The Cuisine of Hungary: Yet Another Culinary Paradise Just off the Iberian Peninsula

From recent posts, you would imagine that Ryan and I don’t actually live in Barcelona. Our pictures display shameless images of us savoring delicious cured meats in Zagreb, gorgeous red wines in Dijon, heaps of olive oil drizzled pasta paired with sparkling Franciacorta wine in Brescia, unctuous and rich foie gras of Hungary, and most […] Continue Reading →

Croatia: A Wealth of Flavors and Experiences! (Part 2)

Editor’s Note: As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, although this article is not directly related to either Spanish or Portuguese wine, we feel it’s important to occasionally give you a head’s up on various other wines we stumble across around the world. This article is based on a trip we took to Zagreb […] Continue Reading →

Croatia: A Wealth of Flavors and Experiences! (Part 1)

Editor’s note: Occasionally, we take a trip far from the Iberian Peninsula to explore uncharted territory for Catavino. Croatia was one such country. Hence, though not directly related to Spain or Portugal, this 2 Part series hopes to provide you with a glimpse as to what lies outside the Iberian border. When I say Croatia, […] Continue Reading →

Gone Gluttoning: Savoring International Cuisine in Minnesota

Watching the snowflakes fall slowly to the ground from a warm and cozy kitchen in Minnesota, we couldn’t be happier to finally be among friends and family. A year away from home is a little torturous, in part, because our hot dish consumption goes down radically. Plus, we tend to go a little stir crazy […] Continue Reading →

Gemütlichkeit: The Ideal Descriptor of Austrian Gastronomy

Live in Iberia long enough and you’ll quickly realize that cozy is not part of their lexicon. Neither the Portuguese, nor the Spanish, have adopted a word that fully encompasses a term that is intimately familiar to colder climate regions. Cozy to me connotates a sense of comfort, warmth, ease, relaxation and peace. It might […] Continue Reading →

Respite During the Storm: Catavino’s 2nd National Geographic Expedition

Some of you might remember last year, when we took part in a portion of a Lindblad Expedition from the north coast of Spain around the coast of Galicia to Porto, and finally disembarking in Lisbon. 5 days and nights filled with food, wine, culture and lazing on a boat ship, with fine seas and […] Continue Reading →

A Trip to San Sebastian, Spain: A Crowd Source Project

We’re embarrassed to admit that after 6 years of living in Spain, we have yet to visit one of the most important culinary treasures in the Spanish Crown, San Sebastian. Exalted around the world, and spoken fondly of by every traveler we know, we are proud to say that we will finally be there for […] Continue Reading →

Catavino Back in the USA: First Stop, New York

Approximately a year ago, we almost lost the opportunity to attend the NAWBC 2009 as a result of a missed flight. Our stress and frustration only mounted when the realization barreled down on us that our tasting at the famed Portuguese restaurant, Aldea, in New York was the following day. With tickets eventually in hand, […] Continue Reading →

We Interrupt This Iberian Program to Bring You: Catavino Explores the Lush, Rolling Hills of Umbria

Prior to last weekend, my concept of Italy was based on a precarious mix of films. I envisioned romantic scenery, with undulating hills and scattered bursts of brightly colored wild flowers, as experienced by Diane Lane in “Under the Tuscan Sun“. Soprano-esque natives would greet me with gold adorned fingers, bushy gray streaked pompadours and […] Continue Reading →

Os Misterios de Lisboa: A Video on What Tourists Should Experience in Lisbon

Although we have written over a dozen articles on what you should experience in Lisbon, we have yet to focus on its monuments. As an Iberian wine and food focused website, whenever we visit a location, our palates tend to sway towards homemade recipes passed on from grandmother to granddaughter over generations; innovative culinary dishes; […] Continue Reading →