Harvest 2011: Rioja & Rias Baixas, Spain

Having recently come back from our long and successful jaunt in Brescia, Italy, where we hosted the annual European Wine Bloggers Conference, we’ve unfortunately been unable to post on Catavino as much as we’d like. However, our friends in Spain have come to the rescue with a few updates on the 2011 Harvest. Consider this a […] Continue Reading →

Beira Baixa: Roads Less Traveled Part II

Editor’s Note: In Part II we continue our travels through the Beira Baixa, pairing two area reds with a regional duck dish. I enjoy reading wine labels, but I can’t ever recall a time when one jerked a tear out of me. But two bottles of red from Quinta dos Termos in the Beira Baixa […] Continue Reading →

Beira Baixa: Roads Less Traveled

Editor’s Note: In this PART I of “Beira Baixa: Roads Less Traveled” we delve into the area’s challenges while highlighting its largest private wine producer in the Cova da Beira wine region. In Part II, we’ll explore more about its wines, and pair two with a regional dish.   I have this fear that one […] Continue Reading →

La Matanza: The Very Real Story Behind Jamon Iberico

WARNING: This post is extremely graphic; however, it does depict the very real act of killing an Iberian pig. If you are someone who is an animal lover, or gets squeemish at the site of bodily fluids, we might suggest you skip this article and await happier articles of drinking wine by the sea.  Preface: […] Continue Reading →

Aldeias de Portugal Part 2: A Luxurious Weekend Getaway

I am absolutely in love with Portugal’s picturesque little villages called Aldeias. Recently, in Part 1 of my aldeia experience, I recounted the memorable weekend I spent with Rita’s family at their home in Avecasta, an aldeia in Ribatejo and how in their gracious hospitality, filled my appetite with the freshest, homecooked meals using all […] Continue Reading →

Harvest 2011: A Look Around Spain and Portugal

What is the harvest looking like in Spain and Portugal? Having put in a few calls from across the peninsula, the answers varied tremendously. So rather than interpret it from our standpoint, we felt it would be more appropriate to post information directly from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. However, if you’re a winery […] Continue Reading →

From Cataluña to Asturias: Eating Spain in New York City

As is true with those who are obsessed with travel and great food, I take every opportunity to try something new and/or different when away from home. A recent business trip to New York City set the stage for my latest endeavor. I am also certain that it will be no surprise that this trip involved Spanish food […] Continue Reading →

In Vino, Veritas: In Wine, There is Considerable Truth

Editor’s Note: For more information on the style of this post, please read “Wine as a Backdrop“. Wine has been known as a gentle social lubricant that can facilitate any conversation. It has the healing power to make the lips loose and the spirit open. Mind you, I’m not condoning the over consumption of wine, […] Continue Reading →

Aldeias of Portugal Part 1: Staying with Friends

Aldeia in Portuguese means village, but many of these places are smaller than how a “village” is traditionally defined, with only a handful of houses and a café. However, it is as a result of these little settlements that Portugal’s history, traditional lifestyle, culture and festivals have been preserved and maintained. Most of these aldeias […] Continue Reading →

In the Big Apple: Dinner and a Movie Portuguese-style

Earlier this month, I somehow managed to convince my husband to go watch a nearly five-hour long movie. But it wasn’t just any movie, it was one based on the novella “The Mysteries of Lisbon” by the 19th-Century Portuguese author Camilo Castelo Branco, and starring some of my favorite Luso actors (mixed with a French […] Continue Reading →