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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 […]

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Pros hydrate. Period. It hit 94 in The Island City today. Get that H Two Oh inside you. #alwayscoolAlameda #gandtoutsideofframe #stillsummer #pappo #ourlocal #datenight #nodate

Check your calendar. See what I see? Yeah, that’s right. It’s still summer. No room for you premature autumn types. You can wait your turn. Damn it. #summertimesummertime #ginprotectsagainstsin #extralime #AmericanOak #Alameda #datenight #nokitchenfatigue

#tbt In the summer of 1980 I went west from New York City to Tomales, CA, to help my oldest brother for the summer with his fledgling import company, Rosalia Vintners, which was doing its best to introduce the wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia to the shops, restaurants, and bars of Northern California. On my first full day in California, my brother took me to Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, where he bought me a copy of a new book, already in its second printing after only a couple of years, called Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine. My brother’s view was that if I was going to be a part, albeit brief, of his wine world, then I needed to know things. It became my bible. Before too long I was buying the annual updates that were growing in popularity as well as utility. The 1980 printing was all of a quarter inch in thickness. The 2017 was three quarters of an inch, and the page space far more densely packed. Fast forward to 2015. I’ve changed careers, again, and am now in the wine world, writing and teaching and consulting. The seeds my brother planted had borne fruit. I’m lucky enough to be attending the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley. That year’s speaker? Hugh Johnson. I wasn’t the only writer, neophyte or veteran, who collapsed into fan mode. I brought my old bible with me, hoping for an autograph (not my style), and maybe 30 seconds with the living legend. I seized my chance at the end of a panel session, when he was, inexplicably, standing alone in an amphitheater of adoring wine geeks. I introduced myself and muttered something unremarkable and forgettable. And I shoved my old wine guide across the tabletop to him. His eyes lit up. “Is this the first edition,” he asked. No, I explained, the second. He sighed and said, gently, a smile on his face, “so long ago.” I stayed as near as I could the next several days, beside myself at having the good fortune to be so near someone who had, without knowing, given me so much. We’ve connected a few times on social media and each time is a deep, deep delight. With proper obeisance, the wine gods are often good and generous.

Time for dinner. Better get cooking! Crisp and refreshing, with a delightful bit of weight and concentration. $23. 13% abv dailyprogress #kitchenremodel #makeitnew #thinkpink #drinkpink #sancerre #pinotnoir

Two projects in one shot. One of them is complete, well finished, no rough edges. All it needs is a glass to fill and someone looking for a crisp, balanced, and flavorful wine. The other project still needs lots of work. Like the guy typing this. Is there no end to the work? Sigh. #theorcasproject #orcasisland #familywineforthewin #grenacheblanc #roussane #onlyfiftycases #columbiavalleyava #columbiavalleywine #artistjakemcguire @coleisfree

@hawk_wakawaka — got any more Biodynamic t-shirts? Mine just fell victim to an enthusiastic bottle of @bedrockmorgan’s delicious wine. Please ignore the odd camera angle that makes my skull seem fantastically outsized. #wineisfun #bedrockwineco #popandpour #popandsplash #hawkwakawaka #wineshirts #familydinnerlaughs

“Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages.”

Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895)

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