I judge wine with words like "good" and "bad," so Wednesday night when I had the opportunity to go to a wine tasting with some folks who actually know the difference between tannins and acidity, I jumped at the chance. The fact that they wanted us to bring our laptops for some real-time reviews and connecting online made it that much more appealing.

Gary Vaynerchuk, author of the new NYT best seller "CrushIt" and host of Wine Library TV, and Lindsay Ronga of Cork'd held the special wine tasting for a handful of Austinites. With almost 40 people in the room, the conversation was lively and non-stop. We talked about the wines in person, and we also reviewed and rated them on the Cork'd site. Cork'd is a community of wine lovers, winemakers and those who want to learn more about wine.

There were three vintages of one of the wines we tasted -- the Lamborn Family Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon -- 2004, 2005 and 2006. Several folks sitting near the windows sampled the 2004. Those sitting near the door received the 2005. I tasted the 2006 along with the rest of the participants at the table in the middle of the room. I wasn't a fan. My online review actually says, "My tongue feels dirty."

Within seconds of posting my review, I was also able to see everyone else's review. We compared notes, and from the average scores, it sounds like the 2004 vintage was a good one. I then kinda forgot about my review and Lamborn.

But when I got home, I got an email from Cork'd saying that Lamborn Family Vineyards had left a comment on my review. They graciously thanked me for at least trying the wine; they actually thanked me for taking the time to leave a less-than-stellar review.

They get it.

They get that not every comment and review will be great out there in cyberspace, but they responded in a positive way still. They reach out to consumers where the conversations are already happening. They let me know that they are listening. It's about joining in on the conversations, and leading them when you can.

So, they're back on my mind. And because they reached out, I'm anxious to try something else from their menu. I wonder if they make a nice pinot noir… Or cupcakes?!