Ahhh, actually, they have absolutely nothing in common, but because we had a fair amount of material to cover today, we thought we’d create little hodge-podge of fun facts and interviews. Plus, after week of being inundated with information on global warming, we thought you deserved a break, or at least a quasi break (keep reading and you’ll understand).

D.O. Arlanza and D.O. Tierra del Vino de Zamora
I’ve forgotten how many Denominacion de Origens there were when we first began Catavino three years ago, but damn, it feels like their increasing as quickly as Brittney Spear’s rap sheet. Our two newest additions, D.O. Arlanza and D.O. Tierra del vino de Zamora located in Castilla y León, have finally joined the ranks to encompass a total of 67 DOs. After four years of patiently wading their way through Vinos de Calidad (quality wines) and Vinos de la Tierra (Regional Wines) classifications, they’ve finally earned the title of DO on January 24th.

You can expect to find white wines in DO Arlanza made from Albillo and Viura, and Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mencía, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot for the reds; while DO Tierra del Vino de Zamora recognizes the white varieties of Malvasía, Moscatel, Verdejo, Albillo, Palomino and Godello, and Tempranillo, Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon for the reds.

Catavino Newsletter Status and Rioja Adventures

So we’re feeling a little ambitious! Although we originally intended to settle down to a bi-monthly newsletter, we figured we’d surprise you all with an Odds and Ends Newsletter, filled with several tasting notes ranging from the eastern coast of Portugal all the way to the western coast of Spain, in addition to a featured article and a fun podcast. Unexpected? We hope so, because we didn’t plan on putting this together, but …