About the Website
Rick Thompson Wine is focused on reviews of current release and older vintage, wines from Italy, Champagne, the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and Oregon. It also reviews some wines from California, Washington, and other important wine regions. This is an opinion-based website where I share my views and impressions and offer recommendations to my readers, from top class, ultra-premium bottlings, to the finest values in the market today. The reviews I pen are based on what’s in the bottle, when it is opened and are followed, sometimes over several days.
I am 100% independent and accept no advertising dollars from any source to keep my reviews free from the high level of commercialism that dominates today’s wine market. The views herein are solely the opinion of the author. I post reviews routinely along with notes from wine dinners and private tastings with the goal of increasing the frequency as this site gains popularity. The reviews are organized into their respective source of origin. I also have sections titled From the Cellar which focuses on older vintage, mature wines, and Hot Picks which is a section dedicated to fabulous wines that outperform their price point and offer superb value in the market.
I accept samples for reviewing. If you’re a winery in Italy, Champagne, the Iberian Peninsula, Oregon, or anywhere else for that matter, and would like to have your wines critiqued please contact me via email through the Contact page, and we can discuss details.
Your support of my site is greatly appreciated! If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to reach out via the Contact page.
About the Author – Rick Thompson
Embracing a deep passion for wine for nearly 25 years, Rick has a strong affinity for bottlings that reveal the classic elements of the craft. Wines that show the transparency of the variety and expose what only outstanding terroir and artful winemaking can express. He shares a love of old and new world wines alike and remains in an endless search of the finest expressions of the vinous culture. While his heart lies in the multitude of Italian varieties and appellations, he shares a keen attraction for the grapes and wine regions of France, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Oregon, and countless other wine regions.
Rick has worked in wine imports, distribution and sales since 2006 and has represented many outstanding portfolios, giving him an edge that focuses not simply on what constitutes great winemaking, but what represents extraordinary value for the consumer. He intimately understands the ever-morphing wine market and the dynamics that drive it. This is an aspect of wine reviews that continues to get lost in todays’ increasingly expensive import, and domestic markets, but also understanding the mass marketing of today’s growingly popular plonk.
His business background includes owning an award-winning design/build firm in Pennsylvania with his longtime partner and brother Frank in the late 70s, 80s and early 90s, which was awarded three times Pennsylvania Builder of the Year. He was one of the Founders of the National Non-Profit Access Fund – the nation’s leading rock climbers’ conservation and advocacy organization – and has been a passionate rock climber for 47 years, having amassed over 800 First Ascents during that time. Rick has authored nine books on rock climbing, including the first-ever climber’s guide to the legendary New River Gorge – New River Rock © 1987 – and served as a contributing journalist for a variety of national/international climbing publications including Rock & Ice, Climbing and Mountain Magazine. Most recently he finished a long overdue guide to Cooper Rock State Park, WV: True Grit. He is also a passionate skier and fly fisher. Rick has two sons – Richard and Chris – and adores living in the Colorado High Country, where he has resided for nearly 30 years and can follow his passions with fervor.