Marlborough – THE GRAPE BELT

“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

It Must Be Refreshing!

In a talk at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone a few months back, noted British wine writer, Jancis Robinson MW, explained her top criteria for any wine she encounters: “It must be refreshing!” Given that simple yet demanding yardstick, I think Robinson would have found a great deal to like about almost all […]

by Tom Riley

The End Of The Road

Once we arrived in Nelson, we had only a few days left before it was time to head for home. We had begun to feel the tug of the familiar but were determined to squeeze the last few drops of fun out of our time away. We still had to get over to Marlborough to […]

by Tom Riley

No Place To Hide

Well, the jig is up. Thanks to the kindness of Jessica Yadegaran of the Bay Area News Group, there is no more flying under the radar. I’m taking this pleasant bit of serendipity as encouragement to publish more blogs, ratchet up my freelance work, and, in general, continue the progress I’ve made in the past […]