Hell yeah, #800. Good call Gray on keeping it honest. I'm sure everyone here appreciates you honest opinion on the show, just call it like you your palate sees it. Keep up the good work.

Congrats on another landmark episode, with a great guest of course!
QOTD: YES! If a wine is extra unique or fits a themed show very well, by all means taste it, no matter how much you have! I'm sure some of the 'widely-available' shows you've done in the past you've had >10 cases of, and I'm sure at this point everyone knows you're 'calling a spade a spade' and not just trying to push product.

Always a great show when Sasha comes to visit! Congrats on 800!! I've been watching since around 650 and am always excited for the next to come out. I have yet to go through the archive though, I think I've done maybe 1-50. Here's to many more! –raising glass–

QOTD: I appreciate you standing by your values so adamantly, Gary. I personally wouldn't care except for the fact that you would be going against your word by doing so.

What great chemistry between you two!

Episode #800 was a historical event in more ways then the obvious…

CaptRobLee

Congrats on #800!! Always good to see Sasha. Stick to your policies. It's nice to know some people still have values. Besides, there's always plenty of e-mail recommendations from the WL. 🙂 🙂

Hey Gary- great show. First time seeing you with your dad. I hope some day I can do something similar with my sons. Congrats on you 800th and your newest family member!

Loved the 800!! Reminded me of me, with my Father(and even Grand Father!)! Thanks GV! I will be going back and finding more episodes with your Dad…I look forward to buying my 1st Amarone.

SASHA RULES!

QOTD: I think it's a great rule not to use the show as a selling platform. I don't mind if you review wines that you sell, as long as it's not with the intention of moving cases of product. Ethics is a fine line, but in this case I think we all know you work for a large wine retailer — no surprises there.

I've often wondered about the professional wine critics and their relationships with the wine makers. Whether they like the people or not shouldn't have an impact on the wine scores, but then I read about their dinners with the heads of various wineries and scratch my head. That's a much more subtle conflict of interest and ethical issue.

Yay Sasha!

Mmmmm…. Amarone, way to cap off 800 with your dad!

Great show. I love the interaction between Sasha and you. It is quite evident where you get your drive from, its in the genes.

QOTD; Keep it the way you have always done.

Gary, Always love to see your dad on the show. It makes me miss mine. Why not have a featured wine of the show or a “Sasha's pick”. One wine that you have quantity on, maybe a “Sasha's Corner”. Congrats on number 800!

It was nice to see your dad again.

Qotd: I like your show the way it is. I realize that you go out of your way to try not to push a specific product and I appreciate that, but I do realize that some of the wines you taste will be sold by you. As long as your genuine about the content of your show I'll continue to watch.

Would love to see Sascha join you to interview some guests on WLTV over the course of this year. Also, can WLTV run a promotion to coincide with March Maddness? Would be cool to have head to head match-ups preannounced then have viewers vote on the winner for the next round.

qotd: I have no problem heck I can't even buy from you anyways since Im in canada. If you put a disclaimer why not…or make it if your dad buys it then you can review it hah

Hey Gary,

Another great show. Your dad is quite a character! He definitely needs more air time in future episodes.

QOTD – I strongly discourage you from changing your policy. It just wouldn't 'feel' right if you tasting wines that you had pallets of for sale in the back room.

Two quick notes….

1. I've officially had the first wine from Cindy that I flat out did not like. It had bitter tannins and was loaded with sediment. Quite frankly I had to re-check the bottle to see if it said 'unfiltered' somewhere on the label. It was the Vina Altair Sideral from Cindy.

2. When are you going to taste the secret packs? Is this posted somewhere?

Keep rockin' it! Let me know when you're ready to explore Amador county in Cali. Its all about Runquist wines! Do they have those in NJ?

-Corkshack (Chris Anderson)

I finally had a chance to sit and watch the episode and after 800 of them I've come to this conclusion…..the episodes with Gary and Sasha are, by far, my favorite. Gary brings the energy and understanding of wine in the technology world while Sasha gives us what only real world experience can bring, a real, non-rushed understanding of business and wine that go hand in hand.

QOTD: I love that Gary is trying to hold true to the “non-sales” aspect of the show but I also think that Sasha can bring an interesting weekly aspect. Let Sasha come on once a week and let him pick the wines. It's obvious that Sasha is going to give us what he loves and I think most will be fine with it, I know Cabdrinker will LOVE it! 🙂

or if WinelibaryTv is an informational and consumeroriented platform it could show possible retailers for that wine maybe with the help of http://www.wine-searcher.com or something similar

Happy 800th show Gary!! You are da man and thank you for having your dad on the show tonight…he rocks!

Hey Don,

Because of the drying process of the grapes, the yields are severely reduced. You can't squeeze much juice out of a raisin! That's why they tend to cost a good bit more than your average wine! There are a couple of “value” Amarone, one being the Tedeschi that was reviewed above, anything under $40 is considered inexpensive. But probably the best value I've found for a true Amarone is Luigi Righetti ($20-$30).

Another thought would be to look for some of the good producers' Ripasso. A Ripasso is a Valpolicella that is “repassed” over the remaining stems and skins after the Amarone is produced. They are often referred to as baby Amarone. Some great examples include Zenato's Ripassa (the wine is named Ripassa, though it is a Ripasso), and Secco-Bertani (Second Bertani, the Amarone mentioned in the show).

Cheers!

Grats on hitting 800

QOTD – My mom and Gary's dad should hang out. They could actually start their own blog where they just talk about their children. I think the policy makes sense. Not just because it gives the show credibility. Gary is so honest that if he tasted that 2005 wine Sasha bought and DISliked it, he would say so. And then he'd be sitting on a bunch of wine that the store will sell despite the fact that Gary's publicly stated he's not a fan of it. It's weird. I get the policy. But I also love Sasha.

Great show! Happy 800.

QOTD: First, I was unaware of the 10 cases policy, but this show was an exciting window into the business side of things. Second, s message has never been about the particular wines tasted on the show, but more about smelling, tasting, and thinking about new regions, varietals, and flavors. I recently had a cheap South African blend (Syrah, Mouvedre, and Viogner) that my girlfriend deemed the worst thing she'd ever put in her mouth, but I, while not loving the wine, was intrigued by all the funky disjointedness–it had an astoundingly terrible day-old bacon with a touch of industrial smoke. Anyway, at this point, Gary, you could use the Vayner nation to unload inventory. You've shown us enough love and respect, it's the least we can do in return. I trust you won't abuse your power.

James, sorry about the delay…responded to you via twitter as well. Sasha was talking about the 2005 Lail Blueprint Red from California.

Wishing you and your family plus the Vaner Nation a great 2010.

Great show – love the competitive nature with your Dad + the way he does his own thing (as he owns the company).

Not really sure what the QOTD was – but who cares!