"gary vaynerchuk" news and stories

Airline food is the butt of many a joke, and in most cases deservedly so. One airline is looking to (ahem) rise above that stereotype, however. Virgin America is launching new in-flight wine and food pairings that might make you feel like you're dining in the toniest bistro, not in seat 3G. As the airline announced yesterday, Gary Vaynerchuk, wine connoisseur and host of Wine Library TV, has teamed up with the company to offer "fresh, seasonal menu items" along with premium wines -- some of which will be making their debuts at 35,000 feet.

As befits the California-based airline, the first two wine selections are local: the Turnbull Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and Arrowood 2002 Sonoma County Merlot. More wines will be rolled out over the course of the year, promising to make the red-eye to New York one of the most unusual wine-tasting venues yet. In fact, it hearkens back to the early days of air travel, when people dressed up before heading to the airport; a wine list like this might inspire them to do so again.

"Wine is meant to be experienced in a variety of settings," Vaynerchuk pointed out in the company press release. Fair enough, but maybe not too much variety. The complimentary upscale food pairings, which include fruit and cheese platters (red Leicester and sage derby!), tropical fruit appetizers (pepino melon and lemon verbena!), and poached pear with hazelnut crisp cake, are limited to first class. So, spring for the pricier ticket -- or keep your fingers crossed that you'll get bumped up on your next flight.

Bento box. Photo: luckysundae, Flickr

• Bento boxes continue to gain popularity in the U.S. as more moms discover the virtues of disguising healthy food in fun shapes.
• Gary Vaynerchuk whips up a vino fervor with his Wine Library TV and unconventional tasting notes.
• Cooking with Dexter talks about tykes and the joys of fresh-catching sea fare, and whips up a Red Shrimp Chowder with Corn.
• A prominent Italian-American restaurant scene is just the tip of the Staten Island iceberg of international culinary delights.
• The Minimalist makes pasta with mussels.
• Dogfish always tries to bend the boundaries of beer -- and now they're taking it a step further with saliva-strengthened chicha. Yes, spit.
• Motorino gets a second pizza-filled location after a prime find on Craigslist.
• California winemaker Kathryn Kennedy has passed away at the age of 82.
• A Good Appetite reminisces about Aunt Sandy's famous shindigs and her Sweet and Sour Salmon.
• The Temporary Vegetarian makes Soybeans with Garlic and Dill.
• Food Stuff finds a mixture of cheese and antiques, handy ice cream containers and South African vinegars.
• New York's openings and closings, and dining calendar.

For those of you who are fans of Gary Vaynerchuk and his show Wine Library TV, you'll be excited to learn that he recently launched a new online programming venture. Called Obsessed, it's a medium-length interview show hosted by TV veteran and author Samantha Ettus (and then, in the last five minutes, Gary comes on for some wine talk and general conversation).

In the most recent episode, Samantha chats with New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman about his new book and his habit of only eating fruits, vegetables and grains until 6 p.m. (for more on that, see our previous post about daytime veganism).

If you're a Vayniac, you already know that Gary Vaynerchuk came out with a book called 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World. Marisa announced the book here at Slashfood about a month and a half ago, and I just got my hands on a copy a few weeks ago.

I didn't put it down until I had at least looked at every single wine on the list. It's Gary first list of favorite and recommended wines, and it's chock full of enthusiasm, energy, and genuinely great recommendations.

Here are some ways this book can be useful for you:

• Exploring wine if you've never really tried wine before and have no idea where to start.
• Choosing great wines for specific occasions from Gary's very cleverly organized and insightful lists for any event.
• Finding the best wine for that flavor profile you really like (best dry Reisling, best "fruit bomb" red, etc.).
• Learning how you can become better at recognizing what you like about wine and what wines you're passionate about (hint: drink more wine!).
• Understanding that wine can be fun, and that it doesn't have to be serious or snobby.

What I really love about this book is the genuine authenticity that just reverberates from everything that Gary has to say. Each individual wine write-up is like getting to read an episode of Wine Library TV, chock full of enthusiasm, honesty, and insightful wine wisdom. The only thing I would change about the book is that, for a truly ignorant wine novice like myself, it's hard to tell which wines are white or red, etc., which is important for me since I have a hard time really enjoying reds and wanted to go through and pick out all of the wines that I knew I would want to try right off of the bat. A quick cheat sheet or wine primer at the beginning of the book (Petite Sirah is red, Reislings are white, etc.) would have been really helpful for me.

Overall, the book is well written, very straightforward in Gary's typical style, and I think it has potential to really help the everyday wine enthusiast reach a level of immersion in the wine world that many of us don't think we can reach. It can be expensive to start out in wine and buy a bottle of everything, especially if you're back at square one when the wine isn't a quality example of the genre you're trying to explore. This book makes jumping into every corner of the wine world a real possibility for every wine drinker, and that is something really worth sharing. Keep a copy handy for your own trips to the liquor store, and give a copy to a wine-loving (or wine-curious) friend!

I should probably change the name of this column from Cookbook of the Day to Food Book of the Day, for the number of times I write about books that aren't strictly cooking related. However, I always try to write about books that will increase your ability to enjoy and appreciate your food and drink. Take today's book, for example. Written by Wine Library TV host, Gary Vaynerchuk, 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World isn't a cookbook. But it is a book that will help you find the wines that will enhance your meals, dinner parties and cookouts. So, to me, it fits.

The cool thing about this book is that it isn't your standard wine guide, with the same stuffy three sentences to explain why you should or shouldn't be drinking a particular wine. If you've ever watched Wine Library TV, you'll know that Gary is working hard to turn the wine world on it's head and make drinking wine a more accessible and fun activity and this book continues to move that mission forward. His personality translates to text really well and so makes 101 Wines a highly entertaining read.

One helpful thing about the book, in addition to the two pages devoted to each of the 101 wines is that the last few pages are broken up in groupings that will let you know that five best wines for the beach or from the places you least expect. It's a fun way to think about wine and I plan on taking this book with me next time I head to the liquor store.

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