Catavino.net

catar [ka-tár] ES v. to look at, examine; (saber) to taste, sample
vino [bí-no] m. wine
catavino [ka-tá bí-no] .net a site dedicated to the wines of the Iberian Peninsula.

The idea behind moving to Spain began August of 2004, when both Ryan and Gabriella, husband and wife duo, decided to buy a plane ticket to Spain. Now, there are some who may like to “plan” such an adventure, but these two like to live on the edge, daring to fly across the Atlantic to a country they had never seen, speaking a language neither had studied, and creating a life for themselves based on, well, chutzpah! With a few thousand in their back pocket, dollars mind you, Gabriella started teaching English while Ryan scoured the streets for work in the wine trade. After months of coming up empty-handed, Ryan began Catavino in June of 2005 to merely record his frustrations. “For a country that has some of the most incredible and diverse wine in the world, why can’t I find anything comprehensive to educate myself!” he would say.

And then came the lightbulb…

Now based in Barcelona, Spain, the two have founded a company that does just what Ryan begged for, a comprehensive website dedicated to Spanish and Portuguese wine. Catavino is home of not only talented employees but a community of people dedicated to helping the American public get a handle on what Iberian wine is all about. Together, they bring years of experience in the food and wine industry, a commitment to all things remotely related to sherry on a hot Mediterranean day, a passion for wine, and a general desire to constantly make work, well…fun - no doubt explaining their office filled with equipment used for videocasting, podcasting, photography and any other toy they can get their hands on.

It is not to say this dynamic duo doesn’t have their debates. You most likely will hear them squibble over:

• Whether Callos (cow stomach) is all that fabulous
• Which flavors are most evident in any bottle of Iberian wine
• If “good” and “well” can be used interchangeably in a sentence

But we agree on one extremely important thing:

IBERIAN WINE IS INCREDIBLE AND EVERYONE SHOULD HEAR ABOUT IT!
Read more about us in our Interview with Tom Wark of Fermentation