Christopher Cannan EuropvinCatavino has singlehandedly made an immense contribution to the understanding and introduction of modern communications to the world of wine in Iberia
1998 Companhia Agricola do Sanguinhal Óbidos Quinta das Cerejeiras Reserva – Portugal, Estremadura, Óbidos (10/26/2006)Pours light red with a faint brickishness at the rim. Dark honey notes on the nose with toast and hazelnuts. With time some violet notes creep in. Light in the mouth with light acidity and fully mature tannins that present no […] Continue Reading →
2004 Casal dos Prazeres Douro Xara – Portugal, Douro (9/26/2006)Deep reddish color, with marroon tinge. Nose shows some violet that gives way to blackberry, smoke and light minerals. In the mouth the tannins are strong with a rich medium acidity. Dried out and showing only simple fruit the nose really is the star of the […] Continue Reading →
2003 Ramos-Pinto Douro Duas Quintas – Portugal, Douro (7/5/2006)Deep in color wtih a strong violet nose that shows hints of black raspberry, balck cherry, and liquorice. Strong firm tannins with a medium acidity in the mouth with a finish that sadly is a bit hollow. Lots of structure that paired well with some barbqued meats. […] Continue Reading →
For me, there is something heavenly, almost sinful, about tasting a glass of port. The urge for a deep ruby or vintage port gets especially intense whenever the temperature drops, a warm fire is roaring before me and a pungent sharp aroma of a Cabrales blue cheese beckons me towards it. My appreciation for Port […] Continue Reading →
Have you ever gotten directions from a friend like this, “Yeah! Two lefts, a right and then call me from your cell phone and I’ll tell you the way from there.”? So, being a good friend, you trusted their directions and followed every “right’, “left’ and “straight’ only to find your cell phone out of minutes and your pockets completely empty of change when you needed to call him.
2003 Quinta do Mouro Alentejo Reserva Casa dos Zagalos – Portugal, Alentejo, Estremoz, Alentejo (4/20/2006)Light reddish purple. The nose is a barnyardy mineral aroma with hay, earth, and cherry fruit. Firm medium weight tannins with a medium overall acidity. Flavors of cherry, raspberry, minerals, charcoal, and light vanilla.
2002 Quinta do Mouro Alentejo – Portugal, Alentejo, Estremoz, Alentejo (4/20/2006)Deep dark purple with hints of red. Just opened and very closed with chokecherry notes, basalmic, pepper, earth and smoke. Tannins are big and firm yet very fine. Medium acidity helps frame the flavors of blackpepper, anise, chokecherry, black cherry, and some wood. Big wine […] Continue Reading →
Last month, I had an afternoon appointment at Quinta Malhadinha in the Alentejo. My goal was to visit a Cooperative in Reguengos and then head South past Beja to this new winery in the hopes of finding some new exciting Portuguese wines.
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!)
All content protected by a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Creative Commons License 2005-2011