where to get it
Our tasting room (which just so happens to be a part of the winery) is your one-stop shop for all things Riaza. Different from what you might expect to find in a warehouse district, our space is a nice mix of comfort and contemporary. It's kind of like you're hanging out with friends enjoying a glass or two (if you're friends have just a bit of "hipster" in 'em). Here’s the deal…wine should be fun, easy and approachable. The tasting room echos that philosophy. You can grab a seat at the bar, you can circle around a barrel with your crew or you can chill on the "patio." No matter where you end up, you'll find great wine, amazing people and an incredible experience.
And speaking of wine (I mean come on...that's what gets you in the door right), we try to keep six or so offerings on the bar at any given time (check out the current line up here). If Rick's working (which he often is) ask if he's got anything special stashed somewhere behind the bar. Who knows...you might get to try something from the library (more on that later) or maybe even one of his new "projects." So if you've ever wanted to pick the brain of a winemaker...don't pass up the opportunity!
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where we make it
We converted a warehouse space on Lodi's near-south side into our very own craft winery (and tasting room). We set it up with everything we'd need to make some truly incredible wines from some of the best vineyards around. And while it's not your typical winery, it serves its intended purpose - which is to make wine. Beginning in August and running through October or November, the winery is all about one thing - turning grapes into wine. In a typical year, we'll crush and press somewhere between 30 and 40 tons of fruit. If you happen to be in the tasting room during this time, you'll get an up close and personal look at the winemaking process.
Once the grapes show up at the winery, we do all the work ourselves. And though it is true that we have some awesome pieces of equipment that make life a bit easier, the reality is that a lot of the work is still done by hand. Every cluster of grapes is hand-picked. Every cluster of grapes is hand-sorted. Every cluster of grapes is fed into the destemmer (or press if it's a white) by hand. I could go on...but you get the idea. Doing all this work by hand is how we started...and it allows us to craft small lot, ultra premium wines that speak to a sense of place.