Well, I say Happy Holidays, but in reality we don’t get much of one this year in Spain….. The big celebration in this country is usually reserved for the evening of 24th, albeit from a business point of view, this is actually a normal working day (except that in 2011 the 24th falls on a Saturday). The tradition is that most people would finish work, rush home, and prepare the big family dinner. The only actually ‘festivo’ in Spain (or bank holiday as we would say in England), is on Christmas Day itself, when under normal circumstances businesses would be closed – except again this year, as Christmas falls on a Sunday, this does not apply.

If this happened in the UK, then there would automatically be a lieu day when businesses would close on the next available working day (this year it would be Monday). Spain does not follow this practice, which means that our bodega closes on Friday 23rd and re-opens on Monday 26th – pretty much business as usual! I have to say that it’s quite rare that people miss out on holidays in this country as I believe that the Spanish quota of public holidays (local, provincial and national) is actually much higher than most other countries in Europe.

Anyway, enough of that. All that remains is for Angela and I to wish all our friends, customers and blog readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Well, I say Happy Holidays, but in reality we don’t get much of one this year in Spain….. The big celebration in this country is usually reserved for the evening of 24th, albeit from a business point of view, this is actually a normal working day (except that in 2011 the 24th falls on a Saturday). The tradition is that most people would finish work, rush home, and prepare the big family dinner. The only actually ‘festivo’ in Spain (or bank holiday as we would say in England), is on Christmas Day itself, when under normal circumstances businesses would be closed – except again this year, as Christmas falls on a Sunday, this does not apply.

If this happened in the UK, then there would automatically be a lieu day when businesses would close on the next available working day (this year it would be Monday). Spain does not follow this practice, which means that our bodega closes on Friday 23rd and re-opens on Monday 26th – pretty much business as usual! I have to say that it’s quite rare that people miss out on holidays in this country as I believe that the Spanish quota of public holidays (local, provincial and national) is actually much higher than most other countries in Europe.

Anyway, enough of that. All that remains is for Angela and I to wish all our friends, customers and blog readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Now, I know that I am not really in a position to criticise, as even after ten years of living here, my Spanish is still pretty appalling. This little anecdote is however, not really about grammar or vocabulary, but more just a note about pronunciation.

In Spanish the letter ‘V’ is pronounced like the letter ‘B’ in English, so in effect they have two letter ‘B’s in their alphabet. This can sometimes cause misunderstandings, or just plain hilarity…..

For the last couple of days I have been a little under the weather, trying to shake off a bit of a cold. I usually stay at home and dose myself heavily, as I quite simply don’t want to pass it on to others.

In a conversation with Angela, she suggested that I should use some Bip-Bapo-Rup, or at least that’s what it sounded like to me. For some reason I start to think about music – Be Bop a Lula, or perhaps even Be Bop Deluxe, but whatever I was thinking it simply didn’t make any sense, or at least until she explained. It was actually Vicks Vapor Rub that she was suggesting! From now on, in our house, this will be known as Bip-Bapo-Rup.

This example however, is not my favourite. Have you ever heard of that well known American actress Guppy Gulper? Sorry, that’s Woopi Goldberg to you and me – this is simply Angela’s take on it.

Now, I know that I am not really in a position to criticise, as even after ten years of living here, my Spanish is still pretty appalling. This little anecdote is however, not really about grammar or vocabulary, but more just a note about pronunciation.

In Spanish the letter ‘V’ is pronounced like the letter ‘B’ in English, so in effect they have two letter ‘B’s in their alphabet. This can sometimes cause misunderstandings, or just plain hilarity…..

For the last couple of days I have been a little under the weather, trying to shake off a bit of a cold. I usually stay at home and dose myself heavily, as I quite simply don’t want to pass it on to others.

In a conversation with Angela, she suggested that I should use some Bip-Bapo-Rup, or at least that’s what it sounded like to me. For some reason I start to think about music – Be Bop a Lula, or perhaps even Be Bop Deluxe, but whatever I was thinking it simply didn’t make any sense, or at least until she explained. It was actually Vicks Vapor Rub that she was suggesting! From now on, in our house, this will be known as Bip-Bapo-Rup.

This example however, is not my favourite. Have you ever heard of that well known American actress Guppy Gulper? Sorry, that’s Woopi Goldberg to you and me – this is simply Angela’s take on it.

An Inspector Calls, as some of you may know, is the name of a famous thriller written by J.B.Priestley. A play based on the book has been hailed as the theatrical event of our generation, winning more awards than any other play in history, although it is actually nothing to do with my real story today!

Running any business these days means that you will be subject to inspections of every conceivable type, whether it be Financial, Health & Safety, Food Hygiene or Fraud etc. Naturally there are quite a number of rules and regulations that we need to follow in order to comply with the numerous governing bodies.

As Christmas approaches it appears that it must be ‘that time of year’, as we find ourselves with several different inspectors forming an orderly queue at our front door. Obviously we work hard to follow all the rules and regulations laid down, not only for the working environment, but also those set by our Consello, as they strive to control the local wine making process. Despite doing our very best we know that we will never be 100% perfect, and the spectre of heavy fines always looms in the background. In these circumstances, all we can do is keep our fingers tightly crossed and hope that we have done enough……

An Inspector Calls, as some of you may know, is the name of a famous thriller written by J.B.Priestley. A play based on the book has been hailed as the theatrical event of our generation, winning more awards than any other play in history, although it is actually nothing to do with my real story today!

Running any business these days means that you will be subject to inspections of every conceivable type, whether it be Financial, Health & Safety, Food Hygiene or Fraud etc. Naturally there are quite a number of rules and regulations that we need to follow in order to comply with the numerous governing bodies.

As Christmas approaches it appears that it must be ‘that time of year’, as we find ourselves with several different inspectors forming an orderly queue at our front door. Obviously we work hard to follow all the rules and regulations laid down, not only for the working environment, but also those set by our Consello, as they strive to control the local wine making process. Despite doing our very best we know that we will never be 100% perfect, and the spectre of heavy fines always looms in the background. In these circumstances, all we can do is keep our fingers tightly crossed and hope that we have done enough……

Sometimes when you read a story your first reaction is to check the calendar to see if it’s April Fools Day (or the Dia de los Inocentes if you live in Spain)!

Would you believe that it has, apparently, been proved that cattle produce less methane gas if you feed them on grape ‘marc’? When fed the stems, seeds and skins that were left over from making (red) wine, material known as the ‘marc’, methane emissions from the cows dropped by 20 per cent!

Sometimes when you read a story your first reaction is to check the calendar to see if it’s April Fools Day (or the Dia de los Inocentes if you live in Spain)!

Would you believe that it has, apparently, been proved that cattle produce less methane gas if you feed them on grape ‘marc’? When fed the stems, seeds and skins that were left over from making (red) wine, material known as the ‘marc’, methane emissions from the cows dropped by 20 per cent!

No sooner had we finished our harvest this year than the warm weather arrived! From the middle of September until the middle of October the clouds disappeared and, believe it or not, the temperatures increased. With the barometer firmly lodged at around the mid-20’s locals were still taking advantage of our beautiful local beaches – with all the tourists long gone, it was true bliss….

From mid-October the cloud, rain and drizzle returned, pretty much as is normal at this time of year, but with one significant exception – the temperature. It has continued to remain quite mild, and even nightime temperatures have not fallen by that much. The minimums we have seen at night have probably averaged around 10-12°C (50-55°F), and only on a couple of occasions have fallen as low as 6-8°C (43-46°F). Yesterday morning,for example, at 7.30am it was actually 14°C (57°F).

So what’s the significance of this you are probably asking? Well, it’s to do with the vines – they are not yet dormant for the winter, and in some warmer locations there have even been signs of new growth!

By mid to late December we would hope to have our pruning well under way, but of course, owing to these unseasonably mild conditions, the start has been delayed. The danger is that, if we do not start soon, and spring arrives early again (as it did last year), then we could potentially have a problem.

No sooner had we finished our harvest this year than the warm weather arrived! From the middle of September until the middle of October the clouds disappeared and, believe it or not, the temperatures increased. With the barometer firmly lodged at around the mid-20’s locals were still taking advantage of our beautiful local beaches – with all the tourists long gone, it was true bliss….

From mid-October the cloud, rain and drizzle returned, pretty much as is normal at this time of year, but with one significant exception – the temperature. It has continued to remain quite mild, and even nightime temperatures have not fallen by that much. The minimums we have seen at night have probably averaged around 10-12°C (50-55°F), and only on a couple of occasions have fallen as low as 6-8°C (43-46°F). Yesterday morning,for example, at 7.30am it was actually 14°C (57°F).

So what’s the significance of this you are probably asking? Well, it’s to do with the vines – they are not yet dormant for the winter, and in some warmer locations there have even been signs of new growth!

By mid to late December we would hope to have our pruning well under way, but of course, owing to these unseasonably mild conditions, the start has been delayed. The danger is that, if we do not start soon, and spring arrives early again (as it did last year), then we could potentially have a problem.

We are proud in the knowledge that our wines often find themselves on some of the very best restaurant tables around the world, and it makes us even happier when customers decide to make them a central feature of their dining room.

El Corte Ingles is a very well-known chain of department stores situated throughout Spain, and nearly all have dining facilities for their customers in the shape of either cafeterias and/or restaurants. One of the best restaurants to be found here in Galicia is in Vigo, where our Casal Caeiro albariño has been served for more than 25 years (longer than the denomination of Rias Baixas itself has even existed).

Naturally they serve many a great fish dish on their menu, and it goes without saying that our wine offers the perfect compliment. During a recent campaign, our wines, Casal Caeiro, Casal Caeiro Barrica and Aguardiente were all featured, not only on the menu, but also in an extensive display at the door of the restaurant.

We are proud in the knowledge that our wines often find themselves on some of the very best restaurant tables around the world, and it makes us even happier when customers decide to make them a central feature of their dining room.

El Corte Ingles is a very well-known chain of department stores situated throughout Spain, and nearly all have dining facilities for their customers in the shape of either cafeterias and/or restaurants. One of the best restaurants to be found here in Galicia is in Vigo, where our Casal Caeiro albariño has been served for more than 25 years (longer than the denomination of Rias Baixas itself has even existed).

Naturally they serve many a great fish dish on their menu, and it goes without saying that our wine offers the perfect compliment. During a recent campaign, our wines, Casal Caeiro, Casal Caeiro Barrica and Aguardiente were all featured, not only on the menu, but also in an extensive display at the door of the restaurant.

Coming from the North of England as I do, one of the staples of my diet as a boy was Fish & Chips. Not that my family would eat them on a daily basis, but perhaps once a week, and nearly always on a Friday – it was a sort of tradition. In those days it was not that expensive, and I clearly remember that chips, for example, could be bought for a few pennies, and that the fish on offer was nearly always cod. The other, most significant feature of a Fish & Chip supper was the wrapping – to carry your meal home from the shop, and to help keep it warm, it was always covered with a layer of greaseproof paper and then completely swathed in old newspapers! (Today’s hygiene inspectors would, no doubt, be handing out fines, left, right and centre)

As you can see from the photo – newspaper has been replaced by polystyrene, and they even provide a plastic fork! In my era it was always newspaper and eating with fingers (this may sound a bit crude and uncivilised, but it sure tasted good!)

So the reason for today’s story is the shocking news that the world famous Harry Ramsden’s chip shop in Guiseley, near Leeds, could be about to close. A ‘cathedral’ of Fish & Chips, which traditionally had a permanent queue at the restaurant door, was built in 1931, replacing a small wooden hut where Ramsden started frying in 1928. He chose his site at the junction of two roads leading from Leeds and Bradford to the Yorkshire Dales. His business made the Guinness Book of Records when seating reached 250 and made the building the largest chippy in the world. In 1952 Ramsden celebrated the restaurant’s 21st anniversary by serving 10,000 portions in one single day.

Unfortunately, a series of takeovers and franchises diluted the unique atmosphere, and to be brutally honest, the quality also plummeted, so much so that the queues have long since dried up. Now the writing is on the wall, and the doors could close later this month…..

This tale might not seem completely relevant to our wine business (except that Albariño does go well with fish), but even so, there are still lessons to be learned for any small business – biggest does not always mean best, and maintaining quality should always be paramount.

Coming from the North of England as I do, one of the staples of my diet as a boy was Fish & Chips. Not that my family would eat them on a daily basis, but perhaps once a week, and nearly always on a Friday – it was a sort of tradition. In those days it was not that expensive, and I clearly remember that chips, for example, could be bought for a few pennies, and that the fish on offer was nearly always cod. The other, most significant feature of a Fish & Chip supper was the wrapping – to carry your meal home from the shop, and to help keep it warm, it was always covered with a layer of greaseproof paper and then completely swathed in old newspapers! (Today’s hygiene inspectors would, no doubt, be handing out fines, left, right and centre)

As you can see from the photo – newspaper has been replaced by polystyrene, and they even provide a plastic fork! In my era it was always newspaper and eating with fingers (this may sound a bit crude and uncivilised, but it sure tasted good!)

So the reason for today’s story is the shocking news that the world famous Harry Ramsden’s chip shop in Guiseley, near Leeds, could be about to close. A ‘cathedral’ of Fish & Chips, which traditionally had a permanent queue at the restaurant door, was built in 1931, replacing a small wooden hut where Ramsden started frying in 1928. He chose his site at the junction of two roads leading from Leeds and Bradford to the Yorkshire Dales. His business made the Guinness Book of Records when seating reached 250 and made the building the largest chippy in the world. In 1952 Ramsden celebrated the restaurant’s 21st anniversary by serving 10,000 portions in one single day.

Unfortunately, a series of takeovers and franchises diluted the unique atmosphere, and to be brutally honest, the quality also plummeted, so much so that the queues have long since dried up. Now the writing is on the wall, and the doors could close later this month…..

This tale might not seem completely relevant to our wine business (except that Albariño does go well with fish), but even so, there are still lessons to be learned for any small business – biggest does not always mean best, and maintaining quality should always be paramount.

It was Andy Wahol who once said that everyone would experience at least 15 minutes of fame at some point during their lifetime. In the age of pop culture, fly-on-the-wall TV and YouTube, my guess is this notion has even more chance of becoming a reality. Indeed the whole concept of true fame and stardom has become seriously eroded over recent years as would-be “celebrities” clamour to appear on our screens (either computer or TV) – but that’s another story…..

It was Andy Wahol who once said that everyone would experience at least 15 minutes of fame at some point during their lifetime. In the age of pop culture, fly-on-the-wall TV and YouTube, my guess is this notion has even more chance of becoming a reality. Indeed the whole concept of true fame and stardom has become seriously eroded over recent years as would-be “celebrities” clamour to appear on our screens (either computer or TV) – but that’s another story…..

Over the years, Angela and I have both been interviewed on TV and radio at least a couple of times, but always in a professional capacity, rather than for some perculiar hidden talent. Our last main encounter with the press was actually in Australia where, by pure chance, we happened to arrive on a visit at the exact moment that the authorities discovered that the ‘Albariño’ grape that they had planted, was not in fact Albariño at all! Of course this was big news in a serious wine producing country, and so when the press heard that we were in town, it was quite natural that they came knocking at our door looking for comment and interviews.

This week it was the turn of our local TV channel here in the Rias Baixas region – simply looking to do a short feature on our bodega. No particular reason other than, they had no doubt heard, that we were fabulous people making fabulous wines – and above all else, modest too!

It wasn’t until I arrived home yesterday evening and tuned into the satellite channels on my TV that I remembered it was Thanksgiving Day in the USA. It was the full programme of American football fixtures that actually triggered my memory. For men at least, football is one of the big Thanksgiving traditions, possibly whilst the women are busy preparing the turkey dinner – or is that idea just too old fashioned, sexist and stereotypical? (I’m just not that politically correct these days!)

Anyway, Thanksgiving is more or less the American equivalent of the harvest festival that is  celebrated in other parts of the world, giving thanks for peace, and of course, a good harvest.

Another tradition that has sprung up from this particular holiday period, and is now being copied in Europe, is Black Friday – the day following Thanksgiving. This is now the busiest shopping day of the year in the US, as shoppers scramble around frantically to seek out that special ‘one off’ bargain being offered by the retailers for one day only. The term ‘Black Friday’ was first used by police in Philadelphia in the 1960s to describe the massive crowds and traffic jams that hit the sales after Thanksgiving. It wasn’t until the 1980s that an alternative theory started to appear, suggesting that it was the day that marked retailers moving from the red to the black, as they started made profits for the first time in the year.

As a footnote to the 2011 sales, not only were all records broken with an estimated 152 million people (nearly half the population) passing through the checkouts, but in Los Angeles up to 20 people were injured when one woman resorted to using a pepper spray on her fellow shoppers in order to secure the best bargains!

It wasn’t until I arrived home yesterday evening and tuned into the satellite channels on my TV that I remembered it was Thanksgiving Day in the USA. It was the full programme of American football fixtures that actually triggered my memory. For men at least, football is one of the big Thanksgiving traditions, possibly whilst the women are busy preparing the turkey dinner – or is that idea just too old fashioned, sexist and stereotypical? (I’m just not that politically correct these days!)

Anyway, Thanksgiving is more or less the American equivalent of the harvest festival that is  celebrated in other parts of the world, giving thanks for peace, and of course, a good harvest.

Another tradition that has sprung up from this particular holiday period, and is now being copied in Europe, is Black Friday – the day following Thanksgiving. This is now the busiest shopping day of the year in the US, as shoppers scramble around frantically to seek out that special ‘one off’ bargain being offered by the retailers for one day only. The term ‘Black Friday’ was first used by police in Philadelphia in the 1960s to describe the massive crowds and traffic jams that hit the sales after Thanksgiving. It wasn’t until the 1980s that an alternative theory started to appear, suggesting that it was the day that marked retailers moving from the red to the black, as they started made profits for the first time in the year.

As a footnote to the 2011 sales, not only were all records broken with an estimated 152 million people (nearly half the population) passing through the checkouts, but in Los Angeles up to 20 people were injured when one woman resorted to using a pepper spray on her fellow shoppers in order to secure the best bargains!

Back in June I mentioned on this blog that we had been measuring the Oxygen Transfer Rate (OTR) in our wines. In case you didn’t read it this is quite simply a measurement of the oxygen levels within the wine in our tanks (before bottling), during bottling (oxygen suspended in the wine when bottled), and also oxygen in the ‘head space’ (the small gap between the wine and the cork). By measuring this we can learn about the effectiveness of the closure that we use to seal our bottles.

Back in June I mentioned on this blog that we had been measuring the Oxygen Transfer Rate (OTR) in our wines. In case you didn’t read it this is quite simply a measurement of the oxygen levels within the wine in our tanks (before bottling), during bottling (oxygen suspended in the wine when bottled), and also oxygen in the ‘head space’ (the small gap between the wine and the cork). By measuring this we can learn about the effectiveness of the closure that we use to seal our bottles.