EP 605 A Master Sommelier From Germany Stops By To Talk Wine

Master Sommelier Hendrik Thoma from Germany stops by and chats wine, german wine and shows us his great personality.

Wines tasted in this episode:

1992 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Spatlese RieslingGerman Riesling
2007 Cartagena GewurtztraminerOther Chilean White Wine
2006 Becker Pinot NoirOther German Varieties
2006 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling AusleseGerman Riesling

Links mentioned in today’s episode.

Latest Comment:

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Jacqui Nichols

I think you two should do more shows together. I had a BLAST watching you two together!!

Tags: Auslese, Chilean, German, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Noir, Video

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  • P-Duh

    Loved the episode. Just getting into wine as a young 21 year old it’s really fun and inspiring to listen to the jargon and geography. What an amazing amount of knowledge you two shared… I kept pausing the episode and looking up all these different words! Great stuff.

    QOTD: Being from Michigan there are new and fairly young wineries that are producing some decent wines for under 8 bones. They’re sort of hidden jems for some of the locals but I think you should check ’em out.

  • Tim

    Definitely the best guest (outside the WLTV staff, of course) that I’ve seen in a while! Great show, gentlemen.

    The video at the end was awesome

    QOTD: Difficult, if not impossible – I think the closest you could come would be getting lucky in one of the younger regions in South America, and $8 is a stretch even there.

    TJF

  • JayZee

    What a freakin’ great show!! Excellent in every respect. Yet another excellent guest. Hendrik was super.

    QOTD: Well, I certainly can’t make a great wine for under $8. I think you could make a great wine and give it away, but, no, I don’t think someone can make a great wine and sell it for under $8 and make a living.

  • JayZee

    What a freakin’ great show!! Excellent in every respect. Yet another excellent guest. Hendrik was super.

    QOTD: Well, I certainly can’t make a great wine for under $8. I think you could make a great wine and give it away, but, no, I don’t think someone can make a great wine and sell it for under $8 and make a living.

  • As a french actor in the french wine industry (Languedoc) i think you can make a truth wine under 8$ does not mean good but loved gary’s opinion about wine truthness ! too many wines hide their essence that’s why any consumer has to explore the hidden part of the wine
    thank you gary for this show… from south of france

  • As a french actor in the french wine industry (Languedoc) i think you can make a truth wine under 8$ does not mean good but loved gary’s opinion about wine truthness ! too many wines hide their essence that’s why any consumer has to explore the hidden part of the wine
    thank you gary for this show… from south of france

  • As always, your video was very informative. I am still learning and appreciate your show. The video AFTER you show today was great. Love the ending! LINK IT UP VAYNERCHUK!

  • As always, your video was very informative. I am still learning and appreciate your show. The video AFTER you show today was great. Love the ending! LINK IT UP VAYNERCHUK!

  • DF

    QOTD: Probably not one that will knock your socks off, but for 364 days out of the year you can drink an under $8 bottle and be happy. Try Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec and google my favorite food blog, Andy’s Diner/Malbec for more choices.

  • DF

    QOTD: Probably not one that will knock your socks off, but for 364 days out of the year you can drink an under $8 bottle and be happy. Try Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec and google my favorite food blog, Andy’s Diner/Malbec for more choices.

  • Herm

    Great show Gary…..I enjoyed your guest an his German perspective…..I think it is possible to find great wines for $8.00….it’s all about your palate when all is said and done…

  • Herm

    Great show Gary…..I enjoyed your guest an his German perspective…..I think it is possible to find great wines for $8.00….it’s all about your palate when all is said and done…

  • Nath

    Grea Show, great guest. Under$8- Yes, Non Vintage blends can achieve this in my opinion. Later

  • terrypk1

    this guy is amazing. YEAH THANKS GARY.

  • Nath

    Grea Show, great guest. Under$8- Yes, Non Vintage blends can achieve this in my opinion. Later

  • terrypk1

    this guy is amazing. YEAH THANKS GARY.

  • Leephus

    Great show! I don’t know how you keep it going GaryV. Guest was great too, really enjoyed Henry.

    QOTD – Possible not probable

  • Leephus

    Great show! I don’t know how you keep it going GaryV. Guest was great too, really enjoyed Henry.

    QOTD – Possible not probable

  • Leephus

    Great show… again. 🙂

    Apologies – Hendrik, not sure why I put Henry. LOL

  • Leephus

    Great show… again. 🙂

    Apologies – Hendrik, not sure why I put Henry. LOL

  • nelsonmaud

    great show ,good guest

  • nelsonmaud

    great show ,good guest

  • Greg Z

    Fantastic show Gary. Mottt, awesome ending! Gary, you said that you like some of the wines that you diss. Start giving a double score, first one compared to the varietal expection and the second for the enjoyment factor that ingores the baseline expectation.

  • Greg Z

    Fantastic show Gary. Mottt, awesome ending! Gary, you said that you like some of the wines that you diss. Start giving a double score, first one compared to the varietal expection and the second for the enjoyment factor that ingores the baseline expectation.

  • M

    Great guest.

    QOTD: No, I cannot make a great wine for under $8. HaHa. Hopefully others can. All wines I drink are under $20. Many of them I consider great. Although I haven’t compared them to more expensive wines.

  • M

    Great guest.

    QOTD: No, I cannot make a great wine for under $8. HaHa. Hopefully others can. All wines I drink are under $20. Many of them I consider great. Although I haven’t compared them to more expensive wines.

  • gubby

    Great guest, right up there with Ian, Robinson, and Kramer. I have had a nice wine under $8. It was a South African merlot with nice balance and an interesting black pepper nose and finish. I enjoyed it.

  • gubby

    Great guest, right up there with Ian, Robinson, and Kramer. I have had a nice wine under $8. It was a South African merlot with nice balance and an interesting black pepper nose and finish. I enjoyed it.

  • TommyB

    What a nice bloke! Can’t believe he never had a Gewurtz before though! And why have you only had 3 Gary! Ah.. who cares! Keep it going through 2009 fella,s. TommyB, Plymouth, UK

  • TommyB

    What a nice bloke! Can’t believe he never had a Gewurtz before though! And why have you only had 3 Gary! Ah.. who cares! Keep it going through 2009 fella,s. TommyB, Plymouth, UK

  • Laura

    I Love Love Love the GaryVee Wine Nerd. Thoma was awesome – CoHostHimUp!
    He totally up’d your game and we all benefited from that.

  • Laura

    I Love Love Love the GaryVee Wine Nerd. Thoma was awesome – CoHostHimUp!
    He totally up’d your game and we all benefited from that.

  • KWC

    Love the episode, and I just bought some of that same donnhoff (for too much at another store). Guest was great. If you can make a good wine at that price, I haven’t had it, oh well. It just doesn’t seem likely, how can you take the time to love a wine and then sell it for that little.

    PS The Cartier looks exactly like the watch I almost bought last week, now I can’t because people will think I’m a stalker, thanks GV.

  • KWC

    Love the episode, and I just bought some of that same donnhoff (for too much at another store). Guest was great. If you can make a good wine at that price, I haven’t had it, oh well. It just doesn’t seem likely, how can you take the time to love a wine and then sell it for that little.

    PS The Cartier looks exactly like the watch I almost bought last week, now I can’t because people will think I’m a stalker, thanks GV.

  • CBone

    Nice show! Under $8 is tough, but I think it can be done, sure. If someone enjoys a wine, isn’t it then a good wine?

  • CBone

    Nice show! Under $8 is tough, but I think it can be done, sure. If someone enjoys a wine, isn’t it then a good wine?

  • Yvettew

    This was a great episode! Hendrik, you should definitely co-host with Gary once every month, haha.

    QOTD: You might be able to make a pretty good bottle of wine for around $8, but in terms of the quality that some wine makers produce, I don’t believe so.

  • Yvettew

    This was a great episode! Hendrik, you should definitely co-host with Gary once every month, haha.

    QOTD: You might be able to make a pretty good bottle of wine for around $8, but in terms of the quality that some wine makers produce, I don’t believe so.

  • QOTD: Why not? I mean good cheap wine won’t be made by thinking that it can’t. It only limits your possibilities. I think if enough wine makers try to make good cheap wine eventually they will figure out ways to do so. And I will keep trying cheap wine, because how will I know they aren’t good, unless I try. (And I can afford to do so, whereas I cannot afford the risk of more expensive wine.)

  • QOTD: Why not? I mean good cheap wine won’t be made by thinking that it can’t. It only limits your possibilities. I think if enough wine makers try to make good cheap wine eventually they will figure out ways to do so. And I will keep trying cheap wine, because how will I know they aren’t good, unless I try. (And I can afford to do so, whereas I cannot afford the risk of more expensive wine.)

  • shawn

    1st time posting long time fan.Great show had a good laugh at the end.
    The interview was perfect i could have watched you two for hours.Thanks
    for all that you’s do.

  • shawn

    1st time posting long time fan.Great show had a good laugh at the end.
    The interview was perfect i could have watched you two for hours.Thanks
    for all that you’s do.

  • I has some farmer wine that I bought from a stall at a market in Paris that was pretty good. It was some sort of blend. 5 euro and it had great terrior and honest fruit. What kills the price point I think is the need to distribute and produce a lot of a cheap wine. If you can keep it small you have a better chance….but then again exclusivity yields price increases.

  • I has some farmer wine that I bought from a stall at a market in Paris that was pretty good. It was some sort of blend. 5 euro and it had great terrior and honest fruit. What kills the price point I think is the need to distribute and produce a lot of a cheap wine. If you can keep it small you have a better chance….but then again exclusivity yields price increases.

  • RobM

    Interesting episode, who would have thought a Master Sommelier to be less critical than the merchant.

    Also, Gary I was wondering if anyone alerted you to the recognition WL and you got on Boomer and Carton this morning. Boomer referred to you as the Sommelier that signed the book included with his wine club shipment he received from Carton for Christmas. I have to say though, someone gives Boomer a WL gift and the best you can do is a signed book? Maybe something a little more creative could have gotten one of them on the Thunder Show.

  • RobM

    Interesting episode, who would have thought a Master Sommelier to be less critical than the merchant.

    Also, Gary I was wondering if anyone alerted you to the recognition WL and you got on Boomer and Carton this morning. Boomer referred to you as the Sommelier that signed the book included with his wine club shipment he received from Carton for Christmas. I have to say though, someone gives Boomer a WL gift and the best you can do is a signed book? Maybe something a little more creative could have gotten one of them on the Thunder Show.

  • Oh and I forgot to mention Vinho Verde. You can get dirt cheap bottles that are a fascinating and fresh. Did I mention they we’re cheap? Like 4.50$ in some cases

  • Oh and I forgot to mention Vinho Verde. You can get dirt cheap bottles that are a fascinating and fresh. Did I mention they we’re cheap? Like 4.50$ in some cases

  • Jeff Vogel

    Hendrik–next time you’re in Kaiserslautern, drop an e-mail. Gary–this show was classic! I hope you were serious about having Herr Thoma on as often as possible. When I saw you were drinking Becker’s Pinot, I thought it was Fritz’s Pinot Noir Tafelwein. Shame it wasn’t; I would have loved to have heard your (and Hendrik’s) thoughts on it (and its price point: 85 Euro ex cellar). But glad you were able to taste the estate Pinot nonetheless, not to mention another Helmut Doennhoff classic. Wait till you taste the ’07…it literally will make you faint.

    QOTD: While we’re on the topic of Doennhoff wines, Helmut makes it very apparent that great wines are available for little money. His QbA Rieslings are some of the most riveting examples of broad estate-bottled Riesling, and that at under 9 Euro. This gives rather broad context to a tricky question: In the local currency–assuming you’re paying in it, without conversion–many a great wine can be made and had for under 5-8 Euro. It takes some research, but there will always be a new venture out there just trying to squeeze itself into a little sliver of shelf space, or an old one trying to resurrect its image for a new qualitative era. And if we remain diligent and discerning, one day we–with a little bit of you, Gary–will discover that $5-10 treasure trove…and the wine world will never be the same again. Peace!

  • Jeff Vogel

    Hendrik–next time you’re in Kaiserslautern, drop an e-mail. Gary–this show was classic! I hope you were serious about having Herr Thoma on as often as possible. When I saw you were drinking Becker’s Pinot, I thought it was Fritz’s Pinot Noir Tafelwein. Shame it wasn’t; I would have loved to have heard your (and Hendrik’s) thoughts on it (and its price point: 85 Euro ex cellar). But glad you were able to taste the estate Pinot nonetheless, not to mention another Helmut Doennhoff classic. Wait till you taste the ’07…it literally will make you faint.

    QOTD: While we’re on the topic of Doennhoff wines, Helmut makes it very apparent that great wines are available for little money. His QbA Rieslings are some of the most riveting examples of broad estate-bottled Riesling, and that at under 9 Euro. This gives rather broad context to a tricky question: In the local currency–assuming you’re paying in it, without conversion–many a great wine can be made and had for under 5-8 Euro. It takes some research, but there will always be a new venture out there just trying to squeeze itself into a little sliver of shelf space, or an old one trying to resurrect its image for a new qualitative era. And if we remain diligent and discerning, one day we–with a little bit of you, Gary–will discover that $5-10 treasure trove…and the wine world will never be the same again. Peace!

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