Disqus - Latest Comments for Arch Bell

Re: Iberian Links Around the Web and Catavino’s September Newsletter

Arch Bell — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:12:15 -0000

I live in Austin, TX and "On The Road" comes on every Friday night. Unfortunately I missed the first episode last week but I believe this week they are in Galicia which will be fun to see. Gwyneth Paltrow actually study abroad in Spain when she was a teenager and has always had a 'carino' for the country dating way back. I'm willing to bet her enthusiasm in this series which will make it better.

Re: Barcelona Wine Bar Review - Monvinic

Arch Bell — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:11:53 -0000

Oh boy... Sounds like you were the victim of the oh so common snooty wine bar. What a bummer. The thing is, they probably make tons of money off hot-shot Barcelona business execs who want to be wowed with a "pija" and "de moda" place to go and drink wine. Someone's gotta pay for those sliding doors! Olvidalo!

Re: Wine of the Week: 2001 Brut de Brut Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava from Cavas Recaredo

Arch Bell — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:27:23 -0000

It has been almost a year since my wife and I honeymooned in Spain which included a hike along the Costa Brava and then a delicious lunch sipping on white wine in Palafrugell. Your story brought back a happy memory. Thank you!

Re: Wine of the Week with Some Odds and Ends

Arch Bell — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:59:43 -0000

Monvinic does require credit for extending an olive branch to Ryan. Alot of places would not do that. Next time I'm in Barcelona (Please God, hopefully soon!), I'll swing by as well.

I absolutely love the town of Briones. Had a chance to visit Finca Allende last Fall. Methinks I need to try this Gravonia. Sounds delicious.

Lastly, hopefully the Iberian wine map will be made available soon to those of us in the good ol' USA. I would love a copy so I can map out where I'll go when I retire in 30-40 years!

Re: Wake Up Spanish Wineries! Wine Pleasures is Here!

Arch Bell — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:39:46 -0000

This is an excellent topic.

Part of my honeymoon last Fall was based on doing tours and visits of Spanish wineries. I found the information online to be very sparse. I really had to do alot of the work as far as contacting wineries and such. However, there is one major thing that stands out to me when it comes to Spanish wineries and tourism. They are not open on the weekend. This was something I did not even take into account. I was in Galicia on a weekend and merrily made my way down to the 'Ruta Do Vino' in the O Rosal region of the Rias Baixas only to find out all the wineries were closed on Saturday. I was crushed. Never did I even imagine that they would be closed. Of course my Spanish friend said, "Of course they would be closed. It's Saturday. No one is working."

All of my previous winery visits had been in either Napa, Sonoma or Texas and Saturday visits are the bread and butter and of their tourism. That is the opposite of Spain. I'm not saying that Spanish wineries should completely change their winery culture all together. But what I think would help is to make their wineries available on Saturday so people could visit. I could not imagine a more fun weekend then to bounce around different wineries in A Guarda right on the Mino River and sipping on Albarinos. The Spanish are some of the most welcoming and friendly people on the planet. Why can't their wineries be the same?

Re: Global Economic Crisis and Spanish Wine, Portugal Pay Attention

Arch Bell — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:48:51 -0000

I think Gabriella makes an excellent point here. You would be hard pressed to find a more regionalized country than Spain. I've been traveling regularly to Spain since 1996 and I can say that Spain winning the European Championships in futbol was probably the most unified time I ever saw the country.
Anyways, I could spend hours on this topic but in regards to wine branding and marketing, I think you would be hard pressed to ever find Catalans willing to share the marketing space with Gallegos or with Manchegos. Imagine a wine from Priorat or Montsant being marketing in the same space as a wine from the Madrid D.O.... Hah! Not likely.

Re: Catavino is Back in Spain: The Customs, Culture and Cuisine of India

Arch Bell — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:10:14 -0000

LOL!... I was wondering the same thing! But I'm sure Gabriella holds her own at the wine bars. :)