If you’ve stayed with Catavino for long enough, it’s inevitable that you’ve heard us debate over the exact number of indigenous grapes in Iberia, and the fact that none of us are certain how many there are.  By some accounts there are approximately 400, and by other accounts, the number soars to over 1,000. This rather large numerical gap was one of the main reasons why we began our Iberian Grape Wiki (currently in a state of renovation), and the same reason why we’ve done very little with it. To keep track, fill in, and monitor such a bear of a database is rather daunting. So it sits, patiently waiting for some loving grape enthusiast to come by and fill in its rather vacuous empty spaces. If you just happen to be one of those happy grape folk needing a little project to aid the greater Iberian wine community, let us know, and we’ll put you to work

That said, my second project beyond our Grape Wiki is to complete my Wine Century Club application. The Wine Century Club is the brainchild of Steve Delong, the same mad genius who created the Delong Iberian Wine Map. His goal in founding this club, as I interpreted it, was to not only highlight the vast array of indigenous grapes of the world, but also to challenge each and every one of us to expand our palate beyond the international varieties of Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, etc. And despite the fact that Ryan had completed his application a few years ago, tasting 100 different grape varieties, it wasn’t until Dr. Debbs of Good Wines Under $20 started publishing her accounts of …

Last January, the UK based wine writer and Committee Member of the Circle of Wine Writers, Christine Austin, suggested that we apply to the organization housed in England. Having had several people offer a similar suggestion for over a year, it seemed ridiculous for us not to get off our hides and do something about it. So, we figured we’d experiment a bit, where I would apply and test the waters, followed by Ryan’s application soon thereafter.

As taken directly from their website:
The Circle of Wine Writers is an association of authors, broadcasters, journalists, photographers and lecturers who are professionally engaged in communicating about wines and spirits. It was founded in 1960 by the late Cyril Ray and now has more than 280 members and, although most of the membership is based in England, the Circle has members in countries around the world.

The objectives of the Circle of Wine Writers are:

* to improve the standard of communication about wines, spirits and beers
* to contribute to the growing knowledge and interest in wine
* to promote wines and spirits of quality and to comment adversely on faulty products and dubious practices
* to establish and maintain good relations with the news media and the wine trade
* to provide members with a strong voice with which to express their views
* to provide a forum for the exchange of information
* to provide a programme of workshops, meetings, talks and tastings

A month has now passed, as seen by the lush green blanket of leaves hanging right outside my office window, and …

I’m ticked off. I was supposed to be at the Meeting of Wine Creators in Ronda, Spain, this past weekend, but sadly, was unable to iron out the logistics to get there. It might seem like a trivial reason, but I would have needed to take a bus from the airport, and then transfer to a second bus in order to finally arrive in Ronda. I could have made it work, but for a two day conference, it seemed like a ridiculous amount of effort and wasted time traveling. Regardless, it sounded as if it was interesting, when considering the fascinating topics discussed. Top wine makers, wine writers and experts gathered in a who’s who of the wine world to discuss the issues related to the current state of the wine trade. Taken from their site:
WineCreator, the First International Meeting of Wine Creators, sprang from the unique concept of creating a debate between wine creators from all over the world and an international panel of experts on the current
situation of wine.

This meeting was prompted by the need to discuss the globalisation in terms of quality that has already reached the wine industry. The quality of wines today is quite high, not so much because of the imitation of styles and brands, but because of the generalisation of winemaking techniques and teachings.

For the first time, WineCreator, the First International Meeting of Wine Creators, will bring together the twelve most influential wine creators, chosen by a panel of experts made up of twenty of the most internationally renowned critics. The aim is to create alternatives to the models imposed through routine or through fashions in wine by taking a closer look …

Having been over a month since we’ve provided you a comprehensive list of fun links to check out, we thought the time had finally come send your mouse a clickin’. Additionally, as we’re preparing for a mega grill out tomorrow afternoon among friends, each bringing their own item for the coals, to be honest, our minds are elsewhere. We’ve already left planet Catavino to consider whether we have enough glassware for a dozen people eager to drink wines from Rioja, and if we have enough bbq fixings to keep our birthday boy, Ryan, happy. So with that, I’ll leave you to our news of the day!

Are Woman Wine Bloggers Getting Their Just Desserts?
Recently, there have been several conversations floating around the web on whether women are truly being respected for their work in the wine world. There are female wine writers such as Jancis Robinson and Natalie Maclean; female bloggers such as Jill from Domaine 547 and Carol B from Pour More; and female winemakers like Marimar Torres from Marimar Estate in California or Martinez Sierra of Bodegas Montecillo in La Rioja, just to name a few, but some wine bloggers have voiced that women are not getting the attention, nor the positive reputation they rightfully deserve. My question being, are we as woman going to focus on numbers as the telltale sign of oppression, or is it more productive for us to focus on our work, whereby influencing other women to join in and do the same? Check out Dr Debs article on woman in print, Richard’s homage to female wine bloggers, Jancis …

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 …