Thnx coming from u and all time old school Vayniac means a lot!

LOL yes he did!

I think that's a bit unfair, it's just natural conversation, you get something in your head and you have to express it. I'd watch this if it was kermit lynch talking about the wine industry for an hour by himself but that's not the thunder show.

QOTD: People are ignorant or more politely…misinformed. There is hype in wine media for Bordeaux futures or older Bordeaux at auctions. This clouds the reality that there are a zillion wine regions in France offering quality and value.

Excellent and truly enjoyable!!

QOTD: If you are somewhat knowledgable about wine and buy a variety of it you would know that some of the best buys are in French wine. Most people think imported products such as French wine are always most expensive and probably have been directed to the “top” big names as recommendations when they do happen to step in a wine shop. For a short time some Americans(myself included) boycotted French wine. Then I came to my senses because I wanted to expand my palate and drink wine made by some of the best producers in the world. Honestly, I do probably purchase a lot more American wine than any other country. Viva la America!!

K.L. has the advantage of tasting everything BEFORE he buys! At my price range I have assumed that the french have exported their worst wine to us 'ignorant' Americans that they would never stoop to drink; I may be wrong. All praise to Kermit for doing all the work and only offering the wines worthy of our dollars. Due to the hgh cost of shipping, I'll drive to Berkley from Reno, and load up the car! Thank you.
Smell it first. TR

Gary & Kermit,

Thank you for sharing the education, the experience, and the laughs. I've always enjoyed Kermit's wines and will always scoop them up when I can. I have that Sunflower on my counter and am going to enjoy it tonight with my Wife – a perfect pairing.

Thanks again, guys…you BOTH not only bring the thunder, you bring the entire damn storm!

QOTD: I have no problem with any price on the french wine. Do I wich I could more easily afford to have a greater selection of Pomerol, Puillac, Cote Rotie, Hermitage, and Burgundies…yes. But, I also wish I could buy most Cali Cabs at a whim, too. I do what I can with what I got and enjoy most of everything I consume. Even if I don't I find a lesson in there somewhere. Plainly put, I wish everyone could afford and enjoy every wine made. Meaning: There shouldn't be some just for the wealthy and some just for us garage sale shoppers.

Not so. I've visited some of the heavy hitting areas in France (Rhone, Bordeaux, Burgundy) and found it much easier to get a greater selection of their top notch stuff here. The locals don't buy the good stuff…we do. Believe it or not, they often their table wines most suitable.

If you could travel thru CA and WA and sniff out all the small guys who pump out good stuff and haven't yet been discovered…then you'd be the KL of the states.

Great show, I would have sat through the whole all at once and thought it was the regular length. Each part always ended too soon. So understated, loved his appreciation of the fortune fate has brought him. Also loved the old school aspect, “records” “will they leave answers?” (great response, “yes we're good that way”).

QOTD – For me the big draw back for French wines for the longest time was I didn't understand what I might be getting. Now its more that I appreciate having wines from people and places I've actually experienced. I guess I just have to make it to France. Need a buddy on your next trip (sorry, my french is really bad)?

Just a tremendous three part epic. I don't know if you could find a more interesting and likeable guest ever again. Just have to bring him back.

Great guest Gary. Kermit you inspired me to go to the liquor store and buy every wine it had with your name on it. Seven in all. I can't wait to drink all of these.

QOTD: It's all because of Bordeaux and to some extent Burgundy. I love the value of most Rhone wines, and the incredible to boot.

What a legendary interview. Everyone who's on Kermit Lynch's mailing list has gotten a taste of his wit & poetry in his descriptions of various producers & bottles, but to hear him expound on these themes on camera is a real treat. Thank you Gary V!

I like les Pallieres, but my one true love has to be a Vacqueras Kermit imports: le Sang des Cailloux. Sipping it really makes you understand that wine isn't grape juice! And QOTD: France indeed gets pricey once you reach the collectible level of Grand Cru Burgs & 1st Growth Bdx & culty St. Emilion. Moreover, in the under $15 range, the pickings for interesting bottles with enough richness (for American palates) gets slim.

Wow! Great show. As a wine newbie…I feel fortunate to have witnessed this interview and a chance to hear Mr. Lynch's story. I now have something new to look for at my local wine shop.

QOTD: Again…as a wine newbie…not sure. So far my experience…understanding French wine (labels, regions, classifications) can be difficult…so it must be expensive!?!?

Great set of shows! IMHO Most Americans find French things pretentious and assume they are expensive. All the more reason I drink mostly French wines. Pretentious and cheap!

Short answer, because we've had the not so expensive stuff and it sucked. Or, our palate wasn't ready for it. Lots of so so french wine in our markets and liquor stores. We feel the french have dumped some of their plonk on the USA.
Ok, it was a long answer.

QOTD: Good question! I must admit to being a part of that group that drinks more California wines than French because of price. Although I only feel that this applies to certain price points. I am a student, so i mostly drink wines that cost under 15 dollars. I also live in sonoma county, so the number of good wines from California that i can find in my price range far outnumber the amount of good wines i can find from France. However, whenever I can splurge and spend over 20 or 30 dollars I usually will buy a French or Italian wine because I feel at higher price points they usually bring more value.

Yes! The Chinese wine industry is growing very fast. Many boutique wineries are appearing in various provinces around China. 10 years ago there were about 300 wineries, now there are around 500. They have been hiring winemakers from around the world to teach them to make good wine, not quantity wines as has been done there for the past 130 years. On our site there is a link to a very interesting study on the past 2200 years of wine history in China. Check the “about” pages. Feel free to email me with any questions. Our next tour in September will be incredible. We have a National Geographic Photographer leading the tour, and he'll teach everyone to take great photos whether you're a pro or amateur.

QOTD: Because…….THEY ARE EXPENSIVE!!!!!! You couldn't buy a bottle of Coche Dury anything for under $50 bucks! Cherisey $50+ all day long (even at WL, which has the best prices going). Kermit (living legend and all) is playing the biz game by proposing the idea that french wines in general aren't expensive- lets be real, lets be honest, maybe 1 out of 25 wines in his portfolio is under $25. The man deals in ultral premium on the whole. I can't fault his wines they're fantastic, from a low end Cheverney to his meursaults. But in all truth most of his wines ARE expensive. He can expound on their quality, but to be an ambassador of well made, small production, beautiful he must admit that this quality comes at a price.

BTW- great shows, thank you.

qotd: I'm going with because the one's you hear the most and read the most about are the ones that are really expensive. People talk about the cheap pinot grigio's out of Italy, and the cheap gruner's out of Austria, and the albarino's out of Spain, and the malbec's out of Argentina, and New Zealand sav blanc's, etc. etc. etc., but when you hear about France you usually hear about Burgundy Grand Cru's and Bordeaux Premier Cru's, and high tier Champagnes. You don't hear about grower Champagne's, and Cru Beaujolais, and Bandol's, and Vaqueyras, and Tavel, and Muscadet's, and Crozes-Hermitage, and Costieres de Nimes, and Montlouis, and Minervois, hell you can go on forever. I mean my current issue of Wine Spectator has a bottle of freakin Romanee-Conti on the cover, and a couple months ago you had Billionaire Bill Koch cradling a phony bottle of Petrus on the cover. I feel that when it comes to French wines, they do pretty much make or equal the best examples of the varietals they grow in the world in many cases, and they have had that reputation for so long that it's hard not to talk/hear/read about French wine without all those expensive wines coming to mind or being discussed. Which may be a shame, but it can be great for someone like me who knows where and what the values are, and if they had more notoriety, those wines would definitely go up in price.

Thanks Gary, that was great having Kermit on, couldn't have been better.

Best show yet. You had me at Hello!

8:47 – Do you like beef jerky? Wonderful “random” question out of the blue. Mixes things up, adds another layer of interest. Something about the delivery made me laugh and to see where it lead was really great. Interesting, even captivating interview. Thanks Gary V.

Gary, those were the best 3 episodes ever. I'm running out to buy Kermit's book (which I”ve been meaning to do for, oh, about 4 years now). Absolutely great work, all around!!!

QOTD: I don't understand it either, but I didn't grow up in the age or culture of the California jug plonk, with French wines being only for “fancy” occassions. I actually kickstarted my wine education *specifically* with French wines because the appellation system made it easier to understand what I was getting and allowed me to try multiple offerings at different price points from the same region knowing they'd be of similar profile. Unlike California wines where style, profile, and flavors vary so greatly from winery to winery.

I recognized very early on that there was good QPR to be had with French wine, especially from lesser known appellations, and that I didn't have to buy Premier Cru Burgundy to enjoy myself.

QOTD: I'm not sure, honestly. I went to a tasting in Paris before my Summer study-abroad last year, and the guy hosting just went on and on about all the French wineries that don't export because they make so little, yet they're amazing wines and are priced really low. As part of the CKC, I only get the 10-20 dollar imports at the local stores.

Great finish to the show!

Wait, crap! The CKCs find 10-20$ the norm. Not that I think that I'm above any group, but I still after 10 years of not being a CKC, think that 15$ is the high end for me. 🙂