Well, if you haven't seen Wine Library TV yet you should go check it out. The question I am interested in is why has it caught on with the college crowd (CKC's if your a fan). I introduced my friends to the show, and now we all watch and drink wine almost as often as we drink beer. What is too account for this phenomenon?
The answer, as I see it, is that Gary has combined things that college kids like, namely alcohol, high energy TV, sports, and alcohol. The problem with wine (beyond the boxed kind) for the people in the college age range was that it seemed more expensive, and very much a drink for an older generation and stuck up rich people. Gary has shown that this does not need to be the case. By showing that there were quality wines for lower prices, and explaining them in very simple and open terms, wine became accessible to a younger crowd.
Much of this comes down to Gary's open and energetic personality. His being the face of a new wine drinking generation moved the stereotype of a wine drinker from an uptight French guy, to a guy from Jersey you could find at a Jets game (or a Michigan game). Shifting that generational stereotype made it more acceptable for a guy to pull out a bottle of wine with his friends and not be ridiculed.
However, even though this shift has occurred, I don't think there will be a mass of students at the bar drinking a glass of wine. I am not sure that that will ever happen, until you can buy a keg of wine there won't be wine at a Frat party. But, because people are slowing getting the message that wine is just as viable as the classic brew Gary is changing the wine world.
