DISQUS

Dear friends, As a blogger-to-be, I have to say that the conference was an incredibly valuable experience for me. It answered a lot of questions and suggested others that hadn't occurred to me. I'm also grateful for having met so many enthusiastic prople for whom blogging is not only a passion but enjoyable, too. I can hardly wait to get my blog up and running. It was very refreshing to see so much sharing of information. The wine business (at least in Rioja) is so secretive - no one is willing to share anything out of fear that an idea will be copied. Your sharing reminds me of how open Spain's top chefs are-it's not about competition but improving everyone's lot by being open. My most heartfelt thanks to Ryan, Gabriella and Rob for their superb organization and to you fellow attendees for your advice and encouragement. Un abrazo, Tom

I was told by one of the owners of the La Rioja Alta winery several years ago (who lives in Vitoria and, I believe, speaks Basque fluently-anyway, his surname is Aránzabal), that he thinks RIOJA came from the Basque words for "cold land" (herri hotza). Whether or not this is true, I believe the theory of Rioja's coming from Basque is the most plausible, as Basque was spoken throughout Rioja in the Middle Ages. If you visit the monastery at San Millan de la Cogolla you will see an inscription in old Basque on the wall near the stairs.