The Problem With Gary Vaynerchuk

April 11th, 2008 → 12:30 pm @ Josh Hermsmeyer


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.