Sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Infante de Sagres in the heart of Oporto, we’ve finally had a moment to relax after spending the day tasting some absolutely fantastic wines at the Essencia do Vinho, a Portuguese wine tasting put on by both Vini Portugal and Blue Wine Magazine. Four years after its initial inauguration, it appears that the event has slowly gained a considerable amount of steam, attracting not only a wide range of Portuguese producers, but also international journalists and importers alike.

Strangely, however, although we are the main web portal for Spanish and Portuguese wine in English, if it wasn’t for Andre of Adegga tipping us off to the proximity of the event, we would have never come! Now is all fairness, we had heard snippets about the event while touring through Portugal last July, but we were astonished that no one had either shared their press packet or invited us to event itself. Hence, having imagined that the Portuguese post was content to remain calmly on the western bank of the peninsula, I decided to take the bull by the horns about a month ago and contact the organizer of the Essencia do Vinho event myself, requesting additional information. And to my great surprise, not one week later did I not only hear back from the organizer, but also received a formal invitation asking us to both attend Essencia do Vinho and to participate in their week long tasting. With our week long tour of Rioja ending last Saturday, and this beginning Monday, we happily accepted with the condition that we could join the group later in the week to give us at least a few days …

It’s 20 pages of girth, containing 40+ tasting notes, 2 interviews, a wine profile and so much more! All you need to do now, is see if it’s in your inbox. If you thought you signed up for our newsletter, but you haven’t received it yet, well then you fell victim to our conversion to a better newsletter program. When we switched software, some of you probably didn’t receive the second confirmation email, and will need to re-register. No worries, because anyone who registers before the end of December will receive this months newsletter free of charge. So make sure you’ve signed up! Here’s a list of wineries whose wines we wrote about:

Taylor Faldgate
Fonseca
Quinta de Quevedo
Ramos Pinto
Sandeman
Quinta de la Rosa
Croft
Quinta de Ventozelo
We have an interview with David Fonseca Guimaraens, winemaker for the Fladgate Partnership. A special profile of a Douro table wine called, “Secret Spot”, and reviews of all the styles we wrote about throughout the month of November. It’s got some weight behind it, but we hope you like it. And please let us know what you like and dislike, as we truly appreciate the feedback!

In other news, we’d like to point out a few articles that might be of interest to you.

Beppi Crosariol at Globe and Mail, emphasis the wide range of choices you have this holiday season when hunting for quality sparkling wine at an affordable price.

Adrian Murcia at Blame it on Rioja provides us with a recipe for Lamb Tagine that not only sounds absolutely delicious, but which could also come right after a crisp and refreshing glass of Cava in preparation for the feast!

Cheers,
Ryan and Gabriella Opaz

PS just to remind everyone, today we’re busy at the DO of Cava, where we’re asking all sorts of questions so …

I did it! I finished the second edition of Richard Mayson’s book, “Port and the Douro”, which has proven to be a comprehensive, clearly written reference book on one of my favorite fortified wines: port!

When I originally proposed this book, I heard several readers share their interest in reading a single subject wine book, but equally, their fear that it would bore them to no end. I, too, feared that I would find myself the next morning with my nose on page three, oblivious as to what the first three pages contained. Then would come night two, when I would reread the same pages to catch up to where I was, only to land myself with nose in crease…again. Hence, I had bigger hopes for Richard Mayson’s book. I wanted his book to give me the same passion and inspiration that I felt with sherry wine. I not only wanted to hear about the process of making port, but I also wanted to absorb the history of the Douro over the centuries: to feel the dry and rough schistous soils; smell the rich, spicy aromas of the quintas; hear the roar of the Douro River barreling down the valley; see the dramatic transition from the dry, arid upper Cima Corgo all the way down to the humid and heavy Vila Nova da Gaia region; and finally, taste the differences between a nutty and dry tawny port wine to a concentrated and complex vintage port wine. I hoped that his book would take me to the center of a Douro vineyard and walk me through the process step-by-step, providing me a solid foundation for me to …