If a man can become famous for loving Brittney, why not gain fame for loving wine?

I’ve never really understood wine enthusiasts. Swirling, sniffing, and examining the color of a beverage just seems unnecessary to me. You don’t see people do that with Pepsi. I always picture the stereotypical image of a wine enthusiast: a millionaire in a top hat and monocle sniffing a glass of Chardonnay. “Ahh, a fine year.” But this blog isn’t about wine enthusiasts, just one in particular. Gary Vaynerchuk is not the typical wine enthusiast. He doesn’t hang out at yacht clubs, but you can always find him on the World Wide Web.

Vaynerchuk grew up in New Jersey. His Russian parents owned a wine store there and so he took an interest in wine at a young age. Since he was underage, he got acquainted with the flavors that went into wine such as grapes, wood, grass, dirt, and an assortment of exotic fruits. He took over his parents wine business as an adult, and currently has more than 80,000 fans and has appeared on talk shows and news programs and has been written about in numerous magazines and online newspapers. How did this New Jersey wine lover gain such fame? Social Media.

He started broadcasting a podcast on a website called Wine Library T.V. In his online videos, fellow wine lovers can watch him discuss new wines, sample wines, and give tips on buying wine. He has made more than 600 episodes of his wine show. How did he gain so much popularity? Apparently there are more wine enthusiasts out there than we thought. Maybe some people just like his delivery. He is very gestural and passionate about his subject, not the typical stuffy millionaire. Perhaps this is how to gain fame on the web: having interesting personalities and going against what is expected.

I still question his popularity. I can’t imagine watching 24 minutes of a guy talking about wine without being bored, but the internet works in strange ways. It’s hard to tell how any online video gains popularity, but apparently Vaynerchuk knew the way. He stands as another example of the power of the web and social media.