My wine story of the year

WINE TALK
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Call it gratuitous, but my wine story of 2009 is the creation of Wine Berserkers. I wrote about it today on my blog and wonder what other people think about. The gist of the post is that this site was created out of the shadow of eRP, but that its own identity is evolving even if there’s still the meta-commentary about things happening “over there.” For me, the significance here is that there’s great wine discussion from enthusiasts but more of a connection between industry types and enthusiasts, perhaps because the site isn’t selling a magazine or its brand of wine reviews. The cynic might say that’s marketing. I think it’s the leveling of the field, closing the gap between supposed “lowly” regular Joes and “deified” winemakers and such. A place like this brings us together more than any other I know of. To 2010 and the growth of Wine Berserkers.

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Well written, Vincent. Nice point of view on this place!

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Bravo!

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And (so far) WB has stayed pretty free of the pissiness that has infected eBob for years.

Thanks to everyone who set this up and to everyone has made this a pleasant community.

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Thanks all for the feedback. Eric, I did check out that preview of Cellartracker and was very impressed. I’m writing about that soon. To great things for your site in 2010.

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Thanks Vincent. Until I deliver it consider it vapor, but I did want to let my users know what was coming. But I agree that WB has emerged as a community, at times obsessed with that other place, but forming its own identity. And it is very fun to have a place where I can participate without being persecuted by the management.

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Vincent, nice job on this.

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WELCOME BACK SERGE :slight_smile: [berserker.gif]

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How much Buccella did you guys drink?

Happy New Year!

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none, lol, … Serge’s house rules forbid’s drinking red wine before its time . Although I did drink a 2001 Kobalt at lunch…wow was that a hell of a wine!! Another Mark Herold blockbuster. The funny thing about the wine we had last night was the look on my wife’s face when we were consuming wine older than her. She doesn’t care for very old wine and freaks her out a bit to consume something older than her.

Hey Serge, I woke up this morning with a bandage on my finger…I have no recollection of how I got it, nor the rather sizable cut on my finger… Gabi told me I cut myself with a knife, were we preparing for a duel?..I have no recollection of that…I must have been rather shitfaced, although I do remember the argument I had about whether NYC street thugs could kick the shit out of Moscow street thugs…LMAO !! We must have really been toasted…three Russian’s ganging up on me in a debate, too funny.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, I will go away now and continue nursing my hangover… newhere

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so we are going to Russia in July! Splendid. I first have to make it through Spain in March :slight_smile:

Thanks for keeping tabs on my consumption,lol ! You forgot that I also stole one of Boris’ wine glasses with the 89 L’Arrosee in it . lol He wasn’t going to drink it and I couldn’t resist in my drunken condition.

But the key is to airlift the Moscow thugs into the South Bronx and see if they can survive the night and “escape from NY”. [rofl.gif]


Did I really try to lancer a bottle of Champagne… [suicide.gif]

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The distance this board has traveled since its founding is demonstrated by the following:

  1. Specific reference links to this board are banned on the Squires board.
  2. WB is comfortable competing (though that’s probably not quite the right word) with ANY other wine board. Limiting links is petty and for pussies! More importantly Berserkers don’t have a problem with other boards having success. Who the f&^k cares?
  3. A participant on the Squires board who doesn’t post here wrote (emphasis added) “A well-known winemaker on the “other board” said this…” First, that means that lurking goes both ways. Second WB is now the “other board” passing many other older and more established boards.
  4. While the anti or bashing posts still occur they are becoming less common and they tend to have real substance. In other words they mostly focus on issues that go beyond a pissing contest.

Add to that the remarkable increase in membership and posts and you have a board that is more than an alternative site. It is WB with its own quirks, strengths and uniqueness. Quite a story.

For 2010 I hope to see continued growth and a larger non-US membership.

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Well said. This quote is the real nut :

A cynic might say that such industry involvement is sheer marketing on their part. That same cynic probably sees social networking platforms like Twitter as babble and marketing, failing to see how they are connecting people in new and complex ways. Talk about not seeing the forest for trees. You want marketing? Look at critic-centered sites that shut down much of the discussion of competition or challenges to the critic. What’s the goal there? Then you see a site that’s not selling a brand, but focused on connecting people across the wine spectrum. That’s where Wine Berserkers is succeeding. It’s not rocket science, but this site seems to be doing it the best and, to my mind, is the internet wine story of the year.

The Parker model is founded an adversarial relation between wine supplier (producer/importer/distributor/retailer) and customer. Parker posits himself as the essential defender of the latter against the former. That adversarial relationship (like in all kinds of commerce) just isn’t the norm anymore. What was one-way marketing-speaking is now a dialogue between the parties and the most successful businesses thrive on this. Parker doesn’t. His whole business model and worldview is deeply and profoundly alien to these new manners and his wine board reflects that.

WB is a great model of the new way of in which commercial dialogue occurs. Great stuff and happy to be a part of it.

A.

14

Not gratuitous at all, Vincent - nicely written story.

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Fuck you! oh wait, wrong board.

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Andrew, that’s a great way to put it.

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Wow, Vincent, thank you!!

The blog entry is extremely well written, and I have to say it pleases me to no end to see what your opinions and feedback are on the core of what this site was, is, and will become, as I agree with nearly everything you wrote. It’s good to have confirmation of what I feel the forum community is about…

An honor proudly accepted!

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A wonderful well written post! Bravo.

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Nice piece Vincent. Although I have had some issues with this Board that have caused me to go on my own self imposed exile, I believe that its terrifc success is a reflection of the fall from grace of the “palate” and his iron fisted, insecure, super-opinionated and hardline henchman. After all, many of us wouldn’t be here raving about this site but for their short sited and callous behavior that will surely lead to their eventual fall from grace as a viable wine blogging site for all but those with brown noses or fearful expressionless palates.
I agree with you Vincent that the "belittling, “be-a-hole” mods and the obstinate “palate” himself gave birth to the “bezerkers”.
You failed to mention the Moderators here whom have all performed in a more than admirable laid back and laissez faire fashion. To them I salute. [thumbs-up.gif]

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Agreed; a terrific post. And so appropriate on New Year’s, to reflect back and realize that 2009 has brought us WB. A great resource for all wine lovers. Bravo!