As wine bloggers, we are dependent on the web to give us vital nutrition that comes in the form of both community and information. This can be seen as both a positive and negative. The positive is that we are able to meet people from around the world who share our passions, vision and dreams. They love wine with the same intensity as we love wine, craving to share this emotion with anyone who’s willing to listen. The negative is that we rarely have the opportunity to actually meet these people face to face. We Twitter back and forth about a new vintage, leave comments on each other’s site, or discuss in one forum or another ways in which we can change the wine world together, but rarely, do we physically share space.

So last Friday afternoon, we scheduled a “blind date” if you will, with three people for whom we’ve been bantering back and forth with for quite some time. At least this is true with Joan Gómez Pallarès of De Vinus, a popular Spanish wine blog. I can’t tell you how many plans have been made and broken in hopes of sharing a glass of wine with this Barcelona wine guru. Seriously, considering that the Joan lives not 20 minutes away from us, we should have done this ages ago, but life got the best of us, and it took over 6 months for us to finally get our acts together.

As for Eduardo and Edgar of Vinus TV, an Internet wine show, they had flown in from Madrid to not only meet us, but a handful of other bloggers as well. Therefore, our meeting was actually quite prompt considering that we’ve only be …

I can’t even start this post without smiling, because the experience was so odd and enjoyable, the mere thought of it brings a big broad toothy grin to my face. My cat is even looking at me odd as I giggle alone, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

I’ll let you in on my little secret, I love doctors!

I didn’t use to love doctors. They scared the living crap out of me for years, as they knew me by my provider number, rather than my first name. I’ve experienced more than one occasion when a doctor has hovered over me - complete with powdery, plastic gloves - totally oblivious as to who I am. “Okay….Mssss….umm…Opaz, you can stand up and get dressed now.”

“Yeah, thanks buddy. Last I checked, my parents were sweet enough to provide me with a first name that you’re welcome to use.”

Three years and counting since we’ve squatted on Spanish soil, and I haven’t found myself rushing out to get a physical. I figure that if my limbs aren’t falling off, and I’m not foaming at the mouth, I’m doing pretty well. But having turned 32 last November, I thought it wise to have a little check-see to ensure that all those internal liquids are still working up to speed.

So I made an appointment two months ago to get a physical. Called ‘una analytica’, NOT ‘una fisica’ -a mistake I’ve made on more than one occasion, I was finally able to see my doctor two weeks later.

“So what can I do for you” she says to me.

“I’d like a physical”, I respond while rolling up my sleeves assuming that my blood pressure would be the first act of the afternoon.

“Okay, well, take this piece of paper up to the receptionist and …

I’m tired of all the whining about alcohol and extraction, manipulation and critic focused wine making. Wine is meant to be drunk, enjoyed and savored. And if you are not enjoying what is in front of you, pour the bottle down the drain and move on.

My tastes range from ultra-modern to the most classic of the classical, as flavor is what counts above all. I say this because last Sunday afternoon, I had the opportunity to taste a wine that made me stop, assess, and realize that not all the old styles are gone as of yet. This wine is a classic, and I was forewarned that it is a “wine that requires some patience”. Seeing that the style was a remnant of winemaking practices no longer seen as fashionable, I wondered if we all “need a bit more patience” as we get older.

The bottle our good friend Maria Joao opened was Paulo do Silva’s Colares Chitas Reserva Velho 2002…

Seriously, we promise that this will be our LAST interview from the II International Conference on Climate and Wine. We realize that we may have exhausted your attention span with this, but we had to at least give you the opportunity to hear our recently edited video clip with Miguel Torres chatting about what Bodegas Torres is doing to be a more sustainable winery. We hope you enjoy the clip!

Recently, there has been a fair amount of buzz surrounding music’s influence on the way you perceive wine.

Rocket science? Maybe not, but I love the idea of pairing wine with music and was ecstatic when Robert McIntosh tagged me to participate in a lighthearted music meme. Originally, based on a creation by Andrew at 7 Songs, the challenge proposed to me was to list the 7 top songs I love at this very moment. But as our niche is Iberian wine, I couldn’t just list my current favorite songs without putting a little twist on it.

Hence, what I’ve compiled here are 7 Spanish songs to pair with 7 Spanish styles of wine, most of which I’ve stumbled across on Last FM. Note that I’m used ’styles’ loosely, but I trust you’ll get the idea

Bongo Bong - Manu Chao
Originally from Galicia, Manu Chao now resides in Paris recording a wide range of music, some of which appeals to my funky, rap/chill side. This is the type of music you flip on during a bbq when you’ve got a glass of Albarino in one hand and a piece of sweet honeydew in the other as your hips sway back and forth to the bass.

Cuando Quiero el Sol - Presuntos Implicados
I’m not entirely sure if I like this song because of the dramatic and melancholic voice of the main Andalusian singer, Sole, or because the video actually attempts to romanticize The Matrix. Whatever the reason, it’s a great jazzy song that marries well with a glass of amontillado.

Todo Tienda - Ojos de Brujo
Hands down this is one of my favorite Spanish groups! I was first introduced to …