There’s a general philosophy among open-minded Christians that basically boils down to: “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” When one denomination agrees with 90% of what the other has to say, why focus on the 10% that separates?
I’ve held a similar attitude regarding Gary Vee since he burst on the scene a couple years ago. My first introduction to all that is Gary was through a rather ugly piece of comment spam he instigated. It was discussed at Spittoon and called out at The Wine Amatuer. Later I got the same spam myself on pinotblogger. Not a great first impression. But hey, don’t sweat the small stuff.
I didn’t always agree with his tactics, opinions, or even his style, but I felt we were basically on the same page marketing-wise and shared a similar vision for what the wine world will look like in our fast arriving, hyper-connected future.
Gary advocated a less stuffy, less rigid form of wine criticism. His take away message had basically been: “Trust your own palate.” It served him well.
Change in Message
Lately though, things have changed. Now his main message is morphing into something different. Distilled, it boils down to “The old standbys (i.e. Jordan, Yellowtail, California Pinot) are boring and lame, and so are you if you don’t try new things.”
There is a big difference in the two messages. The first empowers the individual. It’s democratic and aligns well with the ethos of the web.
“Trust your palate” is powerful because it encourages folks to feel good about what they like, and that in turn gives them confidence in their own opinions and encourages them to explore different producers and wine regions. It’s a message that unites critics, producers and consumers under one big, inclusive tent.
The second, more recent message is the opposite of empowering. It’s self-serving because it empowers the wine guide/reviewer. It says “That Silver Oak cab you’ve been drinking isn’t really good, it’s just what you’ve been led to believe is good. You’ve been tricked. Bamboozled. Hoodwinked. Follow me, I’ll show you what’s good and what isn’t.”
More than that, his new message is divisive. Recommendations that come at the expense of other regions or particular producers are at best unhelpful, and at worst damaging. I saw it in his recent talk at Google (link coming) where he chided folks who liked California Pinot Noir, insinuating that they only drank it because of Sideways, ripped Yellow Tail, and generally bagged on new world wines.
I’ve seen it in his most recent retail email newsletter:
* MUCH and I mean MUCH better then Cakebread, Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Opus One, Insignia and for an unreal price. - Gary Vaynerchuk, Wine Library’s Director of Operations and star of WinelibraryTV on the 94 Point Robert Parker rated 2005 Conn Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Wrong Approach
Personally I don’t think this type of approach is helpful or productive for wine drinkers. I don’t think that it’s helpful for wine producers. It’s only helpful for Gary.
I want to be careful here. With Gary, separating the message from the messenger, the person from the personality, is really difficult to do. I’m sure Gary is a nice guy, a friend to many, and a good husband. But his personality is so wrapped up in his brand that attacking what he says and how he says it is essentially equivalent to attacking the man. That’s not my intention. My gripe isn’t about his over-the-top video style or his voice. It’s with his message.
Gary likes taking shots at the big guys. He’s made his reputation on it. Never mind that Jordan, for instance, built their brand without ever receiving a high score from Parker (79 anyone?). Never mind that California Pinot was less than an afterthought just over a decade ago, or that most wines that are popular got that way because people actually like them.
It doesn’t matter to Gary. What matters to him is that he sees a niche he can dominate in the near future, and “Trust your Palate” isn’t the brand message that’s going to get him there.
Remember, I’m not the old guard he likes to knock down. I’m not one of the folks in Napa with the rude tasting room staff, resting on the laurels of my brand equity. I’m one of the bloggers and social media misfits that is actually taking part in the conversation.
It’s just that I don’t like what I’m seeing. And I’m not the only one.
hey man thnx for the notes, really, where do I start, 1st I am not sure I have made so many statements about big brand that they are just fne and great, this was one talk at google and a very long talk much of what wasn’t taped and honestly I def dont think I rag on big brands as much as u think, I really hope we get a chance to meet and talk vino, the 1st part of your post was from 2+ yrs ago when an intern did a bad thing and we emailed everyone back and explained the issue, I hope you remember that, either way I hope you understand I have no issues with big brands or am trying to use them to help me, I just wish and hope we have a chance to meet over some good JORDAN
CAB and talk about it in legnth, I really REALLY think you will see some other points and I assure you if you go through the 440 episodes of WLTV you will see many big brand love.
Stay well my man, and I wish you all the best!
GAry Vaynerchuk
My take is that Gary is criticising the “old standbys” if that’s all you’ve ever drank - and his message to get out there and experience the rest of what’s on offer if a valid one, how do you really know what you like if you haven’t experienced the rest?
Now if you have spent many years drinking everything the wine world has to offer and you decide that you want to go back to Yellow Tail or California Pinot then that’s fine, and I’m sure Gary will be the first to agree. Everything has to be taken in context, and sensational soundbites for the sake of it don’t help.
Yes Gary irritates some, but the community he’s created (of which I am happy to admit being part of) isn’t just a fawning fan-base of sychophants, understand he has many hats but respects him (most of the time). Take his messages as intended, guidelines, not diktats.
As a casual Vayner viewer, you have to take him for who he is and to simply cast judement on sombody who keeps wine real for real people is simply exasperative. I think the key to Gary’s attraction is that he’s not like most wine snobs out there blogging about big name brands that rule the wine shelves from coast to coast, where as he will speak of interesting finds that will intrigue you palate at a good price point. While I may not agree with every point Gary makes on his tastings, I do agree with most and like his cut loose approach.
I tink a lot of people fall into my category: more than a casual wine drinker but not an expert. I have stuck to the “big” brands because I don’t know about other wines and the whole scene can be intimidating. Maybe the greatest asset that gary provides to guys like me is to educate by demystifying and introducing us to other things we can try. It may be self serving but I doubt it. Remember the sign off to every WLTV episode “you, with a little bit of me”, I think he makes it abundantly clear that you should trust your own palate
Hi Gary,
Thanks for the comments. I’ve watched quite a few of the 440. You’ve given lots of love to all kinds of wines. It’s what made me a fan.
It’s just lately, and Google was a biggie, you’ve were changing to a more negative, region and producer bashing message. I’m not talking about bad reviews. I think it’s great you call it like you see it.
I’m talking about, instead of saying “this wine is good, you should try it” you’re saying “Don’t drink that wine, it’s lame.”
Glad you didn’t take the comments personally. Everyone I know who’s met you has good things to say about you as a person. We met briefly when we both spoke at WITS last year, and I dig what you were doing. I just hope you bring it back tot he positive sooner rather than later.
Thanks again for the comments.
Understood Dude, I honestly just probably got excited at google and I am sure at some point I put it in context and in the Conn Valley email, I meant it, it was better then those
Plus Conn Valley is a big brand LOL, Anyways dude U rock, stay well and cant wait to spend more time together!
This was fun to read.
I have noticed lots of KJ bashing in past episodes, but every rock star needs to be rebelling against something. Is it enough to rebell against the Parker-esque ratings, or is a stronger message necessary to resonate with the mainstream? Regardless, it’s fun to watch free content and get free wristbands. If only the vino were free…
Doesn’t every business person have an agenda? I do think Gary’s move to Twitter is getting a little too ADD for me. There’s gotta be a point where people start to think they’re spending too much time obsessing over Gary’s most recent bowel movement and realize that the people around them are interesting and important as well. But, I guess Gary tell us that message too. I give up my attempt at arbitration.
I have to say, I’m a HUGE fan of Gary’s show. Of all the things in the wine industry to criticize, I would have though Gary would be at the bottom of any wine seller’s list b/c he has thousands and thousands of people like me buying more and expanding our wine horizons. If it wasn’t for running across his video blog, I’d still just be buying my same old favorites at the grocery store and would never even think of buying wine from Capozzi. No one is free of ‘problems’, but gosh, give the guy a break.