Hey, ho! Please let Pancho go! ~ Time for some wine drinking.

Despite our continued posting, we still plan on closing Catavino. Gabriella and I are finished here, onto bigger and better things, but strangely, we can’t stop just yet. I have a few more things to get off my chest, and after my recent post on the Pancho affair; I know I need to do it sooner […] Continue Reading →

Starts with Goodbye, Catavino Wraps up 6 years of Iberian Wine

As many of you know, when Ryan and I married, we legally changed our last name. As I didn’t want to be called Gabriella Anderson, and he cared even less for Ryan Reynes, we opted to break social norms by designing our own surname. Having travelled through Portugal for our wedding and honeymoon, we created […] Continue Reading →

Part 2: Cutting up the Iberian Pig

WARNING: This post is extremely graphic; however, it does depict the very real act of processing an Iberian pig after the Matanza(Killing). 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. […] Continue Reading →

Iberian Wine Harvest 2011 – A random assortment of challenges

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 →

Bodega Lopez de Heredia: Charity Concert to Support Pedro López de Heredia

Many moons ago, we did a comprehensive regional report on Rioja. This was our very first experience driving into the Ibérico Sierras (system of mountain chains and massifs located in the central regions of Iberia) under a blanket of fog and blooming cherry trees, through windy roads and exposed vines. It was nothing short of […] Continue Reading →

Pla i Llevant: An Island Region of Growing Quality

I feel a little sheepish to admit this, but Catavino has never been to an Iberian island. Of the 30+ islands floating carelessly off the Spanish, Portuguese and North African shores, we’ve only heard rumors of their incredible beauty, natural diversity and ample tourism. The Balearic Islands have sat squarely on my radar for years, in […] Continue Reading →

Jamóning It Up In London

I am always searching for truly unique food and wine experiences. I am no Andrew Zimmern or Anthony Bourdain, but I do seek to step out of the norm from time to time. A recent trip to London allowed me just the unique opportunity for which I have been searching. Happening upon the site for […] Continue Reading →

International Varieties: Are They Intended to Reflect their Origin or are They Made to Please?

In my last post, I highlighted an ‘international’ grape variety, grown in Spain, made in Spain, but not allowed to say which region it’s from because the local Denominacion de Origen (DO) doesn’t recognize Viognier as part of its ‘terroir’. Whether this is fair or not is a difficult question – just what does a grape have to […] Continue Reading →

Senseless Crime: A Priorat Winery is Hit with Vandalism

Not an hour ago, Catalan blogger, Joan Gomez Pallares of Devinis requested that we hit the internets with an important Press Release. Normally, we’re not ones to republish PR’s verbatim, but in this case, we feel you should hear it directly from the winery itself. We tried to call the winery, Terroir al Limit, for […] Continue Reading →

Redefining Spanish Tapas: The Fine Line between Quality and Price

Part of the advantage of living in Barcelona is that I have an inordinate amount of tapas bars to choose from; we’re talking in the ballpark of 10,000, which includes restaurants that serve tapas. And of these restaurants, a vast majority will get you a few tapas at a very reasonable price. Therefore, you can […] Continue Reading →