About the Website
Rick Thompson Wine is focused on reviewing current release and older vintage wines from artisan producers in Italy, Champagne, the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and Oregon. I also review 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 available in the market today. The reviews are based on what’s in the bottle, at the time it is opened and I often follow wines over several days. Pre-opening preparation is mentioned when relevant, especially with cellared wines.
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 sources of origin. Additionally, I include sections entitled From the Cellar, which highlight mature wines of older vintages, and Hot Picks, featuring exceptional wines that deliver outstanding value relative to their price point in the market.
I accept samples for reviewing. If you’re a winery interested in having your wines critiqued, please contact me via email through the Contact link, and we can discuss shipping details.
Your support of my site is greatly appreciated! If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to reach out via the Contact link.
About the Author – Rick Thompson
Embracing a deep passion for wine over more than 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 World and New World wines alike and remains in an endless search for the finest expressions of vinous culture. While his heart lies in the multitude of Italian varieties and appellations, he also shares a keen attraction for the grapes and wine regions of France, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Oregon, and countless other wine regions.
Rick has worked in wine imports, distribution, and sales since 2006 and has represented countless 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 today’s increasingly expensive import and domestic markets, while 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 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’ advocacy and conservation organization (accessfund.org) – and has been a passionate rock climber for 50 years. As one of the early activists at the New River Gorge National Park, he ferreted out, mapped, established and documented new routes on miles of previously unclimbed cliffs. Over the years he has amassed over 800 First Ascents at numerous cliffs around the country. Rick has authored nine books on rock climbing, including the first-ever climber’s guide to the now legendary New River – New River Rock © 1987 – a trend setting guide credited with having shaped the future of guidebooks in America. He has served as a contributing journalist for a variety of national and international climbing publications including Rock & Ice, Climbing and Mountain Magazine. Most recently Rick completed a long overdue guide to Coopers Rock State Park, WV: True Grit. He is also a passionate skier and fly fisher. Rick has two adult sons – Richard and Chris – and adores living in the Colorado High Country, where he has resided for more than 30 years. There he can pursue his passions with fervor and focus in the magnificence of the Rocky Mountains.