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- Michael Grisley
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3 months ago
in Table Manners in Spain: Tackling The Tough Questions Like Where to Put the Olive Pit on Catavino
Great post Gab!! Reading this brought back some fantastic memories of the first time I visited Spain and was blown away at the tapas bar in San Sebastian where I was allowed, hell, encouraged to throw all my thrash on the floor! Now, for most this is probably no big deal to most, but at the time I was 16, drank my first glass of Spanish wine and was allowed to throw everything on the floor?? Believe me, this was absolute heaven for a young traveler!!
1 reply
gabriellaopaz
Just saw a great documentary on the Bobal grape of Utiel-Requena. And in the film, they were reminiscing 30 years back when little children used to have a glass of wine diluted with water every day with their snack, or even drizzled on bread. I love this tradition, and am sad to hear that it is on the decline for international products like coca-cola. However, if we're very lucky in our "hard" work of educating the world about Iberian wine, just maybe we'll be able to influence people to go back to their "roots" and enjoy more wine with, or without, their meals. Thanks for the comment Michael.
3 months ago
in Vinho e Coisas: A Unique and Innovative Wine Shop near Porto, Portugal on Catavino
Looks like an amazing place!! Ivone obviously loves what she is doing and wants to share that with all her customers, it's fantastic. Now, I just need a plane ticket........
1 reply
gewurz22
Dear Michael,
thanks for your message. I hope that you can find a ticket plane soon as visit us!
Do not hesite to contact me if you need any thing.
Yours sincerely,
Ivone
thanks for your message. I hope that you can find a ticket plane soon as visit us!
Do not hesite to contact me if you need any thing.
Yours sincerely,
Ivone
4 months ago
in Catavino is off to London - Enjoy These Wine Links While We’re Gone! on Catavino
Good Luck in London Opai, I hope you can change some opinions about social media and wine, as well as taste some incredible new wines! I would personally look forward to the Cava tasting and can't wait to hear what you have to say about the entire trip. I'll be tuning in to Spit N' Swallow as well (hhhmmmmmmm, I think that name sounds familiar ;) !!
Cheers!
Cheers!
1 reply
Ryan Opaz
Yeah the name might sound a bit familiar! :) Your welcome to come along, if you can find a flight in time! Cheers,
8 months ago
in Global Economic Crisis and Spanish Wine, Portugal Pay Attention on Catavino
I was waiting for some news from Spain about all this as I just read their unemployment rate is the highest it has been in years. As a US based importer of mainly Spanish wine, I am curious and even more nervous about how this is going to effect Spanish wine producers, and in turn, business here in US. My main concern with Spain is one that isn't anything new, but something I feel needs to change. It is the concept of "regional" marketing. It seems to me that there aren't any "SPAIN" marketing campaigns (well, effective ones anyway!) and I think this is unfortunate. Regions such as Rioja, Priorato, Ribera del Duero and Rias Baixas have fantastic regional ad campaigns and marketing in the US, but I think for Spain to "weather the economic crisis" as you say, this could be another easy, relatively inexpensive way to help promote "SPAIN," not just individual regions. These places are already paying top dollar to promote their regions, why not join forces, cut costs, and promote Spain as a whole? That being said, in my mind, this could be done VERY easily and INEXPENSIVELY through the internet as you mention. Anyway you look at it, I think that Spain and Portugal, hell, for that matter, every wine producing country needs to have a bigger presence in the online world. Especially with the problems that France is having with their advertising woes, now is the time to for Spain and Portugal to jump at the opportunity to promote their wines any way possible, but especially more through the internet.
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3 replies
gabriellaopaz
Michael, I would love to see this happen, but I fear that it never will. Why? Allow me to explain through an example. While at a conference here in Spain, I was chatting with a woman from Galicia about this very same issue. I could see her fingers dig deep within her palms, her jaw grind in a slow and meticulous circular fashion and her shoulders tense to the point of snapping, simply because she didn't want her region, culture, and life blood to be associated with the brand, Spain. Sadly, she is not alone, as you well know, Catalans would rather saw off their right foot than associate themselves with the peninsula. While trying to sell Steve De Long's Iberian map here in Barcelona, I stopped by a Catalan book store, hosting several maps of Catalunya, asking if they might be interested in an Iberian wine map. "No, if it is not solely of Catalunya, we're not interested and there's the door", was his general response.
My point being, that anger, fear and cultural discrimination during Franco's time has literally ripped this country into some large swaths of regional isolation, and regardless of an economic crisis, unless we're begging in the streets for someone to buy a bottle of wine, I doubt it will happen. But I'm happy to be proved wrong!!!! The best I think we hope for is some gutsy Spanish wineries to get on the ball and start using the internet to market their individual, or regional, brands.
My point being, that anger, fear and cultural discrimination during Franco's time has literally ripped this country into some large swaths of regional isolation, and regardless of an economic crisis, unless we're begging in the streets for someone to buy a bottle of wine, I doubt it will happen. But I'm happy to be proved wrong!!!! The best I think we hope for is some gutsy Spanish wineries to get on the ball and start using the internet to market their individual, or regional, brands.
Vitor Mendes
Michael you are so right! One of the big problems here in Portugal, is that people are still very close minded! The internet is still a relatively unknown tool for the most part of the guy´s who decide the businesses in the wineries os wine companies. How to change this? Believe me i dont know... What i knoe is that we need a strategy, and the people that depends on this industry got to open their eyes to this tool, if not we will have a real crisis in the next years. The critics reviews are great, th wines are great to, but without a strategy to build a brand we will not be able to get there! At Vinixá our goal is to be different even on that point, and although we are still very young on the industry, and we are a little short on the advertising budget, we are trying hard to become one of the front guy´s. From your end we need to believe in us, and help us on the US market to spread also the word on our wines. Together we can make things hapend, in spight of all crisis and closed minds...
Cheers
Cheers
8 months ago
in All Gabriella Wants for her Birthday is the Assurance that you VOTED! on Catavino
Happy Birthday Gab!!!! PLease, please, please have the Coto de Gomariz Colleita Seleccionada with your Thai Food, it will be perfect!!!! Wish I was there for the festivities, but I have to vote today for your birthday present!
1 reply
gabriellaopaz
Hey Michael, I'm not sure if the restaurant will allow me to bring the wine, but we'll bring it along and see if they won't make an exception ;-)
