pinot noir – THE GRAPE BELT

Vive la France!

One of the beautiful things about wine is that it is an infinite subject. You can never learn it all. And, if you could, as soon as you did, there would be more to learn. Wine will always be too big for us to get our arms and heads around. But that doesn’t stop a […]

by Tom Riley

The Arrogant Frog — Worth A Kiss

A few years ago I introduced readers of The Grape Belt to the wines of Domaine Paul Mas from the Languedoc region in southern France, extolling their impressive combination of quality and low prices. (https://thegrapebelt.com/2016/07/20/head-to-the-south-of-france/) Well, we’re back again with a look at a few more of their wines, this time under the whimsical label, The […]

by Tom Riley

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

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 […]

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

Hands-On Learning

When I was invited a few weeks back to participate in Gloria Ferrer‘s annual Hands-On Harvest, I accepted immediately, but with some reservation. I’ve been to Gloria Ferrer many times over the years since it opened its doors in 1986 as the first sparkling house in Carneros. I have taken friends and family there countless […]

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

Keep Your Glitz — Let’s Talk About The Wine

If you spend too much time in certain corners of the Napa Valley, you start to believe that in order to make great wine you need to have a Great, capital G, winery. One with a tasting room tricked out in stone and steel, glass and marble. Paneled rooms filled with fine collectibles and walls covered […]

by Tom Riley

Sonoma Begins With Keller Estate

For more than 20 years, on my way to visit family members in Petaluma and points west, I’ve seen the Keller Estate sign on Lakeville Highway. And for years my impression of the winery, based on nothing more than the look of the sign and its location in the flatlands north of the San Pablo […]

by Tom Riley

Truchard Vineyards Are Not To Be Missed

For years I’ve been driving through Los Carneros – that rolling strip of vineyards and farms hugging the bottom of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys – without really understanding what it was I was looking at. Then I spent an afternoon at Truchard Vineyards. Now I get it. Want to learn more? Check out the rest of my review for the American […]