‘Twas the night before Conference, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a computer mouse;

The nametags were hung by their lanyards with care,
In hopes they’d be worn when they bloggers arrived there;

Each and every wine geek were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of black-cherries and licorice danced in their sweet heads;

While I sat panicking over every tiny detail,
Ryan smiled proudly regarding the conference’s grand scale;…

Yeah, not going to happen! Our creative juices are completely dehydrated. The conference is now on cruise control, and barring any strange twists, we should be enjoying a fine Participant tasting on Friday night. Still a bit nervous? Of course! Seeing that this is our conference, or rather, this is the first international wine bloggers conference ever, we just hope all the wine bloggers behave themselves!

So for now a few pointers too things we think you should look at.

Another winery sent to the sidebar

This time it’s Port wine, and damn fine port wine at that, Quevedo. A few months ago, we started working with this small winery and we’re proud of the results. Located in the Douro Valley, right next to some of the most historic wineries in the region, this is a young winery with old roots. We’re holding back a bit on the details, because they’ve done a superb job telling their story at this point. So, please check them out and say hello from us!

Thank you Sponsors

We don’t do advertising on Catavino, but we did need sponsors to help us put together the EWBC conference. Therefore, we’d like to offer a …

When I sat down to write this article, it occurred to me that I had no idea what a foundation is, or an endowment for that matter. I had heard of foundations like the Ford Foundation and endowments like the National Endowment for the Arts, but never understood how one is either similar or different from the other. From my limited understanding of the subject, it appears that a foundation makes funds available to establish an organization through endowments with an eye towards future maintenance; whereas an endowment is basically the source of funding.

Once I had that the definition of a foundation straightened out, I then had to sort what exactly the Dinastia Vivanco Foundation was and how I would clearly describe it to you. So humor me while I give it my best shot. The Foundation was established in 2004 by the Vivanco family to share wine’s rich legacy over the centuries. How do they do this? They do this through the disbursement of family funds and resources to investigate both vine growing and winemaking practices, as well as both preserving and displaying various artifacts dedicated to wine. Now technically, because the foundation is funded by the entire Vivanco family, all members of the family have equal power in making meaningful decisions as to how this money is used, but there is one member who has taken the Foundation to heart, taking an active role as Director of the Vivanco Foundation. Santiago Vivanco, one of the two Vivanco brothers, has been the driving force behind the Foundation from the moment of its inception. While Santiago’s brother, Rafael, has spearheaded the management of the winery and winemaking, Santiago has been the driving force …

Living in Europe, you are surrounded by history in a technologically evolving setting. If I leave my house right now, I can step into a church dating back to the 9th century in just under fifteen minutes; but I can also walk out of the church and into the mobile telephone shop, where I can buy a phone that can also act as a computer, camera and stereo. Time in conjunction with human thought continually evolves, transforms and tumbles upon itself to create something that we intend to solve our problems. Yet, whatever we create today will eventually have a replacement - something faster, more efficient and sleeker in design. Therefore, in world that values modernity and technology, yet speaks of history and simplicity with nostalgia, must we always replace the old with the new?

Close your eyes. Now open them…

You emerge into a huge dark cavernous space dating back to the 19th century. The air is thick with dust and age, dirt and mold line the walls in dense patches, and the floor is rough and crusty from decades of hauling in grapes by horse and wagon. Large wooden vats tower over you, while batches of maroon stained grapevines wrapped tightly in cord to filter wines lie gently in slumber at your feet. You wrap your jacket tight around your shoulders from the chill in the air, as the stone walls act as insulators, forever keeping the temperature low and the humidity high.

Heading towards the doorway housing a long stone stairwell, steep and daunting, you pass various rusted tools used to cork bottles, stir wine and fix broken machines. Picking up your pace, curious at what lies below you, you’re suddenly distracted …