Gary you got to get this Guy on below.

Sean Thackrey is a winemaker, indeed, but he is so much more: an archivist, historian, linguist, photographer, art collector. Thackrey shares his views on the importance of barrels, respect for ancient techniques like letting grapes rest, the word terroir (he hates it), and much more. For wine aficionados, he?s an inspiration. For wine novices, he?s a deep source of knowledge. (Keep watching: The video?s in 10 parts.)

http://www.chow.com/stories/11546

This guy is so droll. He can’t even seem to put an idea together because he lacks passion and tries to come up with think speak answers and cerebral responses. I bet his book is boring too!

Kiosk = good time saving device.

I’m sorry, why does every single episode need to be a blockbuster, and why does every guest need to be super cool? I am disappointed and a little embarrassed by my fellow Vayniacs by the comments I’m reading. I think it’s desirable for some guests to be toned down and different, this brings variety and perspective. This guy was interesting and brought an interesting view of his dislike of separating wine from food. Sure, he had a quirky manner about him, was a little awkward in front of the camera, and his slow speech and dry sense of humor didn’t really pair too well with Gary’s hyperactive style, (I did feel like he was “badgering the witness” slightly today) but he’s authentic. Much more authentic than, say, that guy from the Mad Money show.

QOTD: Kiosks are unbeatable for simple flights within the country carrying little luggage and in small parties. For international travel with lots of luggage and an entire family, give me a checkin attendant any day.

what a tool this guy is??? talk about self promoting!! He asked GV to pop his book while thinking and then pretending he cannot find a question??? gimme a break buddy… even if his book is the most important book about wine ever written I would not touch it with a ten foot pole… oh… and what about terroir??? I guess it is GVs fault not asking more, but even when he did, the guy said you can see terroir if you follow the river and blah blah blah… wha??? get this muppet outta here…

OK I have to say this is probably the worst eppisode I’ve seen yet. Allow me to explain myself..
1>This guy IS a tool, not because he was trying to promote his book but because he truly had no idea how to interact with one of the internets most personable people, and because he totally flaked out on any legitimate commentary on the wines they tasted. I understand the main reason he was here was to “self promote,” I have no problem with that.
2>Gary we all love you but home-skillet you are why we tune in…not to say I dont think you made bro-man nervous, but after I re-watched this (because of all the scuttle-butt) I noticed that you clearly smashed him in the mouth with the pace of thought/speach/vocabulary. That was a “no-fault” wreck guys, however he should have done his homework and drank 3 Red Bulls before the taping started so he could keep up.
3>This just is not the type of guest you should have, honestly. You want blunt truth Garry thats it. Some people make great guests and some dont. Have Mott do a preliminary or something, we tune in to TURN UP THE THUNDER, and that guy is soooo boring. He just seemed to be searching his mind for these really clever little things and profound thoughts that never came…then he would switch gears and try to cop your style and ruin that approach as well. Leno would have chewed this guy up if he were on “Tonight” and didnt bring his A-game…showing up to promote a book about I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT but something to do with wine or corks..then no ability to talk about wines (and you gave him the chance to be honest and he pulled some John Kerry style flip-flopping) That was just weak on his behalf…I feel like you left the door open a few times for him to jump in and give some nice little anectdote from his book that would relate to the topic and he just looked at the door and tried to think of a different word for door..LOL…sorry (no I’m not.)
4> If you do this style then you need to have some question cards and maybe a semi-rehearsal type thing to discuss what topics you’ll cover and make sure he’s got his verbalations down and some stories to back himself up with.
5>Too much “off topic” it got boring and lame. Honest to God I was uncomfortable watching this..seriously..that is SO NOT why I am a tremendous fan of yours…Just ordered your book BTW!
Seriously Big G, I really do respect the effort. Ol’ dude just came off fake and nervous and my generation BLAZES those things. Thats why you got the responses that you got. I’m loving the honesty in the follow up epp though, sometimes we all miss the mark and it says so much about how you love your fans for you to come back guns blazing ready to bring the Thunder back. Don’t even think you’re gonna lose a single fan over 1 bad show IT WONT HAPPEN. You are the voice of our generation for the wine world, the voice that most of us have been wishing would rep us,..your throwing down now and I’m digging it. Hey I’d almost back you for Prez in 2012…(eliminate the new state tax on wine in KY IT SUCKS, and make our state let people have wine mailed to them.)
I see a storm cloud on the horizon…I know its gonna be some THUNDER today.
Sorry, just get excited about things…
QOTD: LOVE THEM, SAVES TIME…
I’m OUT!

Interesting show but guest was exhausting to watch; his lack of decisiveness in response to questions was what did it. In episode 633, he seemed to pretend he knew things that you referred to when he didn’t.

Seemed like a journalist who went to France and enjoys drinking wine and the romance of it but not an expert. It seemed like he knew very little of the whites of the Rhone other than Condrieu for example.

He should watch the show and honestly ask himself if he were a viewer would he buy the book.

Best parts were when Gary was talking.

Gary, you?re right, TEA totally brings the thunder! I love Hao-Ya A Keemun (?The Burgundy of Teas?) and Chinese black teas in general for their earthy complexity. I also enjoy Tie Quan Yin Oolongs, which are often nutty or floral ? I?ve had some that smell exactly like lilacs. A quality Assam ? thick and malty ? is also hard to pass up.

The range of taste/aroma from the Camellia sinensis plant is simply amazing! It?s worth a try especially if you go for aromas in wine ? and the best stuff usually costs less than total swill from the packie.

Gary, do a Tea show! Upton Tea Imports is my favorite mail order.

QOTD: The quicker the better.

He should have cleared the frog in his throat–it might have been a little easier to listen to. Maybe too much dairy—all that French cheese and cream. (Sorry, if he has a legitimate health concern.)

This guy reminds me of my uncle. These were some good episodes.

QOTD: I like the things at the airport he hates, but if we are talking about terrible uses of computers…calling ANY company, and needing to deal with a computer on the phone is the absolute worst. It makes me irate.

Tea is my other drink! Tea every morning, afternoon, and wine every evening! There are so many wonderful teas out there. It is like wine, all the same plant, but tastes different based on the land on which it was grown and the ways in which it was processed. (Not herbal teas, which are not teas, but Camellia Sinensis, what the tea plant is really called. Shit, tea is even named like French wine! A Darjeeling in Camellia sinensis from Darjeeling. Ceylon a Camellia sinensis from Sri Lanka, etc.

QOTD: I freakin’ love the electronic ticket dispensers. Is this guy nuts?

I have to agree with previous posters that this guest was too centered on food and not enough on wine – this is a wine show, come on! I think food and wine go hand in hand, so I can understand talking about it – but it’s not the point of reference for every wine!

I also like the comment that the guest didn’t know about the QOTD if he’s been watching WLTV for over a year. Seriously?! That kinda outted you man.

QOTD: I like the automation. BUT there has to be a competant human leading you to the computers. Not everyone knows to step up to the computer. Not everyone travels regularly to know every change that is made since the last time they traveled. Lots of deer in headlights in the terminal looking for direction.

I hate people. automate the world…

I agree about Robert seeming old-school, especially in the sense that he seemed to arrive prepared for a Mike Douglas/Johnny Carson type interview that would let him say his talking points and hold up the book — the soundbite versus the extended uncut conversation. He did get caught out not knowing about the rinse and the QOTD — a lesson in 21st century media right there.

He also may be a journalist who can report well by listening to his subjects and not expressing his opinion, which did not serve him well in this format. Also, he presented himself honestly as a travel writer, the difference between having a Matt Kramer (when will he be a guest?) and someone who writes uncritical journalism.

His talking points seemed not so different from Kermit Lynch’s “Adventures on the Wine Route” and Mondovino; but I would still like to at least browse his book to see what he covers that makes it his own.

I loved this episode though, in part because it made me aware of how informed other guests are and how what can seem like a breezy, easy thing to do is actually difficult. And it also reenforced how much substance there is in an average WLTV episode.

Never seen someone know so little when you would expect them to know so much about wine (considering he has written for newspapers and now has a book). He really added nothing about the wines.. just continually answered it by talking about ‘his love of the people’.

He also got so badly caught about watching ‘for a year’ by the glass rinse freak-out and the QOTD.

QOTD: The ones at HomeDepot work great. wait.. what was he asking? The airport?

QOTD: I have to agree with Robert, most of those airline kiosks suck, and I’m far from an anti-tech person.

Wasn’t that guy on the A-Team?? QOTD: Computers are not as good as a person with a computer to help you.

QOTD: OMG! Someone who lives in France complaining about airline automated check-in machines going on strike!! Don’t get me wrong, I love France, but striking is a mandatory pastime there!

Read the guest’s book, which I loved, and was curious to see this show, but there was virtually none of the interesting stories from his book discussed, or even inquired about by Gary. So, kind of a bummer.

The first part was funny and interesting. The Jets beret was a home-run. This second part was lacking energy. But, I have no idea why people are hating on the guest. And that bums me out a lot.

Is it just me, or should Gary have had the moral courage to stand up for his guest in responding to the commentary, rather than just letting the guy get trashed, especially given that clearly he liked the guest at first? If it were me, the decent thing to do would be to have your guest’s back.

Seems Robert may have been expecting more of an informed host and good interviewer. Part of the problem was that while Gary is more on the consumption end of things, more wine shop gab about price, value and all that, Robert’s thing is more about the production end, the people who make the wines. But, there was also a knowledge gap between a seasoned wine critic, with his bouquet-speak, and a journalist who covers a wide range of things in France. They both could have worked harder to make this a good show.

QOTD: Well, of course, Robert is going to say people are better. It shouldn’t be about what is more convenient always, but what enables us to stay more human. As this site shows, when people operate in anonymity, they let out all sorts of demons, and act far less civil than they would in person. Would any of these people this stuff to the guest’s face? No way. So, dehumanization is never good. I read some posts here that were actually violent (you want to slap the guest? Really?), and even racist (You don’t want more Italian guests? Really? Please explain your logic on that one. I’d be curious to hear your flimsy arguments). What a shame. Does Gary want that vibe going on among his fans? That’s a question for him. But, I doubt it, because he seems a sweet guy. Still, not sure why this episode brought out such vitriol? Is it really about the rinsing thing? Or QOTD? The guy said he was a “fan of Gary,” not a Vayniac. I never watched this show until recently, and yet I had seen Gary on TV, and would say I was sort of a fan of his approach, though falling well short of a loyalist. And, I had seen a couple shows here, but didn’t always watch to the end, and didn’t know that the rinse and the QOTD were done exactly the same everyday. Does that make me a liar if I said was a “fan of Gary” or an idiot? No. But I simply enjoy hearing Gary’s wine descriptions, he has a well-tuned palette, and it helps in selecting wines. Period. But, if I want other substance, history, culture, with respect to France or elsewhere, this is not where I would turn. Because on that front, the show is average at best. This is about wine criticism, nothing more. But, apparently some people here take it as life’s gospel, some sacred daily ritual, whose orthodoxy shouldn’t be challenged or questioned.

I hope in future posts people can show more decency and curiosity. That’s what will make this show last and grow, not closed-mindedness.

He reminds me of a smarmy 80’s buisness man.

QOTD: Are you kidding? Those are awesome, just like the self-checkout at the grocery.

OK, I don’t care if you apologize or not, if you talk trash about Gary (and an innocent Mott), your a jackass. Seriously, calling out Mott? Also, you are a gigantic turd. Troglodyte!

Now I feel better.

QOTD: I actually like those machines. Their efficient and they cut the cost of labor for the airport, so I think we’ll be seeing a lot more automated systems and machines in the coming months…

Gary,

Today’s guest is/was a pompous ass.

Regards,

Charles Grodin

Hey Gary!

Are you getting more traditional with your wine descriptions?! Black currants, pepper, bacon.. nice. I like where you are heading with these tastings and I love the guests.
Keep up the great work.

I work in the trade, I read the book, and it changed the way I think about wine . . . like Gary is changing it for a lot of you. It’s personal, passionate, and eloquent about a few people in France who are making a difference in the way they approach growing vines and making wine. I wish I had read it at the beginning of my wine education! Camuto is not a professional speaker or promotions guy, and he doesn’t claim to be a wine expert or speculator — he’s a writer/journalist, and a very good one. Check out his travel/food articles for Wine Spectator, and read the book! That’s why he ended up here talking to Gary — not to compete or upstage or teach, but because both of them wanted the book to be part of your ongoing experience with wine.