GV-

A double-blind Cab episode would be great! And based on all the positive comments from the Vayniacs, I too will look for some Buehler Cab.

Helen-

I second Dale Cruse’s comments to you, and I agree with Paul Gernhauser’s observations about how difficult it is for most people to identify wine aromas, flavors and nuances. It takes experience, which takes time. My son is your age, and he talks about wine just as you did in this show. However, he isn’t representing his family’s winery, selling the name and the wine, like you are.

As you now know, the Vayniacs are passionate about wine. I think most want to learn about wine, wine making, and/or the wine business from Gary’s guests. As a fan of the show, I want learn something new and interesting [and hopefully useful] when I watch. That is what makes the show so great for me – it’s an education. But that usually only happens when the guest displays superior knowledge of wine, wine-making, or the wine business.

I believe that you can learn to be a great representative of your family business, but it will take some work and some time. Being unaware of the retail pricing of the wines you are selling tells people that you don’t care enough to bother learning the basics [though you probably have not thought of it that way]. You can be a person of substance, who “brings the thunder” with superior knowledge and insight, if you want to, if you truly care about the wines your family makes. But to do so you must learn all there is to know about your business, or at least about your family’s wines.

Anyone familiar with WLTV knows that the Vayniacs say what is on their minds, though perhaps a little more bluntly at times than is appropriate. Some go way overboard with criticism, which can be very hurtful, and I don’t understand that mindset. In any case, I hope all the feedback from this episode, from all the Vayniacs, will help you grow professionally.

You seem to have great poise and self-confidence. Now, think about building on that excellent foundation, and really learning your business. You can do it. Just my two cents worth.

And now I have to go and look for some Buehler Cab!

hey vaniacs, not everyobdy one the show has to be a master taster like gary. helen said that she didn’t realise what she had until recently and is now taking an interest in wine. the mere fact that she loves wine and knows different produces as friends shows that her character is good and that when she comes to be more knowledgable (apparently when the so called masters of wine aka vaniacs think she is) then she will be at the forefront because of her relationships with other wineries. i’m sure that you kids having grown up on a winery would have thought that it wasn’t anything special either. so grow up and quit being a bunch of babies. like it or not, her tasting notes represent the majority of wine drinkers. the wine tastes delicious, is in fact, better than most tasting notes. because sometimes gary says, “it has some balck currant, blueberries, little oak, black tea…but you know, i’m not feeling it, it’s not that good.” so is anybody going to drink it then. why not just say it’s not that good to begin with?
just saying there’s different things to be had by different people. open your eyes vaniacs.

That was definitely a thought provoking episode… I was more interested to hear her thoughts on Napa Valley and the newer generation than what she brought to the table discussing the wines. I just thought she would have had more to say about the wines (besides not paying for them)

More interesting than this episode, that would be great if you did the double blind tasting of 2007 Napa Cabs! I’m going to a wedding at V Sattui on 4th of July so a preview would be nice.

QOTD: Jets have a good defense! The Redskins hired Mike Shannahan, I can’t wait to see all the changes, its going to be quite interesting.

hmmmmmm…Tough episode. So what if she was little off. Gary keep up the good work. Having a guest like that and continuing to carry the show is tough. Props to you. Also you are getting way better at interacting with guests, ie. not interrupting so much. Keep it up. Don’t have a lot to say about the wines, sorry.

QOTD: ?? Sorry, I don’t follow the Jets that close, tho I was glad to see they made the playoffs.

I think overall she did a good job, with the exception of a couple small blunders (like selling/representing the wine but not knowing its price). I also agree with the others who thought she was totally checking you out!

Looking at her Facebook, it appears she’s the same age as me- glad to see a CKC-aged guest to show that we care about wine as much as anyone else!

I always enjoy reading Murso’s posts, very knowledgable…

I’m also glad some Vayniacs are giving Helen constructive criticism, everyone has room to improve… lets be honest, she is incredibly fortunate for the position she’s in and I’m sure most of us would love to trade places with her.

If the 2007 Buehler Cabs are really going for $25 I will have to give one a try.

Don?t know Helen, but from Napa, she must have gone to a rival school. Prob St Helena. She did not represent at all. A lot of smart kids in the valley that are working really hard at something they love and most of them didn?t inherit a gift like this. Would like to see young talent on the show that doesn?t come from a family winery to get their perspective on the industry. I?m thinking back to the ?Merlove? episode, that guy was passionate about his craft.

It’s very kind that everyone is being so sympathetic towards Helen. But she goes on the show as a wine sales and marketing professional without a single talking note, and no product knowledge (including her family wine!)

Nor did she seem to research the GV demographic and took for granted the audience was so simple minded she could “charm” her way on the show.

Not only does she need to brush up on simple wine knowledge, she should probably read a text book about sales and marketing.

I would be curious to know who she “sells” wine for?

What an insult to us as the audience, and what an embarrassment to whomever she represents because it’s obviously not her family’s winery she is selling.

Im pretty disappointed with the Vaynernation on this one. Ill be the first to call out a douche bag when the rare occasion arises to do so, but this is NOT one of them. If you want to know the price of wine LOOK IT UP, you bunch of lazy things. She is cute, her family is successful, I mean lets be honest, we LOVE to hate those kind of people. This wasn’t a product knowledge contest, she was a guest on a show, get a grip people. And im totally going to run out and get the Bhehler cab, sounds great.

Im pretty disappointed with the Vaynernation on this one. Ill be the first to call out a douche bag when the rare occasion arises to do so, but this is NOT one of them. If you want to know the price of wine LOOK IT UP, you bunch of lazy things. She is cute, her family is successful, I mean lets be honest, we LOVE to hate those kind of people. This wasn’t a product knowledge contest, she was a guest on a show, get a grip people. And im totally going to run out and get the Bhehler cab, sounds great.

@Murso, Yes, I had to look up pedantic, but it does fit. Keep it coming, we love a little old school wine snobery now and then.

Wow, she seems to know more about football than wine…. I do too but then I am not looking to be a winemaker. Go Jets! I’d love to see them lose to Minnesota in the Superbowl! (BTW… the ONLY reason I would EVER hope the Vikings won ANYTHING is so that Favre can retire!) GO BEARS!!!

Gary’s new years resolution should be to buy a new Flip cam in HD (720p). Standard definition is so 2008 and the HD cameras are less than $200 now.

Not much of interview…. Doesn’t know the prices, doesn’t know the smells. What is this? Rich spoiled brat, is trying to work???? GV if you performed like this you would have made 6 episodes.

Maybe one of your worst episodes ever and I’ve seen about 600.

She seemed pretty poised and had some good things to say. However, if she wants to make wine she needs to learn a thing or two about wine vocabulary and expressing flavor profiles. Seemed a bit odd that she had a total of one descriptor for three wines.

Hello Again… Qotd: ??
Helen Gets A 99+ From Me 🙂
Keep On Truckin’ Gary V.
I Must Say The Cab Sounds Good. Cheers.

Helen the HOTTIE!!!

…Gary…Really???…PLEASE!!!

Fry……Fry……….Fry……..
He’ll keep calling me…. and calling me….

By her family name I can tell that she has a Swiss heritage. Hey, I live in Switzerland! So when she is around I would be glad to share a glass of wine with her (Gary, please forward this mail 😉

Wasn’t she just the cutest and sweetest… very nice show….learned a lot too…whenever you and/or the guest summarize your favorite wines and vintages, I learn facts quickly.

Thanks for a nice show.

QOTD: Ummm, whatever it takes to keep GV happy with his Jets.

PA sells the HDV in the Chairman’s Selection program.

Helen has a wonderful future ahead for her, however she really needs to show some maturity and learn the facts about her family’s product. Just because she is young doesn’t give her a license to glide by on cute looks. Gary handled the situation with poise and skill, but I learned nothing from the guest. A waste of 20 minutes of my precious time.

Gary – as an internet person who also recruits guests for content, I appreciate the effort to get a wine family represented on your show. It was the right idea but I have to say the wrong person. Or perhaps your questions about the extent to which younger folks are interested in the wine biz should have been the extent of it. To have her say, “uh it tastes like wine” suggests that she has not been engaged in the tasting part of things at all, much less wine making. I see others have commented similarly so I don’t think I am out in left field here. On the other hand I didn’t hear umms, likes, kind-ofs or “Dude” so that was pleasant to be sure. Keep up the good work. I have just been tuned in to your brand for about 2 weeks and love what I see. I immediately recommended you to about 5 friends so that says a lot. Thanks

No matter what you think of Helen, she did bring Buehler Vineyards onto the show, which is good. Would someone else from Buehler have come to WLTV? Even if her knowledge isn’t deep, I bet she was the right person for this.