End of an era: Gary Vaynerchuk quits daily wine videos

“You, with such a smaller part of me than you realize, we have changed the wine world.”

That’s how Gary Vaynerchuk concluded what he said was his final wine video. (He had previously announced stepping down from his position at Wine Library.) I was once a guest on Wine Library TV, aka the “Thunder Show,” and the show had a fun run for five years. I wish Gary sunny skies in his future endeavors.

But what does Gary’s departure mean for wine video? After five years of gaining lots of traction on WLTV, he has come to define the space, with his gonzo style and spitting into a Jets bucket. Wine and TV are a difficult blend to master. Gary had his own distinctive style. It will be interesting to see what others can do with wine video, from finding a business model that works to the style of entertainment.

Meanwhile, the Jets dump bucket has to go into a wine Hall of Fame.

“Totally Uncorked” [TIME]
“A wine guru for the YouTube era” [Slate]
“The Pour – This Wine Critic Can Drive People to Drink” [NYT]

15 Responses to “End of an era: Gary Vaynerchuk quits daily wine videos”


  1. WOW! He had such an impact on the wine world over the past 5 years. This is like Steve Jobs leaving Apple. Can there really be anyone to fill his shoes?


  2. Sorry to see him go, and a bit surprised. Seems like a lot of time and money spent on DailyGrape for a very short run.


  3. Agreed….Wonder what’s really up after only a few episodes of the Daily Grape and all the hype that came with it. Honestly, I stopped watching after he ended WLTV and I was an everyday watcher from the beginning. Wonder if I may not be in the minority here.

    Bob


  4. Guys nothing to much behind it, Like BOB W said, maybe I was done when WL was done and I didnt realize it, I have always followed my gutt and when it was time it was time and that was today!


  5. If you understand some French Miss GloGlou might be a good successor Look at her video about how to spit wine with elegancehttp://missglouglou.blog.lemonde.fr/2010/04/09/comment-cracher-le-vin-avec-elegance/


  6. Props to Gary for speaking up! 🙂 I’m not trying to sow conspiracy theories. The app and the new format looked promising, so I’m sorry to see them die young. And, more importantly, I think I started watching somewhere in the 200s, so I will feel that loss . . . wishing Gary all the best.


  7. @Barney –
    Not sure why she would bother to spit — she seems drunk already.


  8. We at Crushpad are sad to see Gary step down and wish him all the best.


  9. Gary was a very important influence in expanding and refining my appreciation of and approach to wine tasting. I’ll miss him, and I wish him and his family well.


  10. […] I was a huge fan of both WineLibraryTV and the Daily Grape, so I’m sad to see him go. Dr. Vino has more, and wonders what “Gary’s departure mean for wine video.” Many will be asking that […]


  11. Guys like Gary opened the door to businesses like ours where we host wine tastings online. He will be missed. Wish you the best Mr. Vaynerchuk.


  12. …speaking of which, Steve Jobs just stepped down as CEO today. I wish my lottery number picking was that good!


  13. Living near the Wine Library, I had the pleasure to meet Gary V before all this internet stuff started. Gary brought a unique energy to wine sampling et all. However, any new voice hoping to fill the void will have to bring a new and different twist to the times as they presently exist.


  14. Never thought I’d see the day but all the best to Gary in the future.

    This will be the interesting question post-GV:
    “It will be interesting to see what others can do with wine video, from finding a business model that works to the style of entertainment.”

    -hwc


  15. Face it folks, he was a big bag of wind. It was painfully obvious that he was full of himself and one of those “me myself and I” type characters.
    So it doesn’t surprise me in the least that he would just bail and drop his fan base faster than an empty wine bottle.
    He didn’t fool me for one minute.


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