Wow, we just had a blast partnering with NeoSemantics to throw a party at the Big Easy in Downtown Raleigh, NC. You can also check out the pics on flickr.

A few weeks ago I was in New York staying at the Surrey Hotel on 76^th Street between 5^th Avenue and Madison right near Central Park. Before heading down to the meatpacking district for dinner and some fun with a business associate we stopped into Café Boulud next to the hotel for a drink. The restaurant is owned by famous French chef Daniel Boulud.
As we were sitting at a 4 top table in the bar area looking out over the simple and elegant dining room, we had a decision to make on this very hot August early evening in the city….what to drink?…a special cocktail?…a glass of white wine? Neither seemed appropriate….it must be a glass of Champagne.

The Maitre D’, John Winterman, suggested a glass of Pierre Peters Blanc de Blanc NV Champagne.

Honestly, I had never heard of the producer, however, I certainly was comfortable accepting the recommendation. Boy, it did not disappoint. Actually, it was fabulous…the setting did not hurt either. Blanc de Blanc is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. The bubbles in the glass were incredible….1000’s and 1000’s that never stopped. This was perfection in a glass…smooth, flavorful, clean, refreshing, with just a hint of that wonderful yeastiness that is so unique to Champagne…so very balanced. It was not cheap at $25 a glass; however, it was worth every penny. You will probably pay around $45 a bottle at retail. Special time, special moment, special wine…this is what life is about…creating special memories. Go out there and try new things…many times you will be very pleasantly surprised. By the way, the meatpacking district was a blast. A story about that later…

When I first read Tom Friedman’s ‘golden arches theory’ it just struck me how beneficial trade relationships and liberal democracy are to international relations. If two countries, no matter what their differences, are doing trade with one another, and benefiting from the relationship then there’s really a huge disincentive to go to war. We’ve already explored the fact that wine reduces your carbon footprint - but imagine a world where wine made the world more peaceful…

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Mellisani Underground Lake has only been visible to human beings for the past 50 years, and it was first made so by an earthquake that broke the ground causing the roof to fall away and reveal the water below. Greece can blow one’s mind when one thinks of a civilized cultural history that can be dated back to about 2700 BC, or 4700 years ago. So it takes a visit to such a natural wonder as an underground lake, where a stalactite the size of my arm is 200,000 years old to put human history in perspective. Certainly, after a glass of wine or two the mind can run wild when it tries to go back so far and the best way to unboggle the mind is with a swim. The Ionian sea, slightly warmer than the Aegean, provides crystal clear water in which to swim, and I can honestly say that one of the most picture perfect afternoons of my life was

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So after a year or so of being quiet, Cork’d and its overarching concept have been given much recognition in the past 2 weeks. Gary Vaynerchuck has gone from strength to strength over the past two years, and we can only wait in anticipation to see what he does with Cork’d. Already Cork’d has been tipped as one of the top 10 best designed sites in the world, and as Gary V. is undoubtedly heading toward being one of the most successful players in the industry, the two will surely make a happy union.

This year we’ve seen Wine X magazine fall by the wayside, and perhaps Cork’d'll now rise to fill the niche which Wine X was never quite able to: the community of young, experimental and down to earth wine consumers.

Grapethinking waits in anticipation for Wine 2.0 where much of the future will be delineated and many partnerships will be forged as a group of young world beaters step up to discuss how things are going to be once direct-shipping laws are loosened and distributors lose their stronghold.

Gary V. has begun to check the boxes needed to ensure his place in history by:

1. Establishing a reputable, nationwide, tech-driven, with-the-times medium to promote and sell high-class hand-selected wines to the American public at large.
2. Winning the hearts and minds of the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Eric Asimov, bloggers, Grape Radio and a wide spread of enthusiasts around the country who take his word as gospel.
3. Purchasing the first community for wine, with cutting edge Web 2.0 design and strong community features.

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