A few days ago I received an e-mail from Blogger, the website that hosted our original blog. The mail asked if I wanted to continue maintaining our old Blogger site (naturally, I said yes). To be honest I was not aware that the old site still existed, but apparently it does.

Our first blog was created in 2006, and continued with Blogger until 2011. We moved from this site to upgrade to WordPress, a software that allowed us to simply integrate the blog into our main website – incorporating everything under one ‘roof’.

So, if you quickly want to catch up on what we were doing back then, or simply want to see how often I have repeated myself over the last 12 years, then take a quick glance at the old site by clicking HERE

[:en]In a small wine cellar like ours no two days are ever the same (thank God!). One day we might be blending or tasting wine, the next we can  be working on a marketing project – such as a new website for example. And that is exactly how it has been this week – preparing blends/samples for a VIP customer on Monday, and working on our new website the following day.

We use WordPress software for our website, and whilst I am reasonably competent in adding news and making the odd page update, setting it up and getting pages to interact correctly is just a bit beyond my capabilities (I am completely self-taught in all aspects of technology – mainly because it didn’t really exist when I was young). For this reason we have enlisted help…. from New Zealand! I don’t actually recall how this originally came about, but we have been working with Meta Digital in Christchurch for several years now.

Whilst the physical distance between Christchurch and Ribadumia is one thing, it is really the time difference that causes the biggest headache – their working day is diametrically opposed to ours. It’s almost like sending messages by Pony Express – fire off an e-mail one day, and then wait until the following day for a reply. It’s no ones fault, it’s just how it is – you either accept it or you don’t.

So the exciting news is that not only will there be a completely new website very soon, but we will also be incorporating an online shop, where our Spanish customers at least, will be able to buy our wines more easily. (We cannot ship overseas because it is prohibitively expensive, not to mention the special packaging that is required by the carriers).

At the risk of sounding too repetitive, please watch this space![:es]In a small wine cellar like ours no two days are ever the same (thank God!). One day we might be blending or tasting wine, the next we can  be working on a marketing project – such as a new website for example. And that is exactly how it has been this week – preparing blends/samples for a VIP customer on Monday, and working on our new website the following day.

We use WordPress software for our website, and whilst I am reasonably competent in adding news and making the odd page update, setting it up and getting pages to interact correctly is just a bit beyond my capabilities (I am completely self-taught in all aspects of technology – mainly because it didn’t really exist when I was young). For this reason we have enlisted help…. from New Zealand! I don’t actually recall how this originally came about, but we have been working with Meta Digital in Christchurch for several years now.

Whilst the physical distance between Christchurch and Ribadumia is one thing, it is really the time difference that causes the biggest headache – their working day is diametrically opposed to ours. It’s almost like sending messages by Pony Express – fire off an e-mail one day, and then wait until the following day for a reply. It’s no ones fault, it’s just how it is – you either accept it or you don’t.

So the exciting news is that not only will there be a completely new website very soon, but we will also be incorporating an online shop, where our Spanish customers at least, will be able to buy more our wines easily. (We cannot ship overseas because it is prohibitively expensive, not to mention the special packaging that is required by the carriers).

At the risk of sounding too repetitive, please watch this space![:]

It’s rare that I simply copy and paste from another website, but I thought that this short article about albariño really hit the spot – not only does it provide a great description of our wine, but it also seems to capture the fresh, fun, ‘flirtaceous’ personality of the grape variety itself.

These few paragraphs are lifted from the ‘Serious Eats’ site.

“Summer’s warmer temperatures are a great time to enjoy a wine with lighter body, fresh flavors, and lots of juiciness that makes your mouth water. In other words, a perfect wine to go with summer snacks. Albariño is usually made without any trace of oak, and tends to have tons of great acidity. The combination means it’s flexible with food. The long zippy finish and playful nature of Albariño make it a natural flirt, happy to sidle up alongside a wide range of dishes.

The juiciness of the wine lends itself to cooling down the spiciness of Thai and Indian fare. Albariño’s lighter weight and flavors complement shellfish and grilled fish. Its freshness accents fresh garden produce beautifully. Enjoy it with fresh sliced watermelon—my favorite!

There has been a new rush of Albariño in recent years, with some really nice wines offering great quality fruit. This grape has strong roots in Portugal (they call it Alvarinho.) Its most affordable center of quality comes from its home, Spain. Look for Rías Baixas for a whole lot of yum.”

[:en]

We have just updated the ‘wine information sheets’ on our website, or at least the English versions (Spanish will follow very soon). They can be found on the DOWNLOADS page, that also includes bottle shots, labels, vintage reports and a couple of other, hopefully useful, things.

My only problem is that I never quite know what to call these particular documents. Personally, I have always called them ‘Fiche Technique’, but I guess that could because much of my wine education was made in France. Of course here in Spain that translates into ‘Ficha Técnica’, whilst I believe that in the States they are sometimes called ‘Cheat Sheets’. Whatever your language, these smart new pages are now available for download.[:es]We have just updated the ‘wine information sheets’ on our website, or at least the English versions (Spanish will follow very soon). They can be found on the DOWNLOADS page, that also includes bottle shots, labels, vintage reports and a couple of other, hopefully useful, things.

My only problem is that I never quite know what to call these particular documents. Personally, I have always called them ‘Fiche Technique’, but I guess that could because much of my wine education was made in France. Of course here in Spain that translates into ‘Ficha Técnica’, whilst I believe that in the States they are sometimes called ‘Cheat Sheets’. Whatever your language, these smart new pages are now available for download.[:]

About a month ago our website suffered a ‘brute force login attack’. Now, to be perfectly honest I’m not sure how or why a hacker would want to attack a winery website, but the net result was that our site was down for about 2 hours (one Sunday morning).

The solution has been to do a significant upgrade, and to install the latest security protocols. Inevitably this has not been without its teething problems, and the system is now so secure that I’ve had one or two problems logging in myself! Recently I have been timed out, and then locked out completely when I try to log back in again! At present our WordPress based site appears to allow me about 15 minutes to make new entries before it eventually throws me out, so there is only one solution (in the short term) – I have to learn how to type faster!!

Anyone who has read my posts over recent months and years will know that included in my ‘soapbox’ issues are the conflicting reports that we read on a regular basis, concerning what is and isn’t good for you. The experts abound, each one claiming to make some startling new discovery, that contradicts everything we have been told before about what we should eat or drink to stay healthy.

There have been various claims and counter claims relating to wine, admittedly mostly relating to red wine. Some of the alleged health benefits include protecting the body from heart and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer prevention, and even a control for obesity. Without getting too technical the benefits are attributed to different compounds found in the tannins and phenols – these are the very same compounds that contribute to the colour and flavour of a red wine.

A new study in the British Medical Journal completely contradicts many of the popular beliefs about food and drink, the most dramatic of which is that saturated fats are actually good for your heart, and that the real killers are carbohydrates. The study is extensive, and will certainly leave you more confused than ever before about healthy eating – probably the best summary of the report can be found using this link.Anyone who has read my posts over recent months and years will know that included in my ‘soapbox’ issues are the conflicting reports that we read on a regular basis, concerning what is and isn’t good for you. The experts abound, each one claiming to make some startling new discovery, that contradicts everything we have been told before about what we should eat or drink to stay healthy.

There have been various claims and counter claims relating to wine, admittedly mostly relating to red wine. Some of the alleged health benefits include protecting the body from heart and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer prevention, and even a control for obesity. Without getting too technical the benefits are attributed to different compounds found in the tannins and phenols – these are the very same compounds that contribute to the colour and flavour of a red wine.

A new study in the British Medical Journal completely contradicts many of the popular beliefs about food and drink, the most dramatic of which is that saturated fats are actually good for your heart, and that the real killers are carbohydrates. The study is extensive, and will certainly leave you more confused than ever before about healthy eating – probably the best summary of the report can be found using this link.

There is a website in the United States called Gayot (guy-OH) which is dedicated to the ‘Good Life’, posting reviews of hotels, restaurants, food and wine – it apparently gets 320,000 hits per month. I have to be honest and say that until very recently I had never heard of it! The reason that I have heard of it now is simply because they have rated our 2012 Castro Martin ‘Family Estate Selection’ as one of their Top Ten Seafood Wines – not only the only albariño in the top ten, but actually the only Spanish white in this category.

They said:  “The vineyards from which this Albariño was produced are on average 50 years old, lending the grapes intense, complex flavors. Having aged “on the lees” for five to six months, the wine also picked up yeasty aromas and flavors. A fine Albariño featuring white fruit aromas, it reveals peach, pear and lemon flavors with a generous minerality on the palate. Fresh white fish, oysters or sashimi would make excellent pairings.”

Naturally, we are quite happy with this recommendation.

There is a website in the United States called Gayot (guy-OH) which is dedicated to the ‘Good Life’, posting reviews of hotels, restaurants, food and wine – it apparently gets 320,000 hits per month. I have to be honest and say that until very recently I had never heard of it! The reason that I have heard of it now is simply because they have rated our 2012 Castro Martin ‘Family Estate Selection’ as one of their Top Ten Seafood Wines – not only the only albariño in the top ten, but actually the only Spanish white in this category.

They said:  “The vineyards from which this Albariño was produced are on average 50 years old, lending the grapes intense, complex flavors. Having aged “on the lees” for five to six months, the wine also picked up yeasty aromas and flavors. A fine Albariño featuring white fruit aromas, it reveals peach, pear and lemon flavors with a generous minerality on the palate. Fresh white fish, oysters or sashimi would make excellent pairings.”

Naturally, we are quite happy with this recommendation.

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’?