Beacon Grille's
Certified Sommelier
Tim Riley
 
 

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Tim brings an intense passion for beverage service and his wide knowledge of wine, beer, and spirits to Beacon Grille. An honors graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Tim has worked all over the East Coast, including stints with Chef Cindy Wolf at Charleston in Baltimore; at the Statler Hotel in Ithaca, New York; and most recently as the Beverage Manager and Wine Director at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.

In 2009, Tim became a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. He has also earned a Level IV certificate from the Wine Studies program at Boston University.
 

Masi

Mount Eden Vineyards  

At its core, Masi is a winery divided: one foot planted firmly in the modern era, the other rooted in the deep history of Venetian wine. Operated by the Boscaini family for six generations, the winery dates to the late 18th century when the family purchased a little valley northeast of Verona called Vaio dei Masi, of which the family retains ownership to this day. Successive generations of Boscaninis have expanded the family's holdings, including purchases in the Veneto and Trentino, and much later Tuscany and Argentina. Today Masi controls some of the most prized vineyards in Northeastern Italy, including the famed Mazzano and Campolongo di Torbe vineyards in the Valpolicella zone of the Veneto.

Masi's winemaking reflects its commitment to both modern technique and historical practice. On one hand, winemakers Raffaele and Sergio Boscaini focus on traditional northeast Italian varietals, and employ ancient methods like appassimento (drying of the grapes) and double fermentation. On the other hand, they have been instrumental in introducing international methods such as fermenting wines in new French oak barrels.

 

While Masi is a producer of many lauded wines, it is perhaps best known for its Amarone, a style of wine it has helped popularize over the past decades. While occasionally made elsewhere, Amarone is most often found in the Valpoicella sub region of the Veneto. There Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes are dried on straw mats, concentrating their sugars and flavors before being fermented into strong, rich, dry wines noted for their intensity of dried fruit flavors.


Our current Masi offerings are:

Masi, Massianico:

Sourced from vineyards in the Friuli-Venezia region of northeast Italy, this unusual white is a blend of Pinot Grigio and Verduzzo, a local variety native to Friuli. While the Pinot Grigio grapes are harvested at the normal time and fermented in stainless steel tanks, the Verduzzo grapes are harvested nearly a month later, allowed to dry partially, and then fermented in oak barrels. This combination leads to a complex, cerebral white wine with pronounced flavors of melon, hay, dried stone fruit, and spring flowers. ($32)

Masi, Mazzano, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico:

Made from grapes sourced from a the Mazzano Vineyard, a historic vineyard whose quality has been renowned since the 12th century, this is simply put, one of the very best Amarones available. After picking, the grapes are set out to dry for almost six months, losing nearly forty percent of their weight, before being fermented in large Slovenian oak barrels. After a long, cool, fermentation, the wines are aged in French and Slovenian oak before bottling. A powerful, heady wine, the Mazzano Amarone offers fantastic flavors of dried black fruit, herbs and leather, with impressive body and structure to match. ($180 - below retail price!)
 
 
 
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