September 2011 – THE GRAPE BELT

Bend And Stretch. Reach For The Stars

This weekend in the wine shop was pretty typical, with the usual parade of characters. Stalwart shoppers who always know what they want, and the occasional newcomer with a plan and a list. And then the regular sprinkling of the lost and confused, who are really the best customers, because they need and want so much […]

by Tom Riley

Geek Of The Week — Claret

A recent note from one of my older brothers stopped me in my tracks. Despite being a well-read and worldly man, and one who certainly loves a good glass of wine, he admitted that he didn’t really know what the word claret meant. If he didn’t know, how many other folks who love wine don’t understand […]

by Tom Riley

Quit Screwing Around

One of the things that makes me crazy is when people use the wrong tool for any job where the right tool is available. My wife has heard me grouse about this about a billion times over the years; sometimes I think she preps food with the wrong knife just to bug me. Like most […]

by Tom Riley

I’ll Talk To You Tomorrow

A friend and I were chatting online a few weeks back about various wine-related matters and he told me about some wine he had enjoyed the night before. This fellow is a school teacher and so looks for wines that are reliable and won’t bust his budget. He was pleased to have found Coppola’s Claret […]

by Tom Riley

Eureka!

You know those little “ah ha!” moments, when the light bulb goes off and the way you see the world is changed instantly and forever? The bigger the moment the bigger the light bulb. And then there are those moments when over your head there explode dozens of 1000-watt bulbs, and shards of glass rain […]