway:
how about having the vayinacs holding a blind(?) party…inviting a few friends/coworkers/yada-yada that don’t know about WLTV *maybe using the same 3 wines* and the best review sent in of that party get’s the iPhone 🙂

QOTD:
I was watching Diggnation…when you had your cameo and thought…hmmm…what’s this about…but then my 2 byte memory completely forgot about it until the 8/17 when Kevin “pownced” me with your link and the “D-UHHHH” / “OH YA” comments came flooding back…so I tore off and downloaded your feeds 😀