Ok, jetlag is done, culture shock is mitigated, and my life is starting to get back to its crazy usual self. I’ve inoculated my system with some fresh Iberian wines and assorted tapas. So what happened in Minnesota you may ask? Well a lot. One wedding, one 60th birthday party and at least 4 wine [...]

Sherry vinegar (Vinagre de Jerez) must be one of the most neglected condiments. It should really be a staple item in the kitchen cupboard. Chefs have been onto sherry vinegar for decades, but for some reason it has passed the general public by, pushed aside in the rush for “easy-drinking” balsamico style vinegars. Sherry vinegar [...]

There’s a tradition in Andalucia for fairs - Ferias - in the spring and summer. The format is generally the same: The Feria lasts about a week; there are corridas (bullfights) in the afternoons; it’s held at a temporary “tent city”, usually on open ground near the edge of town; dancing the “Sevillana” (Sevillana video) [...]

It’s been a busy the past few months, because Spain is finally waking up to blogging; and we’re excited to be a small part of it. I’ve been buried in two new websites, while trying to maintain a few others. All good news for our small growing enterprise. Today, we head off to Oporto, to [...]

Our Chinese correspondent, Edward Ragg, recently sat down with Honorio Noya Dominguez, a native of Barrantes in the heart of the Salnes Valley, part of the Rias Baixas DO, to explore the future of Albarino wines in China. Honorio is the export manager for the producer Veiga Serantes, although, as part of a small family [...]

Today, we have an announcement. This Thursday, if the planets align and Twitter stays live for more then 10 minutes,  we’ll be tasting wines with the prestigious wine importer, Eric Solomon of European Cellars and the new online wine retailer Binendswine.com. When I started in wine, 10 years ago, Eric’s wines were some of the [...]

Gabriella fondly remembers when she was a child, sitting in front of the TV listening to Cookie Monster teach the alphabet, and on this particular day, words that started with the letter “S”. This episode is firmly ingrained in her head, because unfortunately, she couldn’t pronounce the letter “s” as a child, handicapped with a [...]

I sometimes like to believe that my father is a master pyromaniac in the most docile sense of the word. The week before Independence Day, my brother and I would pile into the back of my father’s car and go for an hour and half car ride north to Wisconsin, where it is legal to [...]

Officially, we are melting into the Catalunyan soil. Temperatures have risen up to 94 degrees F, which may not be that hot many of you suffering in 100+ degree temperatures, but after 2 months of rain and chilly temperatures, this seems like a sauna to us poor folk.
Yet, despite the toasty weather, its exciting [...]

Prepare yourself for a dramatization of a dumbfounding event that occurred at Catavino Headquarters last Thursday morning.
Scene 1: The Mystery
The scene opens with me sitting down at my computer with a steaming hot cup of coffee. While scrolling through the news of the day, which included the ongoing trucker’s strike, my computer screen goes [...]

Everyone wants a piece of China. These days, statistics about the country are tossed out from pretty much all corners of the globe. In fact, I’m starting to think that 99.9% of statistics relating to China – including this one? – should be taken with at least a pinch of salt. Reliable data about the [...]

Every morning, I generally do one of two things, immediately brew my coffee and flip on the computer, or I take a little stroll over to our local bread store to pick up a steamy, freshly baked baguette, and maybe, a gooey chocolate croissant. Today, as our bread stash showed only a few crumbs remaining, [...]

Last fall, we received an unexpected call by a British television producer and cameraman, Richard Gillespie. If the name sounds familiar, it should, as Richard is the same genius who did all of camera work and film editing for the II International Climate Change and Wine Conference back in January. Having discovered us through Catavino, [...]

Editor’s Note: Justin Roberts is one of our new contributing authors on Catavino.net, having recently agreed to share his experiences of Iberian wine from his home in Jerez de la Frontera (Andalusia). We’re excited to have him aboard as he has a vast amount of knowledge he can contribute to our site after obtaining both [...]

Funny how even my most random experiences always seem to come back to wine.
Last Tuesday, I had one of those mornings where you wake up with a small laundry list of errands you want to get done for the day, while breathing shallow wondering how you’re going to magically accomplish it all. We all know [...]