That’s right! It’s time for our next theme for our newsletter, and this time, it’s all about Rioja! In the coming months, we hope to not only chat about the wines of

As many of you already know, we absolutely adore Lisbon. Whether we’re walking down the long and wide palm tree covered Avenida da Liberdade, ogling the moss covered fountains that trickle below tall rubenesque statues, or devouring a fresh and delicious seafood lunch, we seem to leave the city already planning our next visit.
However, [...]

As a result of our recent trip to Portugal, we figured the best way to start off the month is by offering a basic road map to Portuguese wine. We have given you several articles in the past on the grape varietals, the Portuguese wine label and some specific wineries, but as a result of [...]

The end of May’s Virtual Wine Tasting of the Albariño varietal ended yesterday with some fantastic contributions from both people who have been commenting quite regularly like Richard, Bill, Sonadora and Dr. Debs to newcomers like Huevosconvino and John. To all of you who are participating, Ryan and I would like to throw out a [...]

Pla de Bages is a small and old winemaking region that gained its DO status in 1995 and by 1998, international recognition for their exceptional wines. Located 43 miles northwest of Barcelona in the southeast Catalunya, the name of Pla de Bagés is rumored to have come from the Roman town of Bacassis, as written [...]

In 1980, the special classification of Denominación Especifica (Specific Denomination) was applied to the word Albariño, used to refer to the wines produced in the province of Pontevedra in the autonomous community of Galicia. While the concept of Denominacion de Origen already existed to protect certain regions that produced wines with similar characteristics (La [...]

Occupying the northwest corner of Spain, the province of Galicia is nestled snugly between various mountain ranges to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and Portugal to the south. The area was first colonized by the ancient Celtics in the sixth century B.C and Galicia was later controlled by the [...]

The last few weeks, I have had the great fortune of spending some time in Cataluna enjoying brilliant yellow sunflower fields and the still brisk salty Mediterranean water. In short, I had absolutely no complaints. However, being that I was traipsing around the area drinking several bottles from DO Penedès, I wanted to do a bit of research as to the region itself.

The other night I was helping a friend out at her restaurant where they were hosting a large office party. To start off the evening everyone had a choice of either a Cosmopolitan or a glass of Cava. For the first half hour people milled about drinking their beverage of choice and losing [...]

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Quite typical of many wine regions in Spain, the winemakers of Rioja must feel the pull of their roots on the traditions of the past as well as the inevitable push towards the future. If the viticultural practices of the past have put Rioja on the map, it seems assimilation with current winemaking [...]

Tonight I am off for the Alentejo region in Portugal. I’m planning to spend the next three days tasting wine and learning about the great tourism opportunities developing in this exciting region. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Alentejo region, it is located in the lower half of Portugal between Lisbon and [...]

Aranda de Duero is a town located approximately 2 hours from everything. When I was visiting Aranda this past week, my friendly guide summed it up simply by stating, “Aranda de Duero is two hours from Madrid, just over two hours from Santander, two hours from Rioja and two hours from Portugal”. While this may [...]

She’s back! My wife and blossoming wine enthusiast, once again, adds a bit of her growing knowledge to my humble blog. Hope you all enjoy, and let her know you want more!
Till soon, Ryan Opaz
Last September, I had the privilege of spending two weeks biking throughout one of the most picturesque and culturally rich regions [...]

DO Valdepeñas
Consejo Regulador’s Address:Constitución, 23
13300 Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real Spain
Telephone:+34 926-322-788
Fax: +34-926-321-054
Email: consejo@dovaldepenas.es
On the Web: www.dovaldepenas.es
Founded: 2000
Hectares of Vines: 29,272 ha
Principal Grape Varieties: (w)Airén (r)Cencibel
Grape Varieties Permitted: (w) Macabeo (r) Cabernet-Sauvignon, Garnacha
Wines found in the UK and USA: Yes
Val-de-who do you say? Valdepeñas is a region that makes up a part of [...]