‘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 …

Quinta de la Rosa is a landmark in the Douro Valley, located right on the edge of the river, just above the railway line and a kilometer from Pinhão in the Cima Corgo region. Initially dedicated to the production of port, under the driving influence of the renowned winemaker, David Baverstock, they expanded their portfolio to now include both port wines and table wines.

However, Quinta de la Rosa is far from a newcomer to the region. Since 1906, it has belonged to the Swedish family, the Bergqvists, given to Sophia Bergqvist’s grandmother, Claire Feuerheerd, as a christening present. Under her leadership, between 1931 and 1986, the wines were sold to several famous houses in the Douro such as: Morgan Croft, Delaforce and Sandeman. But with the innovative spirit of Sophia and her father, Tim Bergqvist, what started as a family port shipping company, slowly transformed into an internationally renowned port and red wine company in 1988.

The original name of the property was Quinta das Bateiras (Bateiras is the name of a rapid in the river Torto, one of the many tributaries of the Douro River), but was later changed to De la Rosa. Curious, no? A Spanish named winery in the heart of the Douro Valley? But the name actually originates from a brand the Feuerheerd family sold in Jerez in the beginning of the twentieth century. Although the Feuerheerd family wine business was sold off in the 30s to Barros Almeida, Quinta de la Rosa remained, and eventually expanded to include: Quinta Amarela nas Bateiras in 1907, Quinta de Lameiro do Rego in 1973 (later renamed after Tim’s mother, Dona Clara), and Quinta das Lamelas in 1985.

By 2002, Jorge Moreira came aboard, a young Portuguese winemaker …