Today is the day that we celebrate our love for each other, or to be more specific, for our partners. It’s traditionally a day of Champagne, roses, chocolates and romantic candle-lit dinners (and of course the greetings card companies will make a killing too).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being cynical about this, because, being the old romantic that I am, I do like to celebrate Valentine’s day. It’s simply that the card manufacturers annoy me a little as they use any event or celebration as an excuse to start producing cards. (Apparently Hallmark have now made a card designed to supposedly to console people who have lost their jobs during the recession!)

Anyway, back to the love and romance….. It’s always reassuring to know that our wine is being used in restaurants around the world to celebrate such occassions. Angela and I often share the odd bottle of albariño by way of celebrating our love!

Today is the day that we celebrate our love for each other, or to be more specific, for our partners. It’s traditionally a day of Champagne, roses, chocolates and romantic candle-lit dinners (and of course the greetings card companies will make a killing too).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being cynical about this, because, being the old romantic that I am, I do like to celebrate Valentine’s day. It’s simply that the card manufacturers annoy me a little as they use any event or celebration as an excuse to start producing cards. (Apparently Hallmark have now made a card designed to supposedly to console people who have lost their jobs during the recession!)

Anyway, back to the love and romance….. It’s always reassuring to know that our wine is being used in restaurants around the world to celebrate such occassions. Angela and I often share the odd bottle of albariño by way of celebrating our love!

If you are into Social Networking then I should tell you that there is a nice little promotion of our region on Facebook, actually led by the United States market. The page is known as the Albariño Explorers Club and has a funky octopus as its logo. (Do people still say ‘funky’ these days?)

Every now and then they include a pop quiz, posing trivia questions to test your knowledge – have fun and learn at the same time….. They also give suggestions for pairing Albariño with food, together with one or two interesting recipes. The only entry so far, that made me wince a little, was the suggestion for Albariño cocktails. Whatever will they come up with next? Adding orange juice to your glass of Krug ‘Clos de Mesnil’?

 If you are into Social Networking then I should tell you that there is a nice little promotion of our region on Facebook, actually led by the United States market. The page is known as the Albariño Explorers Club and has a funky octopus as its logo. (Do people still say ‘funky’ these days?)

Every now and then they include a pop quiz, posing trivia questions to test your knowledge – have fun and learn at the same time….. They also give suggestions for pairing Albariño with food, together with one or two interesting recipes. The only entry so far, that made me wince a little, was the suggestion for Albariño cocktails. Whatever will they come up with next? Adding orange juice to your glass of Krug ‘Clos de Mesnil’?

Quite obviously tasting is a subject very close to my heart, indeed it was my profession for many years before I arrived in Spain. A month or two ago I wrote about how the sense of smell has a huge influence on what we are able to taste (I can attest to this as I tried in vain to taste a wine yesterday, whilst still recovering from yet another winter cold).

Having said that, it’s not only smell that can influence what we taste – there are many other factors, such as colour for example. This might seem ridiculous, but tests have proved that some consumers can have difficulty in distinguishing between red and white wine whilst blindfolded. How often have we heard that we ‘eat with our eyes’, so surely the same must apply to wine. A glass of white wine that has a golden brown colour could be either extremely sweet or extremely oxidised!

I know that I have probably mentioned before, but location and atmosphere can also make a difference. For example, I can guarantee that the cool, refreshing glass of Provence Rosé that you sip on the beach in St Tropez, whilst tucking into your Niçoise Salad, may well not taste the same on a grey, cold, rainy Tuesday in London…..

When buying wines for my previous company I therefore always used to make sure that I tasted all potential purchases on cold, wet Tuesdays in London!

Quite obviously tasting is a subject very close to my heart, indeed it was my profession for many years before I arrived in Spain. A month or two ago I wrote about how the sense of smell has a huge influence on what we are able to taste (I can attest to this as I tried in vain to taste a wine yesterday, whilst still recovering from yet another winter cold).

Having said that, it’s not only smell that can influence what we taste – there are many other factors, such as colour for example. This might seem ridiculous, but tests have proved that some consumers can have difficulty in distinguishing between red and white wine whilst blindfolded. How often have we heard that we ‘eat with our eyes’, so surely the same must apply to wine. A glass of white wine that has a golden brown colour could be either extremely sweet or extremely oxidised!

I know that I have probably mentioned before, but location and atmosphere can also make a difference. For example, I can guarantee that the cool, refreshing glass of Provence Rosé that you sip on the beach in St Tropez, whilst tucking into your Niçoise Salad, may well not taste the same on a grey, cold, rainy Tuesday in London…..

When buying wines for my previous company I therefore always used to make sure that I tasted all potential purchases on cold, wet Tuesdays in London!

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……