Since day one, I’ve wanted a map of the wine regions of Spain and Portugal. Seems like a simple request, and if I couldn’t have one of Iberia, at least you would think that there would be one of Spain and another of Portugal. You would think. You would also be wrong, sort of. Announcement

Interestingly, there are no good maps of the peninsula we call Iberia, or at least as it relates to wine. Wines of Spain, the bureaucratic agency in charge of promoting Spanish wine, does have an outdated map, but you can’t get a copy of it. I had a prominent tour guide friend of mine once ask to buy a few copies to give to her clients, all of which were on wine tours, and she was told it was not possible. Hence, I’m not sure why they made it. We had to steal a few copies from a regional government’s office, and while we use them occasionally, in truth, they are worthless.

That said, Portugal is no better, and I have yet to find a map that accurately sums up the many nuances in a very confusing set of regional wine laws. And considering that there is little consensus among differing governmental maps, it is clear that one concise and accurate map was desperately in need to be created.

Enter the DeLong wine company, creator of such treasures as the Wine Varietal Table. Having encountered way too many inaccurate regional wine maps around the world, Steve decided to fix the problem by making his own map. Smart guy! The best part for us is that …

Sitting in front of the computer preparing to sum up my experience at the European Wine Blogger Conference, I literally feel speechless. Are there words for my emotions, my feeling of warmth and excitement for what’s occurred, along with a touch of sadness and depression I’ve been feeling now that the conference is over? It’s like using an instant camera with the intention of capturing the breadth and beauty of the Grand Canyon. Unless you were there, feeling the hot canyon winds come across the 1,218,375 acres that dip down an average of 4,000 feet deep; smell the rich evergreen and sandalwood aromas in the air; or touch the blazing hot iron soils which kick up fine, red dust under your feet, pictures nor words can never fully describe your experience.

On one hand, I feel a warmth in my heart that has lasted for four days, and I expect it will last well into the future. To see 40+ people from all over the world come together and bond in literally, moments flat, was something we wish would happen among nations everyday. From Friday to Sunday, voices were always raised, bubbling with curiosity and excitement; because how often do you get to speak with someone who blogs in another language as to their perceptions, desires, hopes and fears about wine blogging? For me, not often enough. Instead, I am typically caught in a whirlpool of voices from my own culture, an incestuous conversation that circles around the same view point over and over again. But to have so many different ideas as to what wine blogging is, what we need to do to better our profession, how we can solve our …

The original intention I had when Ryan left for the States a few weeks ago was relatively simple. Once my cast was removed from my hand two days after his plane took off, I would run out to our local sport shop and purchase a funky bike. It wouldn’t be anything fancy mind you, just something durable enough to allow me to zoom across the beautiful sandy beaches with my little front basket filled with a bottle of Mestres Cava and a freshly baked baguette with a block of sheeps cheese from Navarra. When I found the perfect spot where I could lay my checkered green blanket down on the silky sand, I would jump off my bike, prepare my lunch and enjoy a refreshing swim in Mediterranean followed by a siesta. Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? However, life got the best of me and the “fantastic” Spanish medical system gave me an additional five more weeks in a cast, making it a total of seven weeks, with no guarantee that I would be able to see a doctor before the next millennium.

Was I a bit depressed? You bet I was! I stormed home, sat at my computer with the intention of pouring my pathetic woes out to Ryan by email when the phone rang from a Portuguese winery interested in knowing more about the European Wine Blogger Conference. Then another phone call, followed by email after email after phone call, all related to the event. Let’s not forget the ongoing requests from our clients, the creation of a  wine blog writing workshop on the OWC, or the maintenance of Catavino, which conveniently crashed during my watch. Suddenly, I was an airtraffic controller, and my plans …

In only two months time, we will be co-hosting the first European Wine Blogger Conference in La Rioja, Spain, followed up in October by the American Wine Blogger’s Conference. So far, the responses and organization of both events have been exceptional. Both bloggers and wineries alike have shared their interest in gaining a better handle on how to benefit from this new medium of communication, but what about the reader? While bloggers across the planet are debating the merits of rating wine, how formatting and crafting content for a blog is different from print media, and ways to approach advertising so that bloggers may gain for their efforts, it dawned on us that our readers may feel left out and a little lost.

Therefore, we were struck with the one million dollar question: Does the EWBC matter to our (Catavino) readers, and why should they care? Additionally, Will getting European Bloggers together for a conference make any difference?

So we thought we’d give our co-host of the EWBC, Robert McIntosh, a chance to get some thoughts off his chest as they relate to his perspective as not only a reader, but an active voice in the wine blogging community.

Thanks Robert for your thoughts, and if our readers have any additional comments or questions to add, we would really appreciate your two cents!

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of wine blogs out there, and every post and every comment is part of a wider Wine Conversation that affects the wine industry to some extent.

Picture a vast party, where everyone is either talking about wine or listening. Bigger groups surround the “top blogs”, the “A list” celebrities that are on all wine lovers’ feed readers, but there are …

This post serves two purposes:

1) We want to assure everyone that the European Wine Blogger’s Conference is moving ahead at full steam. We have a wonderful group of diverse and interesting people coming together, along with some fantastic sponsors for whom we trust will make this event both practical and entertaining. However, for those of you still on the fence, please let us know ASAP if you can come! Additionally, for those of you already committed, we are interested in not only hearing what you think of our discussion topics, but also if you’tr interested in a trip to Portugal! After the conference in La Rioja, Spain, we’re working up an after-conference trip to Oporto to learn about port wine, visit some historical port houses, eat a vast amount of fabulous Portuguese food, and maybe, receive a personal tour of a cork factory. Needless to say, it will be a great time, and hopefully, absolutely free! We just need to know who can get away for a few extra days after the conference. So please, send us an email asap or leave a note in our forum. The sooner you inform us, the sooner we can plan our adventures to Portugal.

2)The second purpose of this post, and something that I hope we receive some feedback on, is to hear more from those of you not currently blogging. I know that we have a lot of readers who are on the fringe, thinking of starting their own blog or just interested in Iberian wine. …