When I read this story my initial reaction was to check the calendar once again, to see if it was April Fool’s day. Either an outrageous story, or perhaps just an excellent piece of marketing? Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.

OK, so an ex-pat British wine maker (from Norwich) who now lives in Chile, has two passions. His vineyard in the Cachapoal Valley and Astronomy. So, how do you go about combining the two? Easy – first borrow a 10cm meteorite from a wealthy American, dip it in a barrel of your wine for a while, blend this single barrel with a lot more wine, and then sell it as Meteorito – a wine in which you can allegedly taste the origins of the Universe itself! Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of this myself?

Sorry, do I sound a little sceptical? Well, maybe it’s because I am! Suspending a small meteorite in a single oak barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon for a year is one thing, but then taking this single barrel, blending it with another 10,000 litres and claiming that you can still taste the effects of this maceration is quite frankly, beyond belief….

Just a minute, I’ve had an idea – the soil in our vineyards contains both granite and quartz that originate from the magma of the earth’s crust, and you can actually taste this in the mineral character of our wine. In future I’m going to claim that in our albarino you can actually taste the very origins of our planet!

When I read this story my initial reaction was to check the calendar once again, to see if it was April Fool’s day. Either an outrageous story, or perhaps just an excellent piece of marketing? Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.

OK, so an ex-pat British wine maker (from Norwich) who now lives in Chile, has two passions. His vineyard in the Cachapoal Valley and Astronomy. So, how do you go about combining the two? Easy – first borrow a 10cm meteorite from a wealthy American, dip it in a barrel of your wine for a while, blend this single barrel with a lot more wine, and then sell it as Meteorito – a wine in which you can allegedly taste the origins of the Universe itself! Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of this myself?

Sorry, do I sound a little sceptical? Well, maybe it’s because I am! Suspending a small meteorite in a single oak barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon for a year is one thing, but then taking this single barrel, blending it with another 10,000 litres and claiming that you can still taste the effects of this maceration is quite frankly, beyond belief….

Just a minute, I’ve had an idea – the soil in our vineyards contains both granite and quartz that originate from the magma of the earth’s crust, and you can actually taste this in the mineral character of our wine. In future I’m going to claim that in our albarino you can actually taste the very origins of our planet!

No sooner had we made reservations for our flights to Dusseldorf for the annual Prowein wine fair, than the airline that we had booked on suddenly went out of business.

Despite living in an area with three regional airports, all vying for the same business, there are actually very few international flights, and so to get to Dusseldorf from Galicia entails two flights on two different airlines. Our second flight booked from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on Spanair (albeit ironically, the flight is actually operated by Deutsche Lufthansa).

A day or two after booking Spanair suddenly disappeared from our radar, leaving passengers stranded around Europe, and us holding flight tickets that were absolutely worthless (Lufthansa would not honour them as our payment had been made to Spanair).

After much scrambling around on the internet we finally re-booked with Lufthansa (at a premium price), leaving Angela making claims through our credit card company in an attempt to recover the money from our lost flight……

No sooner had we made reservations for our flights to Dusseldorf for the annual Prowein wine fair, than the airline that we had booked on suddenly went out of business.

Despite living in an area with three regional airports, all vying for the same business, there are actually very few international flights, and so to get to Dusseldorf from Galicia entails two flights on two different airlines. Our second flight booked from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on Spanair (albeit ironically, the flight is actually operated by Deutsche Lufthansa).

A day or two after booking Spanair suddenly disappeared from our radar, leaving passengers stranded around Europe, and us holding flight tickets that were absolutely worthless (Lufthansa would not honour them as our payment had been made to Spanair).

After much scrambling around on the internet we finally re-booked with Lufthansa (at a premium price), leaving Angela making claims through our credit card company in an attempt to recover the money from our lost flight……

You may have noticed that our blog fell silent for a few days, the reason quite simply being that Angela and I were on the road.

We spent a few days in London for a major wine tasting (and not just to satisfy Angela’s cravings for a bit of winter sale shopping).

I had not been to London for several months and anticipated that the whole city would now be well and truly awash with colour in anticipation of this summer’s Olympic games.

Not so I’m afraid – I was actually quite disappointed. Having travelled through Heathrow airport and then around the city, both above and below ground, there is very little evidence that in a few months time the eyes of the world will turn their attention to this great historic capital.

Whilst I’m sure that the naturally conservative British public don’t want to have this event rammed down their throats 24 hours a day, I don’t think it would hurt to put up a few flags and posters to announce that the Olympic circus is coming to town.

Oh, and by the way, I will be at the back of the queue to buy my Olympic mascot dolls, Wenlock & Mandeville (see photo). Perhaps it’s the designers who should have undergone a bit of drugs testing for coming up with this one?….. After all, not every one in London is an alien – illegal or otherwise!

You may have noticed that our blog fell silent for a few days, the reason quite simply being that Angela and I were on the road.

We spent a few days in London for a major wine tasting (and not just to satisfy Angela’s cravings for a bit of winter sale shopping).

I had not been to London for several months and anticipated that the whole city would now be well and truly awash with colour in anticipation of this summer’s Olympic games.

Not so I’m afraid – I was actually quite disappointed. Having travelled through Heathrow airport and then around the city, both above and below ground, there is very little evidence that in a few months time the eyes of the world will turn their attention to this great historic capital.

Whilst I’m sure that the naturally conservative British public don’t want to have this event rammed down their throats 24 hours a day, I don’t think it would hurt to put up a few flags and posters to announce that the Olympic circus is coming to town.

Oh, and by the way, I will be at the back of the queue to buy my Olympic mascot dolls, Wenlock & Mandeville (see photo). Perhaps it’s the designers who should have undergone a bit of drugs testing for coming up with this one?….. After all, not every one in London is an alien – illegal or otherwise!

Chinese communities around the world have spent the last week celebrating their New Year, which this year started on 23rd January, and continues for a period of some 15 days.  This weekend many cities have witnessed parades, dancing and fireworks as the exciting and unpredictable year of the Dragon takes over from the more cautious and tranquil year of the Rabbit.

We are very lucky to find our wines placed on a number of varied and diverse winelists, including a number of very fine Chinese restaurants. (Angela is always happy to remind our customers that Albariño is perfect with sushi, but I’m afraid rarely mentions our Chinese connections).

Today’s photo was actually taken inside a customer’s restaurant in Harrogate, England and shows a typical Chinese New Year celebration dance.

Chinese communities around the world have spent the last week celebrating their New Year, which this year started on 23rd January, and continues for a period of some 15 days.  This weekend many cities have witnessed parades, dancing and fireworks as the exciting and unpredictable year of the Dragon takes over from the more cautious and tranquil year of the Rabbit.

We are very lucky to find our wines placed on a number of varied and diverse winelists, including a number of very fine Chinese restaurants. (Angela is always happy to remind our customers that Albariño is perfect with sushi, but I’m afraid rarely mentions our Chinese connections).

Today’s photo was actually taken inside a customer’s restaurant in Harrogate, England and shows a typical Chinese New Year celebration dance.

Fran, as some of you may know, is Angela’s cellar hand, and luckily for us, he is also the most fantastic handyman. He can turn his hand to pretty much anything, from carpentry to metalwork, not to mention the fact that he also services most of our vehicles. Of course, as with any job, the man is only as good as the tools you provide, and so in this respect we always try to keep him happy.

A month or so ago he told us that he needed a new socket set to work on the tractors, so we simply instructed him to go out and buy one. Having trained everyone in the business to be as frugal as possible, and to reduce waste where possible etc., we ended up with a pretty cheap and nasty looking piece of kit – I think about 50 Euros for a 200 piece tool set, and likely to disintegrate the first time it was used.

So, I asked Fran for a list of the best manufacturers, and after a bit of play on the internet, a very fine, new socket set arrived at our door. The only problem now is that we have gone to the other extreme….. it looks almost to good to use, and it will be a real shame to get it dirty. In fact, I think I will insist that when he uses it he has to wear a suit and tie, or perhaps a set of surgical scrubs!

Fran, as some of you may know, is Angela’s cellar hand, and luckily for us, he is also the most fantastic handyman. He can turn his hand to pretty much anything, from carpentry to metalwork, not to mention the fact that he also services most of our vehicles. Of course, as with any job, the man is only as good as the tools you provide, and so in this respect we always try to keep him happy.

A month or so ago he told us that he needed a new socket set to work on the tractors, so we simply instructed him to go out and buy one. Having trained everyone in the business to be as frugal as possible, and to reduce waste where possible etc., we ended up with a pretty cheap and nasty looking piece of kit – I think about 50 Euros for a 200 piece tool set, and likely to disintegrate the first time it was used.

So, I asked Fran for a list of the best manufacturers, and after a bit of play on the internet, a very fine, new socket set arrived at our door. The only problem now is that we have gone to the other extreme….. it looks almost to good to use, and it will be a real shame to get it dirty. In fact, I think I will insist that when he uses it he has to wear a suit and tie, or perhaps a set of surgical scrubs!

It’s always nice to be quoted in the Press, so when I received a phonecall (actually at home) from a UK journalist, I was naturally quite happy to oblige. The journalist in question was Patricia Langton, who was compiling a vintage report for the whole of Spain on behalf of ICEX – Wines from Spain. I was quite flattered that she had come to our bodega to seek an opinion.

If you have read my posts from August and September you will know that 2011 was quite a difficult vintage in the vineyards, and whilst our wines are still resting gently on their lees, I will not pass a definitive opinion on their quality. Only time will tell……

To view the complete ICEX vintage report for 2011, click here.

It’s always nice to be quoted in the Press, so when I received a phonecall (actually at home) from a UK journalist, I was naturally quite happy to oblige. The journalist in question was Patricia Langton, who was compiling a vintage report for the whole of Spain on behalf of ICEX – Wines from Spain. I was quite flattered that she had come to our bodega to seek an opinion.

If you have read my posts from August and September you will know that 2011 was quite a difficult vintage in the vineyards, and whilst our wines are still resting gently on their lees, I will not pass a definitive opinion on their quality. Only time will tell……

To view the complete ICEX vintage report for 2011, click here.

Amongst our list of esteemed customers you will find Carnival Cruises – a member of the exclusive World’s Leading Cruise Lines alliance that also includes Cunard Line, Princess Cruises and the now infamous Costa Cruises.

Whilst we do know where some of our wine is served, we don’t know if we were actually listed on any of the Costa Cruise ships.

It’s actually a very sobering thought to even contemplate that some of our bottles might now be submerged in the Mediterranean Sea……

Amongst our list of esteemed customers you will find Carnival Cruises – a member of the exclusive World’s Leading Cruise Lines alliance that also includes Cunard Line, Princess Cruises and the now infamous Costa Cruises.

Whilst we do know where some of our wine is served, we don’t know if we were actually listed on any of the Costa Cruise ships.

It’s actually a very sobering thought to even contemplate that some of our bottles might now be submerged in the Mediterranean Sea……

As if I don’t already see enough of my dear wife on a day-to-day basis, she’s now appearing on my TV screen as well….

As I mentioned in an earlier post Angela appeared on our local Rias Baixas TV channel a few weeks ago. For those who cannot receive this channel (which is certainly the vast majority of you) simply click here to see the full 9 minute interview.

Obviously it is conducted entirely in Spanish, but if I can eventually get my head around the technology, I might attempt to add English subtitles at a later date. (At the speed my wife speaks that will require some very fast typing!) In the meantime, if you don’t speak Spanish, just sit back and enjoy a few nice shots of the bodega.

As if I don’t already see enough of my dear wife on a day-to-day basis, she’s now appearing on my TV screen as well…..

As I mentioned in an earlier post Angela appeared on our local Rias Baixas TV channel a few weeks ago. For those who cannot receive this channel (which is certainly the vast majority of you) simply click here to see the full 9 minute interview.

Obviously it is conducted entirely in Spanish, but if I can eventually get my head around the technology, I might attempt to add English subtitles at a later date. (At the speed my wife speaks that will require some very fast typing!) In the meantime, if you don’t speak Spanish, just sit back and enjoy a few nice shots of the bodega.

As consumers discover more and more about the world of wine and wine production, so the interest in wine tourism increases. Indeed, in some parts of the world, such as Australia for example, visits and cellar door sales represent an important part of the business. Of course they are completely geared up for it, and many of the larger wineries offer organised tours, complete with tour guide, plus the obligatory wine shop as you exit! Naturally with this type of organised set up the throughput of visitors (especially during the summer months), makes this oenotourism a very worthwhile operation.

In our part of the wine world our aspirations are much more modest, and certainly not as highly organised. Yes, our denomination offers maps to tourists highlighting the various wine routes around Galicia, but to be honest, that’s about as far as it goes……

Don’t get me wrong, we love to meet our end consumers, but in this instance we have opted not to appear on any of these tourist maps for several different reasons.

Firstly and most importantly, we simply do not have the resources. The job of escorting visitors around our cellar would fall to either Angela or myself  (depending on the language), and over the period of a year we already have an important number of importers, professional wine buyers and journalists visting our Bodega. Obviously these are all by appointment and we can arrange our diaries accordingly, and even possibly refuse if we are not available or out of the country.

In summer, even without appearing on the maps, we still have a huge number of casual visitors knocking on our door (especially when the weather is poor and they cannot go to the beach!) Unfortunately, 99% of the time it is impossible to accomodate these visits, as, if we said yes, we would simply spend a huge part of the summer months making guided tours. And, we don’t have a shop!!

As consumers discover more and more about the world of wine and wine production, so the interest in wine tourism increases. Indeed, in some parts of the world, such as Australia for example, visits and cellar door sales represent an important part of the business. Of course they are completely geared up for it, and many of the larger wineries offer organised tours, complete with tour guide, plus the obligatory wine shop as you exit! Naturally with this type of organised set up the throughput of visitors (especially during the summer months), makes this oenotourism a very worthwhile operation.

In our part of the wine world our aspirations are much more modest, and certainly not as highly organised. Yes, our denomination offers maps to tourists highlighting the various wine routes around Galicia, but to be honest, that’s about as far as it goes……

Don’t get me wrong, we love to meet our end consumers, but in this instance we have opted not to appear on any of these tourist maps for several different reasons.

Firstly and most importantly, we simply do not have the resources. The job of escorting visitors around our cellar would fall to either Angela or myself  (depending on the language), and over the period of a year we already have an important number of importers, professional wine buyers and journalists visting our Bodega. Obviously these are all by appointment and we can arrange our diaries accordingly, and even possibly refuse if we are not available or out of the country.

In summer, even without appearing on the maps, we still have a huge number of casual visitors knocking on our door (especially when the weather is poor and they cannot go to the beach!) Unfortunately, 99% of the time it is impossible to accomodate these visits, as, if we said yes, we would simply spend a huge part of the summer months making guided tours. And, we don’t have a shop!!

It’s always really nice when a private customer takes the time to write to us to tell us how much they enjoyed drinking our wine. For me this is much better than any gold medal at any wine competition. As I have always maintained, it is the end consumer that really counts – if they really like our wine and come back to buy it again, that is the greatest accolade that we can ever have.

This photo was taken by one such customer here in Spain, who as you can see enjoyed his Christmas meal with fresh oysters washed down by a lovely, refreshing glass of Casal Caeiro. To quote him, he said it was the “perfect marriage”…. Indeed, when we are tasting with customers at various wine fairs around the world, I always say that the only thing we are missing is a plate of fresh oysters to go with the wine!

I have to quickly add that oysters are really not the most photogenic of foods – it’s no wonder that some people are put off just by looking at them. I have however, no doubt that they were absolutely delicious.

It’s always really nice when a private customer takes the time to write to us to tell us how much they enjoyed drinking our wine. For me this is much better than any gold medal at any wine competition. As I have always maintained, it is the end consumer that really counts – if they really like our wine and come back to buy it again, that is the greatest accolade that we can ever have.

This photo was taken by one such customer here in Spain, who as you can see enjoyed his Christmas meal with fresh oysters washed down by a lovely, refreshing glass of Casal Caeiro. To quote him, he said it was the “perfect marriage”…. Indeed, when we are tasting with customers at various wine fairs around the world, I always say that the only thing we are missing is a plate of fresh oysters to go with the wine!

I have to quickly add that oysters are really not the most photogenic of foods – it’s no wonder that some people are put off just by looking at them. I have however, no doubt that they were absolutely delicious.