Gary Vaynerchuk, the 'social-media sommelier'

"(Gary Vaynerchuk's) informal style has garnered
praise and criticism..."

Gary Vaynerchuk wants to "fail very badly." Wine's first man of social media will tell you so. At least that's what he says. Mr. Vaynerchuk is a mess of contradictions though. And he would have to be, to have brought the notoriously conservative wine industry screaming into the information-age with his now trademark "unpretentious, gonzo approach to wine appreciation," as described by Jonathan S. Paul in New York Magazine.

In his wine descriptions, instead of using the standard jargon, which he finds off-putting and snobbish, Gary Vaynerchuk will say things like: "...this (La Sirena 2005 Syrah) has some make-up coverage...kinda like egg-nog...it's not complete make-up coverage, it's not Kiss!" (Wine Library TV) Gene Simmons' feelings notwithstanding, similes like this are Mr. Vaynerchuk's signature, to the point that it warrants an obligatory mention. His informal style has garnered praise and criticism.

And being the egoist that he is, he deftly ignores his critics and basks in the praise.

Born in Belorussia in 1975, Mr. Vaynerchuk immigrated with his family to Queens, NY, in 1978. He confesses in an interview with Samantha Ettus on ObsessedTV.com that he has "no memory" of his birth country. It should be noted that Ms. Ettus is a business partner of his and that together they founded the unique web talk show. You see, Mr. Vaynerchuk, despite his self-deprecating, in-your-face humility, is nothing if not self-promoting, but it must be said, too, that he has a lot of fun with the media personality he's developed. Regardless, back to the history: not long after his family moved to New York City, his father took a job working minimum-wage in a New Jersey liquor shop. By 1983, however, Mr. Vaynerchuk's father had taken over the shop, known then as Shoppers Discount Liquors.

When Gary Vaynerchuk became co-owner of the business, its present incarnation as The Wine Library had begun. He reputedly turned his family's business from a $3m a year business into a $60m a year business; the estimates vary, depending on the degree of emphasis Gary Vaynerchuk wishes to hammer. Then in 2006, in a fit of inspiration born from a singular moment of "unhappiness", Mr. Vaynerchuk decided that the only way he was going to achieve his ultimate goal - owning the NY Jets football franchise - was to change his life's direction. Thus, Wine Library TV was born. Charging ahead into the information-age and turning early social-media to his advantage, he has not only become one of the most recognizable wine celebrities in the US, but a key-note motivational speaker for small businesses and corporations alike. His off-the-cuff style and frequent peppering of profanity somehow make his insightful comments seem revelatory. Watch for instance his "performance" at the Web 2.0 Expo in NY.

Mr. Vaynerchuk has earned his fair share of what he calls "zing-zing" too. When he was interviewed in 2008, by one of the most illustrious wine personalities, Jancis Robinson, there was an outcry. Though she herself viewed him in a positive light, the following was one of the more excoriating of the many negative comments she received:

I wrote about Gary more than year ago twice in my blog and even dedicated a paragraph in the magazine. He is one of the most disgusting things that could have happen to wine. He makes money ruining the wine culture irreversibly, he creats booze-lovers, NOT wine lovers, as they choose wine just because they think that HE is cute...

Bisso Atanassov

The comment goes further, but as it degenerated into ethnic slurs, it didn't seem fit to print. Yet this is the effect that Mr. Vaynerchuk has on many wine purists; he whips them into a frenzy of outright hatred. It would almost seem amusing, just for its absurdity. Others take a more centrist view, questioning whether the "Arch Vayniac" will have much influence over the wine industry in the long-term, comparing him to the likes of the far more conservative Robert Parker. Perhaps not, is the honest answer. He himself concedes in his interview with Ms. Ettus that one day he might just "Ryan-Seacrest-it and do seven different things". Mr. Vaynerchuk's energies, vast as they are, are devoted more toward entrepreneurship than to wine, especially if his true goal is to one day own the NY Jets. (Samantha Ettus, ObsessedTV.com) Such farflung goals might make it difficult for him to create a long-lasting wine legacy. On the other hand, he already seems to have pulled off the impossible, what's one more thing?

Like him, love him or hate him, one thing is undeniable: his star is rising. So, ultimately, what is this walking mess of contradiction's secret to success? If you watch him for any length of time, it won't take too long to realize that he refuses to doubt himself; in fact, his success rides on his guilt-free faith in his own success. It can be said that he has an almost Nietzchean attitude towards the concepts of life and success and this seems borne out by his latest book, CRUSH IT! Why NOW Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion. The notorious German philosopher once wrote: "Egoism is the very essence of a noble soul." If this is so, then Mr. Vaynerchuk must be a noble soul indeed.

Other articles the Manhattan Wine Shopping Examiner: