Geek Of The Week – THE GRAPE BELT

Time to Get On Top of Cariñena

I have to confess that I have been an undisciplined wine shopper lately, not on the look-out for a good bargain nearly as often as I should be. Too much of the time I stick to known producers and a few favorite grapes, when I should be poking around in search of something new and […]

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

Geek Of The Week — Lugana

During the past few years there has been a big push on in the media and in wine shops everywhere for people to drink more and more rosé. Think pink! Drink pink! I know I’ve been pushing as hard or harder than most. I still believe that more people need to enjoy the growing number […]

by Tom Riley

Geek of the Week — 2012 Domaine Porto Carras Malagouzia

Maybe I should just title this Greek of the Week. Despite rising popularity and critical acclaim in recent years, far too many wine drinkers remain ignorant of the fine wines coming out of that ancient land. Happily, the wine industry there is no longer trapped in the past. Despite a winemaking history that stretches back […]

by Tom Riley

Geek Of The Week — Assyrtiko

For many wine lovers, this white wine of Greece, principally from the volcanic island of Santorini, is a mainstream varietal, one they’ve been enjoying for years. That’s all well and good, but for the purpose of today’s lesson I’m not interested in those folks. It’s the rest of you who need to listen up. Summertime […]

by Tom Riley

Geek Of The Week — Sereksiya Chernaya

I have gone far too long between Geek Of The Week postings, so I thought I’d return to this feature in extreme fashion, with a brief look at Sereksiya Chernaya, a variety indigenous to Moldova and Romania. Known in Romania as Băbească Neagră, “grandmother’s grape,” where it is the second most planted variety after merlot, […]

by Tom Riley

Geek Of The Week — Moschofilero

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with these last few weeks of cold, rainy weather. Yes, growers are happy, and that ultimately makes me happy because they’re the folks who make sure I have wine in my glass. Still, I’m starting to get desperate for a little sunshine and some seasonably warm […]

by Tom Riley

Geek Of The Week — Tannat

In conversations with friends and family about what wines they plan to serve with holiday meals in the next few weeks, all the usual suspects show up: Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a pile of vague Chardonnay, and the occasional Riesling. I was surprised that a few folks broke ranks with the possibility of Amarone, Brunello […]

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

Geek Of The Week — Tempranillo

At some point in your journey through the wine world, this has happened to you. You’re strolling the aisle of a wine shop or grocery store eyeballing the various bottles. You’re reading the labels and seeing words like chardonnay, cabernet, pinot noir, riesling, zinfandel, and then, all of a sudden, up pops Rioja. And you […]