Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV and Brian Freedman of Classic Wines TV recently clashed in a contest of food and wine pairing skills. Hosted by The Wine School of Philadelphia, these two popular online personalities met in good-natured competition and wowed spectators with their competence and charisma.
Keith Wallace, founder and owner of The Wine School of Philadelphia, hosted the event. His plan was to create a high profile ‘Sommelier Smackdown,’ wherein the two wine professionals paired a four-course meal with the most appropriate wines they could find in a certain price range. The bottle selections were hidden from a team of dining judges, and both men had a chance to explain their choices during each portion of the meal. The judges scored each selection and declared a winner at the end of the final round.
Brian Freedman, one of Philadelphia’s most popular wine personalities, was a veteran of Smackdown events, while Gary Vaynerchuk, host of the Internet’s most popular wine video series, was no stranger to competition either. When asked how he secured the notoriously busy Vaynerchuk for the showdown, Wallace simply stated: “Getting Gary to join up was easy, I just emailed him. He's a busy guy, but he's got moxy. I knew he couldn't pass up a chance for an old-fashioned brawl.”
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