Online Video Wine Show Host Signs with CAA: “Swish Your Wine like Mouthwash!”

Gary Vaynerchuk, host of the wildly successful daily online show Wine Library TV, which has some 60,000 viewers, with traffic that greatly exceeds industry Goliath, the Wine Spectator, came by the Beet.TV studios the other night for some wine tasting basics.

Smelling the wine is key — as is swishing it like “mouthwash.” Well, the wines Gary brought over were certainly nothing like mouthwash. Gary really knows his wines and takes a very direct approach to sharing and teaching — there is not one bit of snobbery.

The 32-year-old New Jersey wine merchant, who started his show two years ago (when Beet.TV launched, btw), has become a celebrity and is poised for stardom. Beet.TV has learned that he has been signed by the Hollywood power talent agency CAA. Not sure how his career will unfold. A big TV series, maybe “Top Sommelier?”

I don’t know, but this guy is going to be big. Stay tuned.

We were so pleased he came to our studios and turned us on to some great Chianti, cabs and other nice things to rinse with! Thanks for the vino and the good times.

Update: Robert Scoble reports that the Kevin Rose crew at Revision3, producers of Diggnation and several Web shows, watch Wine Library TV for innovative ideas.

– Andy Plesser

Posted on Friday, February 15, 2008

On February 24, 2008 we went on an interesting excursion out of San Francisco: an ecologically friendly bio-diesel powered van from Incredible Adventures whisked us off to the outlying areas north of San Francisco. After our first stop at Muir Woods to admire the giant redwoods we embarked on our tour to wine country. Through the rain we drove north into the Sonoma Valley, one of the two world-famous wine-making areas north of San Francisco. The other, even more famous wine-making area, is the adjacent Napa Valley.

The Sonoma Valley is actually the birthplace of the Californian wine industry and encompasses 13,000 acres of parkland. Before lunch we stopped at two wineries, Roche and Homewood Wineries, where we got to taste a whole variety of red and white wines and even some local olives and olive oils. For lunch we stopped off on the main square of Sonoma where my friend and I grabbed a tasty lunch at the Basque Café.

After lunch we headed into the Castle Winery just off Sonoma’s main square that surprised us with a sweet sherry and a delicious sherry chocolate sauce. Our last stop on this excursion were the Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards which produce world-class award-winning sparkling wines as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Ferrer family’s involvement with sparkling wine goes back several centuries in Catalonia, Spain, and their most famous product is Freixenet, a world famous sparkling wine made according to the méthode champenoise.

Properly educated about wine and definitely in a much lighter mood after all these tastings, we started heading back to the city. The atmosphere in the van was downright giggly. Michelle stopped at a lookout point overlooking the northern terminus of the bridge which provided us with an excellent view, despite the cold winds and the grey and rainy skies.

At the end of our excursion, we got conveniently dropped off on the doorsteps of our hotel, the Queen Anne, and after recovering for a bit, we took the 22 bus and went for a nice dinner to Tangerine SF, a beautiful restaurant that features Pan Asian cuisine, located in the SoMa district of San Francisco. After a great filling dinner and a long conversation with the owners Steve and Sean we walked all the way back to our hotel on Fillmore Street, a pleasant 45 minute walk through beautiful Victorian neighbourhoods.

Taste along Gary Vaynerchuk as he shares some Sherry love with the Vayner Nation. These wines from Spain need some serious attention and GV will try to do just that!

On February 24, 2008 we went on an interesting excursion out of San Francisco: an ecologically friendly bio-diesel powered van from Incredible Adventures whisked us off to the outlying areas north of San Francisco. After our first stop at Muir Woods to admire the giant redwoods we embarked on our tour to wine country. Through the rain we drove north into the Sonoma Valley, one of the two world-famous wine-making areas north of San Francisco. The other, even more famous wine-making area, is the adjacent Napa Valley.

The Sonoma Valley is actually the birthplace of the Californian wine industry and encompasses 13,000 acres of parkland. Before lunch we stopped at two wineries, Roche and Homewood Wineries, where we got to taste a whole variety of red and white wines and even some local olives and olive oils. For lunch we stopped off on the main square of Sonoma where my friend and I grabbed a tasty lunch at the Basque Café.

After lunch we headed into the Castle Winery just off Sonoma’s main square that surprised us with a sweet sherry and a delicious sherry chocolate sauce. Our last stop on this excursion were the Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards which produce world-class award-winning sparkling wines as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Ferrer family’s involvement with sparkling wine goes back several centuries in Catalonia, Spain, and their most famous product is Freixenet, a world famous sparkling wine made according to the méthode champenoise.

Properly educated about wine and definitely in a much lighter mood after all these tastings, we started heading back to the city. The atmosphere in the van was downright giggly. Michelle stopped at a lookout point overlooking the northern terminus of the bridge which provided us with an excellent view, despite the cold winds and the grey and rainy skies.

At the end of our excursion, we got conveniently dropped off on the doorsteps of our hotel, the Queen Anne, and after recovering for a bit, we took the 22 bus and went for a nice dinner to Tangerine SF, a beautiful restaurant that features Pan Asian cuisine, located in the SoMa district of San Francisco. After a great filling dinner and a long conversation with the owners Steve and Sean we walked all the way back to our hotel on Fillmore Street, a pleasant 45 minute walk through beautiful Victorian neighbourhoods.

On February 24, 2008 we went on an interesting excursion out of San Francisco: an ecologically friendly bio-diesel powered van from Incredible Adventures whisked us off to the outlying areas north of San Francisco. After our first stop at Muir Woods to admire the giant redwoods we embarked on our tour to wine country. Through the rain we drove north into the Sonoma Valley, one of the two world-famous wine-making areas north of San Francisco. The other, even more famous wine-making area, is the adjacent Napa Valley.

The Sonoma Valley is actually the birthplace of the Californian wine industry and encompasses 13,000 acres of parkland. Before lunch we stopped at two wineries, Roche and Homewood Wineries, where we got to taste a whole variety of red and white wines and even some local olives and olive oils. For lunch we stopped off on the main square of Sonoma where my friend and I grabbed a tasty lunch at the Basque Café.

After lunch we headed into the Castle Winery just off Sonoma’s main square that surprised us with a sweet sherry and a delicious sherry chocolate sauce. Our last stop on this excursion were the Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards which produce world-class award-winning sparkling wines as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Ferrer family’s involvement with sparkling wine goes back several centuries in Catalonia, Spain, and their most famous product is Freixenet, a world famous sparkling wine made according to the méthode champenoise.

Properly educated about wine and definitely in a much lighter mood after all these tastings, we started heading back to the city. The atmosphere in the van was downright giggly. Michelle stopped at a lookout point overlooking the northern terminus of the bridge which provided us with an excellent view, despite the cold winds and the grey and rainy skies.

At the end of our excursion, we got conveniently dropped off on the doorsteps of our hotel, the Queen Anne, and after recovering for a bit, we took the 22 bus and went for a nice dinner to Tangerine SF, a beautiful restaurant that features Pan Asian cuisine, located in the SoMa district of San Francisco. After a great filling dinner and a long conversation with the owners Steve and Sean we walked all the way back to our hotel on Fillmore Street, a pleasant 45 minute walk through beautiful Victorian neighbourhoods.

On February 24, 2008 we went on an interesting excursion out of San Francisco: an ecologically friendly bio-diesel powered van from Incredible Adventures whisked us off to the outlying areas north of San Francisco. After our first stop at Muir Woods to admire the giant redwoods we embarked on our tour to wine country. Through the rain we drove north into the Sonoma Valley, one of the two world-famous wine-making areas north of San Francisco. The other, even more famous wine-making area, is the adjacent Napa Valley.

The Sonoma Valley is actually the birthplace of the Californian wine industry and encompasses 13,000 acres of parkland. Before lunch we stopped at two wineries, Roche and Homewood Wineries, where we got to taste a whole variety of red and white wines and even some local olives and olive oils. For lunch we stopped off on the main square of Sonoma where my friend and I grabbed a tasty lunch at the Basque Café.

After lunch we headed into the Castle Winery just off Sonoma’s main square that surprised us with a sweet sherry and a delicious sherry chocolate sauce. Our last stop on this excursion were the Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards which produce world-class award-winning sparkling wines as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Ferrer family’s involvement with sparkling wine goes back several centuries in Catalonia, Spain, and their most famous product is Freixenet, a world famous sparkling wine made according to the méthode champenoise.

Properly educated about wine and definitely in a much lighter mood after all these tastings, we started heading back to the city. The atmosphere in the van was downright giggly. Michelle stopped at a lookout point overlooking the northern terminus of the bridge which provided us with an excellent view, despite the cold winds and the grey and rainy skies.

At the end of our excursion, we got conveniently dropped off on the doorsteps of our hotel, the Queen Anne, and after recovering for a bit, we took the 22 bus and went for a nice dinner to Tangerine SF, a beautiful restaurant that features Pan Asian cuisine, located in the SoMa district of San Francisco. After a great filling dinner and a long conversation with the owners Steve and Sean we walked all the way back to our hotel on Fillmore Street, a pleasant 45 minute walk through beautiful Victorian neighbourhoods.

Please set your YouTube Settings so you can view the PSA in High Quality: Account/Video Playback Quality/HQ…PLEASE JOIN US APRIL 27,2008 BUY TICKETS NOW..WILL SELL OUT 877-26TASTE or VISIT http://WWW.TASTEOFTHENATION.ORG
Hi Res TV PSA by Cliff Baldridge Share Our Strength’s Taste Of The Nation Santa Barbara PSA April 27, 2008
100mb SANTA BARBARA CITY’S HOTTEST CHEFS COOK TO END CHILDHOOD HUNGER
IN SANTA BARBARA AND ACROSS AMERICA
Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® Santa Barbara
Presented by American Express ®, to Take Place on April 27 With flavorful food and a passion for helping hungry children, Santa Barbara’s hottest chefs and restaurants will gather for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, presented by American Express. Taste of the Nation Santa Barbara will raise the critical funds needed to support the national organization’s efforts to end childhood hunger in Santa Barbara and across America. This year’s event will take place on April 27th at The Santa Barbara Historical Museum, 136 East De la Guerra Street, from 1pm to 4pm, with a VIP reception beginning at 12pm.

More than 20 of the city’s finest restaurants and wineries will participate in the culinary event. Participating restaurants will include: Bacara Resort and Spa, The Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara, The Hungry Cat, Santa Barbara, Duo Events, Village Modern Foods, Sesto Senso, Square One, Epiphany, Stateside, Elements, Chocolats du Calibressan and many more. Guests will enjoy the city’s finest foods paired with wines provided by local Santa Barbara wineries as well as a beer garden, dessert display and other delectable offerings.

In addition to fabulous food and drinks, the event will feature an exciting auction with once-in-a-lifetime items, including travel to Hawaii and Arizona, one of kind wines and luxury weekend get-a-ways, and live entertainment by local musicians.

This year’s event also offers something special for VIPs, including all access to the luxury lounge featuring premium food, wine and service, while enjoying live music from Chris Fossek and Italian and French vocalist Carol Anne Manzi. All VIP guests will receive a gift bag as a souvenir of the event which includes samples of local products and gift certificates.

“We’re honored to be part of this nationwide movement to end childhood hunger in America,” said Amy Rose, Committee Chair of Taste of the Nation Santa Barbara. “Taste of the Nation brings together the finest of Santa Barbara’s culinary world to help the children in our community who suffer from hunger every day.”

The area charities that will benefit from this year’s event include The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County. Since its inception 20 years ago, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $70 million for organizations in the United States, Canada and abroad, including more than $100,000 in Santa Barbara alone.

–more–

Page 2/Taste of the Nation

Generous support from presenting sponsor American Express, national sponsors SYSCO Corporation and Food Network, and local sponsors Wahoo’s Fish Taco, Classic Party Rentals, Bella Vista Designs Inc. and Santa Barbara Historical Museum ensures that 100 percent of ticket proceeds go to Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America.

With more than 12 million children facing hunger in America, Taste of the Nation events promotes awareness of Share Our Strength’s efforts across the nation. The funds raised through Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation support the most effective organizations that feed hungry children, as well as advocates that are pursuing long-term solutions to the challenge of hunger, both locally and nationally.

“An end to childhood hunger in the United States is within reach,” said Bill Shore, Founder and Executive Director of Share Our Strength. “With all the participants in Taste of the Nation Santa Barbara sharing their strengths, we are creating more resources for the greater good of Santa Barbara and our great nation.”

Tickets for Taste of the Nation Santa Barbara are VIP $100 and General Admission $75.00 and can be purchased by calling 1-877-26-TASTE or visiting www.tasteofthenation.org.

About Share Our Strength®
Share Our Strength is a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger, and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn and play. We work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Taste of the Nation, Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale®, Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline® and Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit®. For more information, please visit www.strength.org
TV PSA by Cliff Baldridge http://www.SantaBarbaraArtsTV.com

Great bargain I bought from the BC Liquor Store!
The McWilliam’s Hanwood estate Cabernet Sauvignon was a bargain! This is another example of an educated buy from my research. What do people habitually buy those artificial ‘Yellow Kangaroo Tail’ which is really Chemical fruit cordial mixed with alcohol like someone with too much superficial make up and no personality! On the nose, full black current cassis, black cherry, mulberry and spicy dark chocolate with much charm face characters but it just doesn’t stop here. While it’s neither overly complex nor deep like an expensive cab (why am I being so judgmental?!), it offer good structure and balance of acid, fruit and soft sweet tannin destined to be another high class quaffer. Friendly, warming and unpretentious, the full body packed full juicy wine delivers much instant gratifications. The finish is fair and leaves good satisfaction. Kudos to the Aussies who make such affordable yet very drinkable wines. Drink now (rating 88-90 points) by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review.

The 1999 Montirius from Gigondas of Southern Rhone is made up of 80% granache and 20% Mourvedre from organically farmed vines that average over 55 years of age so this wines has no Syrah or Cinsault as other Gigondas might have. The nose gave out a high indcation of the Greneach varietal…cherry liqueur, sweet black cherry, cherry cough syrup but also has many old style Sourthern Rhone characteristics, that’s much dry fruits, dry herbs, earth and tar(?). When tasted, the sweet red cherry fruits and dry herbs and flowers tastes came out along with burnt earth, incense smoke and dark chocolate. The relatively high alcohol level of 14.5% stood out which means this medium body wine do not have enough fruits, sturcture and depth to ‘hide’ the alcohol. The finish is fair but not particularly long. Viewers who have this wine from their cellar should drink it up now. I am sorry - yet again I disagree with Wine Spectator previous rating of 94 points for this wine. (87-89 points) by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review.