pinot gris – THE GRAPE BELT

Can I Get You Some Wine?

While the weather in many parts of the country is beyond horrible right now, in not too many weeks we will be staring summer square in the face. We’ll start spending more time on the patio, in the backyard, at the beach, or around the pool. And we’re going to want something to drink. So, […]

by Tom Riley

Heading Back To Oregon

Several years ago, before I became immersed in the wine industry, wines from Oregon were regular guests at our evening meals. But then I began working in Napa and all of a sudden Oregon wine was nowhere to be found. Pinot gris? Willamette Valley? What are you talking about? Every once in a while I […]

by Tom Riley

We’ve Got People Coming Over — Help!!

In the last few weeks, I’ve had more than one person ask for help with planning their holiday parties. They want to serve wine. They want to serve decent wine, but they don’t want to go broke. Or, they don’t want to serve expensive, high quality wines because they know that at a party very […]

by Tom Riley

A Mad Dash Through Central Otago

One of our main objectives to visiting New Zealand, apart from enjoying the wild splendor of the south island, was to visit the heart of Central Otago and learn as much as we could in the little time we had. So, I polled some social media connections in the States, Australia, and New Zealand, and […]

by Tom Riley

In A New York State of Mind

Despite spending the past 25 years in California and Connecticut, I’m a New Yorker through and through. And, as such, I tend to root for the home town team, wherever it might be found. In recent years I’ve tried my best to defend wines from New York’s major regions – Finger Lakes, Long Island, Hudson […]