Author: Tom Riley

My passion for wine has led me to my third career. First, many years in public relations and publications for colleges and universities in New York and New England. Then, as my children grew, a career as a high school teacher so I could be home with them after school. Now that they have both finished college, I'm digging constantly deeper into the world of wine. In 2010 I earned the WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust, UK) Advanced Certificate, Level III, with Merit. I am now a candidate for the WSET's Diploma, Level IV, seemingly eternally. In the mean time, I'll continue to share my views as I examine all things related to wine through my work as a journalist, educator, and consultant.

by Tom Riley

All Changed, Changed Utterly

In the casual ladder I keep that lists what blog pieces I consider writing, the next quick hit was going to be a light-hearted attack on the dangers of the foil caps that top off most of the wine bottles we see everyday, ending with a call to ban the production, sale, and use across […]

by Tom Riley

Contradiction? More Like Evolution.

Do I contradict myself ? Very well then I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes.) – Walt Whitman You can call me a hypocrite if you’d like. I don’t care. Anyway, rules are made to be broken. At least that’s what the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts taught me. For the past […]

by Tom Riley

Geek of the Week — Albariño

A few weekends ago the temperatures rose so high in the San Francisco Bay Area that if we had been able to bottle it we would now have enough heat to last us another 12 months. But if you listen to any of my family members or friends from back east, you’d think Thanksgiving was […]

by Tom Riley

Chasing The Ghost Of Rosalia Vintners

Following several days in the Veneto, immersed in the delicious and impressive wines of Soave, I made a short trip that had been years in the planning. Well, if not planning certainly in the imagining. I had heard the words Udine and Friuli so many times since I was a boy that these places had […]

by Tom Riley

The Gem Of The Veneto: Soave Preview 2017 Days Two And Three

Three days is not enough time to even begin scratching the surface of all that is happening in the world of Soave wine. But, if you have only three days, you do the best you can. Here are a few photos from the attempt a number of writers, merchants, and industry executives made during Soave […]

by Tom Riley

2015 Michael Mondavi Family Animo Napa Valley Heritage Sauvignon Blanc

I like sauvignon blanc. A lot. I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea but this versatile variety is a regular guest in our glasses and at the table. Depending on what’s being served, I can go for something tart and juicy from New Zealand, or a glass of flinty crispness from the Loire Valley, […]

by Tom Riley

Skipping School

A few days ago I woke up with a single, glowing thought: I’m done. Enough is enough. Time to move on. In 2010 I prepared to switch careers from teaching high school to the amorphous, mysterious job of “something in wine.” I had told myself for several years that when my daughters graduated – they attended […]

by Tom Riley

“No, There Is Too Much. Let Me Sum Up.”

Let’s not waste time with explanations. Let’s just get going. After all, I’ve already wasted nine months pecking at this thing. Yeah, I know. During 2016 I attended a number of industry tastings, but three or four really struck me as special. After each of them I had the same reaction: people need to know […]

by Tom Riley

Wine Oh TV: Fun And Friendly Window On The World Of Wine

When Monique Soltani, executive producer of Wine Oh TV, encouraged me to watch her latest segment, telling me that I made a brief appearance, I figured why not take the ol’ masochism out for a spin. But about halfway through the episode, which runs approximately 23 minutes, I knew I needed to share this piece […]

by Tom Riley

Artesa: Good Things Are Happening In Carneros

We are all born with peculiar gifts, those little tics and quirks that make us who we are in that oh so special way. One of mine is being able to notice when an object in a room is not plumb, level, or square to other things nearby or the room itself. I could find […]