Paul B. wrote:Joe, I don't think age has anything to do with it - don't believe them. I'm 35 and I find myself agreeing with you entirely.
I think that above all it has to do with chaos and noise being mistaken for "energy and life" too often, while anything that's serene and sober (no pun intended!) is seen as unexcitable and incapable of causing a marketing stir. And, maybe it is ... but I'm happy with that myself.
Paul,
I agree that age alone does not completely explain who does and does not like Gary Vaynerchuk's approach. But, as Robin indicates, I would guess that he appeals more to those that are young and those who are less experienced with wine and hence more intimidated by the world of wine appreciation and wine geekery.
And, of course, different styles appeal to different people, but I would urge you not to dismiss Vaynerchuk and his approach as all style and no substance. If nothing else, Vaynerchuk is able to communicate a passion, an active curiosity, a concerted determination to try the new, the unheralded, the underappreciated to a world of people just coming online to the world of wine who might be tempted to either parrot existing received and conventional wisdoms or shun the world of wine as pretentious and uninteresting.
Speaking of public television, there was once a great documentary called
No Sweat in which Dov Charney of American Apparel claimed (with some justification, I think) to be the hustler of his generation. I think Vaynerchuk has some claim to a similar title for himself--and I respect him for it. To anyone I would say: don't listen to music that grates your ears, don't explore cuisines that don't fit your palate, don't read literature that bores you to tears, and, goodness gracious, don't watch Gary Vaynerchuk if you don't like his style--it is easy to me to understand how many would find it offputting. But I would argue that it doesn't mean that there isn't something--some substance--that others who have different stylistic preferences can appreciate and learn from.
