Travel Guide to Portugal

Gabriella Opaz

Born and bred in Chicago, Gabriella is the co-founder and Editor-and-Chief of Catavino. As an award-winning speaker and writer, she uses stories to create a human connection between worlds that would otherwise never converge. Her recently published book, "The Undiscovered Food Stories of Northern Portugal" was inspired by the alluring grandmother stories inside Porto's centenarian open-air market, Mercado Bolhão.

Sustainability in Winemaking is a Philosophy, Not a Religion

A few days ago, we mentioned that we were attending the II International Conference on Organic Viticulture, Sustainability and Climate Change (EcoSostenibleWine 2010) being held just south of Barcelona in Vilafranca de Penedes. The aim of the conference was to disseminate information on the latest technology in sustainability, organic procedures, and means to reduce the […]

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Day Trips From Lisbon by Train & Bus: How to Explore Wineries and Quaint Seaside Villages

You’ve now explored Lisbon, but you’re itching to get out of the city. Then may I suggest exploring one of the numerous routes Lisbon’s train and regional bus system have to offer. You can find ample information about the Portuguese train system called, Comboios de Portugal (CP), or take a look at the regional bus

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Table Manners in Spain: Tackling The Tough Questions Like Where to Put the Olive Pit

Recently, we were asked to expand upon customary table manners in Spain. As this is a relatively subjective question, considering that Spain is infamous for casting rules to the wayside, I’ve done my best to compile the top 12 table manners as I’ve experienced them in Spain. Mind you, these are not only debatable, but

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Spanish Festival of Carnival in Galicia: Complete With Biting Ants, Torched Hay, Men in Lingerie and Ample Amounts of Cow Bell

When we invited you to participate in our Q&A competition, we had no idea of the number of challenging, thought-provoking and all around bizarre questions that would be filling our inbox. Rather than a simple question regarding the adequate age of utilizing an oak barrel for sherry, we instead, were asked about odd festivals we

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Annual Medieval Festival in Vic, Catalunya: The Culture of Vi Calent or Mulled Wine

Last year, we hinted that we were going to be attending our first Medieval Festival in Vic, located north of Barcelona approximately 70 km, but we never let you in on the experience. Vic is the capital of the region Osona, nestled alongside the once beautiful Meder River. Now, unfortunately, the fumes that float up

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Wild Mushrooms of Catalunya

Prior to my arrival on the Peninsula, my experience with wild mushrooms were both infrequent and rather tame. Having lived in Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado and Minnesota, my knowledge of mushrooms solely consisted of cute little button white mushrooms bought in the grocery store that had a slightly sweet flavor eaten raw, and when cooked,

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