WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

The Wine Riff and its fulfillment partner, Wine Country Connection, are a group of wine industry marketing professionals and retail marketers. Our tasting panel gathers once a week to taste around 50-75+ wines, domestic and international, from which we select only the very best that we then share with our clients.

We send out daily emails telling our clients about the wine we’ve selected for that day with tasting notes and background information about who makes the wines, where it originates from, and any other information we discover about a wine’s provenance.

Read more about The Wine Riff below.

If visiting Napa Valley, I invite you to visit our Wine Country Connection Tasting Room and Wine Shop at 6484 Washington St., Suite E, Yountville, CA 94599. The tasting room is run by our resident Master Sommelier, Kevin Vogt and his wife Lynda (read more about Kevin below). Tell them that George Bato sent you and they will take good care of you.

George Bato
Founder – The Wine Riff
Consultant – Wine Country Connection

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My interest in fine wine began during my college days in the late 1970s. After graduating I moved to Sonoma County, part of a wine growing region in Northern California known as the North Coast, which also includes, Napa Valley, Mendocino and Lake Counties.

One thing that quickly became abundantly clear was that whenever friends or family came to visit from out of the area, they always wanted to visit wineries and try their wines. And so about 25 years ago I decided to jump into the wine business with both feet. Over the years I have become friends with many winemakers, wine growers and wine industry insiders, and have had the opportunity to work with some of the very best.

Today my passion revolves around finding amazing wines for my clients, discovering the next “cult” favorite wine, and finding wines of exceptional quality and value. If you would like to be added to my email list, click here.

Kevin Vogt
Master Sommelier
Vice President / Partner
Wine Country Connection
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In 1999 I was awarded the designation of Master Sommelier from the prestigious Court of Sommeliers. I am grateful to hold this honor that has been achieved by only 273 individuals worldwide since 1969.

Previously, I served as the director of beverage for Emeril Lagasse’s restaurants in Las Vegas, where I was fortunate to meet some amazing people from around the world.

Subsequently, this led to moving to Napa Valley to source, taste and bring to you my favorite wines. Our team tastes over 70 wines a week to make sure you have access to only the best of the best.

I’d love for you to visit my wine shop, Wine Country Connection, next time you’re in Yountville, CA.

I look forward to seeing you!

What is The Wine Riff?

Wine and music!  The parallels are as numerous as the descriptions of a Grand Cru Burgundy or the unmistakable riffs in Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” or Beethoven’s Symphany No. 5. Both the wine and music are works of art in their own right where the progression and interplay of nuances results in something truly magical. Both are mediums where the sum is greater than its individual parts, where the end product is the culmination of an artistic process. In either case, the artists often go through a cascade of emotions creating this labor of love to eventually arrive at the finish with a masterpiece… and sometimes not.

With a piece of music it may be a melody, the words, or the “riff” that grabs you. With a wine it may be the flavors, complexity, or elegance that does the same.  In either case, both add pleasure to our lives and provide us with a platform for unforgettable memories.

The Wine Riff was established to delve into the stories behind the wines. To meet the people who grow the grapes and make the wines. To visit the regions and vineyards where the grapes are grown. In a nutshell, to attempt to understand the “soul” of that marvelous elixir in our glass.

Although this blog is primarily about wine, one can’t deny the parallels between wine and music. The similarities between the two mediums are too many to ignore. And it’s the little intricacies, the nuances and attention to details that distinguish the final outcome that makes a wine sing, or a piece of music a classic. So who knows when references will crop up about music and its similarities to wine, but they will.

Hence, the name…The Wine Riff!

I hope you join us on our journey in discovering the new upcoming wine industry movers and shakers, and delve into the stories behind the scene, exploring what makes the wines you enjoy remarkable and memorable.

Cheers,

George Bato
Founder – The Wine Riff

Please Note:  All wines offered for sale on The Wine Riff website are sold through Wine Country Connection, unless otherwise stated.