Vaynerchuk: Are You a Vayniak?

What is a Vayniak? Well, if you were a subscriber to Wine Library, you’d already know!

Gary Vaynerchuk is Wine Library’s in-house wine critic (although critic is too harsh a word) and has an open, engaging style as he tastes and comments on wines.

Wine Library is a on-line retailer whose obvious primary goal is to sell more wines, and I’m sure that the folks in charge have pulled their hair out more than once as he pans some wines that they may have on sale. It’s funny to hear him say that he wouldn’t buy a particular wine or even take it as a gift because it’s so bad. This is real tasting, folks!

He doesn’t usually swallow the wine he tastes – as he mentioned in one episode, he tastes upward of 200 wines on ONE DAY – but his tasting is entertaining as he suck in air, sloshes, and eventually spits. His expressions are genuine and priceless. I keep waiting for him to gargle.

Another thing I like about Gary is the fact that he takes the idea of “snobbery” in wine and completely flushes it. Here is a well-educated, knowledgeable person who is so down to earth and so genuine that you find that you’re drawn into his personality. Unfortunately, he is a rabid Jets fan and will gloat over their wins or mourn their losses at every opportunity, LOL.

Gary’s style is not for everyone. One friend called after I had sent a link to several people, and asked who in the world that lunatic was that I thought was oh-so-important for him to watch!

If you want to skip the on-line promoting of their specials and just check out Gary, go to YouTube and do a search on Vaynerchuk. Nearly all of his videos – along with a bunch of spoofs – are there. Enjoy the wine education and enjoy Gary! And become a Vayniak!

Word of warning: You will want to purchase wines that he recommends. So hold on to your wallet!