Coming from the heartland of the USA, the city renowned for its stock yards and steaks, I’m no stranger to a thick slab of meat. Even as a professed vegetable lover, the aroma of chargrilled transports me back to Chicago where my father would serve up enormous grilled potatoes slathered in butter, a crisp garden fresh salad …
Old Portuguese Ox – A Stunning Gastronomic Experience! Read More »
Apart from his famous phrase “in vino veritas” / “In wine there is truth”, Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder (23 to 79 BC) wrote in his “Natural History” that a woman’s menstruation spoiled wine, turned crops unproductive and fields barren. This phrase gave way to a misconception that was upheld from antiquity well into the …
Spain’s Female Winemakers are the Stars of Today’s Spanish Wines Read More »
I’m a huge fan of just about anything that’s multifunctional. Collapsible dining tables – you complete me. Storage stools – you steal my heart. Ovenproof skillets – I have the hots for you. Sarongs you can wear as a skirt, a dress, a shawl – oh, I can hardly contain myself! When it comes to …
At 9am on a cool Friday morning in Foz, with a stunning view of the Atlantic ocean, I joined a room full of international Port wine experts to taste 56+ 2011 Vintage Port wines. These wines, in their youth, have an uncanny ability to strip enamel and burn tastebuds. And while you suffer the strength of these monsters, you …
Celebrating the 2011 Vintage: A Rare Port Wine of Exceptional Quality Read More »
With the plentiful information we’ve provided about Port and Douro wines, and the beautiful area they originate from this November, hopefully, you’re itching to put together the perfect wine trip to the Douro Valley. Lists of the wineries you’re dying to visit are being rapidly typed up. Maps are strewed across your kitchen table. And …
Douro Wines and Portuguese Food: The Perfect Pairings Read More »
Editor’s Note: Many moons ago, Ryan and I had the privilege of cracking open our first birth year wine; which translates to a wine produced on the year of your birth. Having coasted well into our 30’s, there are few wines that could last the test of time other than a wine with a touch of fortification, such as …
The Douro Valley is rightly considered a wonder of Nature. The river extends for 900 kilometres throughout Iberia, as both the Douro and Duero, and carves its way from the Portuguese border to the Atlantic when it reaches Porto. On its journey, the Douro river has carved a meandering path that is simply mesmerising from …
Despite Portugal being one of the smallest countries in southern-western Europe—about the size of the state of Indiana—it is blessed with contrasting terroirs and region-specific wine varietals that result in an abundance of wine and spirits offerings. Home to the Douro Valley, the oldest demarcated wine region in the world, Portugal’s long-standing tradition in wine-making …
Portuguese Wine Pack to Entertain Family without Breaking the Bank Read More »
Over the years that I’ve lived in Portugal, I have developed an appreciation for some relatively off-the-wall flavors; dishes that I would’ve stayed clear of if they weren’t ordered by a fellow diner. What a shame it would have been to miss out on so many extraordinary flavors. Portugal has brought out the proud “foodie” …
10 Delicious Reasons Why You Should Visit Portugal! Read More »
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 …
In the Big Apple: Dinner and a Movie Portuguese-style Read More »
Not a great deal has been written on what is admittedly the relatively new area of pairing international wines with Chinese cuisine. Or should that be Chinese cuisines? This vast country, now in the grips of the Olympics at last, boasts an incredible array of provincial and regional dishes, embracing just about every cooking technique …
Exquisite Harmonies: Matching Iberian Wines with China’s Great Cuisines Read More »
Most people are familiar with Ruby Port, the fortified wine which inherited its name from its lovely red color, renowned for its ripe fruit flavors and sweetness that pairs perfectly with the dark, bitter flavors of chocolate. So what if I told you that there existed another delicious and unctuous wine that still marries beautifully …
For All You Port Lovers, A Delicious Alternative: Ginja with Chocolate Read More »
You may not be aware of this, but the Portuguese are excellent bakers and pastry makers, each famed for their traditional local pastries. If you haven’t nibbled your way through Lisbon, savoring their varied and highly addictive pastry culture, let us tempt you! Pasteis are pastries in Portuguese, and the Pasteis de Belem is one of …
I woke up this morning with a very odd thought clanking in my brain, “If the Fantastic Five port varietals are so famous, why don’t I have a clue as to how they each contribute to the pot?” I’ll readily admit that I rarely wake up…scratch that, I NEVER have woken up with a question …
Question time for Catavino readers: Who out there loves wine and chocolate? Although this may sound like the most obvious pairing in the world, it’s not. In my many years of both selling and writing about wine, I’ve heard numerous debates on the subject, both for and against this rather contentious chocolate and wine pairing. …
