Sarah Ahmed The Wine DetectiveIf you thought the world of wine was elitist or exclusive, check out Catavino. Unafraid to prick the balloon of pomposity and refreshingly open to comments and contributions, the dynamic duo have very successfully broadened the appeal of wine by placing it in its wider social and cultural context.
This year, we’ve heard a wide range of harvest stories from across the peninsula: earlier than normal harvests, some later than normal, while others are reporting red grapes being picked before the white grapes – a highly unusual event. Consequently, we’re absolutely clueless as to how the 2011 vintage will end up. Not that we […] Continue Reading →
We “love” the holidays; the time of the year when your television turns into an avalanche of deals on everything from the “all so necessary” life-sized stuffed Santa to the “must have” 8,000 inch LED-LCD HDTV that will literally suck you into itself. Or what about the 300+ strings of lights you’ve hung from every […] Continue Reading →
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 →
Whenever I am planning to travel my first order of business is the Google search “Spanish restaurants in (destination city)”. My recent trip to New York City provided an unparalleled opportunity to visit a metropolis with more Spanish restaurants than any other city in the US. Previous trips produced impressive results (check out my NYC […] Continue Reading →
The East Coast was a little soggy last week as I made my way to Manhattan for a tasting of Spanish wines. It was the sort of rainy, humid, New York City mess of a day that makes one want to stay inside, but I’m glad I overcame my weather-induced sloth. A train and two […] Continue Reading →
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 →
In our next installment of La Vuelta a España (check out the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4rth and 5th installments), we enter Castilla y León, the largest region in Spain, occupying 18.6% of its land mass, and consisting of 94,222 km2 (36,379.3 sq mi). Nestled against Aragon, the Basque Country and La Rioja to the east; […] Continue Reading →
In our next installment of La Vuelta a España (check out the first, second, third and fourth installments), we head north to the wine barren land of the Iberian Peninsula. With Spain being slightly smaller in size than Texas, and with a population roughly equivalent to that of the west coast of the United States […] Continue Reading →
In geologic terms, it wasn’t so long ago that I wore all black, had a tongue piercing and loved Don Johnson – scary, I know. Now maybe those didn’t all happen at the same time, but they did happen and are part of my evolution. We all go through transitions, phases and developments. Sometimes they’re […] Continue Reading →
Over the years, Ryan and I have shared several stories with you regarding our lives as expats in Spain. We’ve lamented days when our heat, gas or electricity have been shut off with no previous warning. We’ve told you of heralding feats to jump through bureaucratic hoops as foreign business owners; our delight and awe […] Continue Reading →
Catavino evolved from the wanderings of an American couple who craved a radical change in perspective. In 2005 they quit their jobs, moved to Spain and dug deep into the local gastronomy.
As time passed, they expanded their focus to include Portugal, whereby sharing the heart and soul of Iberian food, wine and culture. We invite you to follow our adventures via our blog or, for those who'd like to experience Spanish and Portuguese gastronomy themselves, we'd like to offer you our firsthand tips on travel and our expertise in organizing food and wine tasting tours (coming soon!)
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