Featured – Travel Guide to Portugal

Catavino’s new space! Welcome to theLAB

Ryan Opaz — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 17:12:52 +0000

After 15 years of living in Iberia, we can look back with pride at a very long and satisfying list of adventures, experiences, and travels. We’ve soared all over Europe to taste homemade foods in the comfort of people’s homes, old wines in even older cellars, swanky bars in the limelight of the cities, and everything in between. It’s been amazing, but the time had come to settle down.

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Catavino Wrote a Book!!

Gabriella Opaz — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 23:37:40 +0000

It has been a long hard road, full of ups and downs, but today we are incredibly excited to announce that Catavino’s first book, The Undiscovered Food Stories of Northern Portugal, is finished. Sonia, Ryan and I are a bit tired, but we’re extremely thrilled that we have finally reached the end of a journey that took us deep into the heart of Portuguese food. Our muse was Bolhão Market — the…

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Escape to Alella: Come Savor this Small but Mighty Spanish Wine Region

Guest Author — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:35:57 +0000

“You can see that these are smaller, and they form more of a cone-like shape than the traditional round clusters you’re used to seeing,” she says pointing to a delicate looking bunch of grapes hanging from a sturdy vine. “That’s because they’re Chardonnay grapes, while the ones on our left are Pansa Blanca.” The grapes glow green-gold in the light that shines on the grapes that hang hidden in…

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Discovering Dão Wines: The Burgundy of Portugal

Guest Author — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 16:05:59 +0000

It was a cool Lisbon summer night with a near-full moon, a breeze coming in from the Tagus River and friends coming over for dinner, life felt pretty good. Dinner parties happen to be one of my favorite pastimes, and Pete and I tend to make a solid team when it comes to hosting them (he feels strongly about the food, I like to pick the wine, we pick the tunes together). That said…

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Baking Bread with a Portuguese Grandmother

Sonia Nolasco — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 08:36:54 +0000

Housed in an 18th century baroque building, we leave behind the contrasting sleek interior of the bread and wine museum and step back onto the cobbled streets of the charming village of Favaios, where locals are taking respite from the intense July heat under red cafe umbrellas. We stroll towards the church as instructed and veer left in search of the old-school bread bakers (padeiras) of Favaios…

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12 Top Travel Tips when Visiting Madeira

Gabriella Opaz — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 09:52:48 +0000

You know that ever-so-frequent moment when your mind starts drifts to a tropical island filled with swaying palm trees, soaring cliffs and vine-covered mountains? That place where you conjure up an afternoon of gratuitous lounging, filled with copious amounts of wine and food while listening to soft island tunes in the background? Fortunate for you, the only difference between a daydream and…

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Book Review – Madeira: The Islands and their Wines?

Guest Author — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 13:40:48 +0000

Richard Mayson’s newest book, Madeira: The Islands and their Wines, is exactly what I needed. Let me explain. I’d just become a part-time wine student, and went to class one evening a week, initially just to get a bit of variety from life at my full-time day job. I was telling a friend about my recent enrollment in ‘wine school’ over our London-New York Skype chat. “That’s my kind of homework,”…

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Top 8 Tips to Enjoying the Beach in Spain and Portugal

Gabriella Opaz — Thu, 28 May 2015 08:29:48 +0000

Every culture has their way of celebrating summer, but the Iberians are full on experts at maximizing your beach lounging experience. From serene rocky shores filled with marine life to vivacious sandy beaches sporting live entertainment, swanky restaurants and topless women, there’s surely a beach that fits your style! But no matter where you are in southern Europe, there are some basic “rules”…

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How to Find the Best Spanish Brandy

Guest Author — Tue, 26 May 2015 09:00:55 +0000

“Claret is the liquor for boys; port, for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy…There are, indeed, few who are able to drink brandy. That is a power rather to be wished for than attained.” – Samuel Jackson Sipping brandy neat—no ice, no mixer—is an acquired taste for most, and like virtually all players in the world of alcoholic delights, not all brandies are up to such naked…

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Five Small Towns in Spain Every Foodie Needs to Visit!

Guest Author — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 10:30:29 +0000

Your visit to Spain need not take on the predictable pace of one city on Tuesday, then bolting to a new city on Wednesday, with one too many museums (and perhaps a little party island hastily thrown in at the end to catch a quick sunburn) before jetting back to cooler climates. Big cities like Madrid and Barcelona surely have their charms, but beyond these iconic hubs, a world of incredible…

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The Essential Travelers Guide to Ordering Fish in Spain

Guest Author — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 08:30:20 +0000

Standing in a Spanish pescadería can be intimidating, even to the most acclimated gringo. Unlike in the U.S., where the fish counters are neat and organized, filets in even rows, a Spanish fish market is not for the squeamish. Whole fish are displayed on ice, heads and tails intact. Large shiny eyes stare up at you, mouths gape wide to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth. To conquer a Spanish fish…

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Women’s History Month: Exploring the Maternal Side of Winemaking

Sonia Nolasco — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:22:37 +0000

Editor’s note: With the March being recognized for stories about inspiring women (also known as Women’s History Month in the USA), we thought it would be fitting to honor the only female master blender existing today, Ana Rosas, of the renowned Ramos-Pinto port house. A woman that oozes with, grace, passion and the warmest of maternal instincts—all the qualities (and more!) that Ana Rosas brings…

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Cabrito Estonado: The Easter Recipe Hidden in the Portuguese Mountains

Sonia Nolasco — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 15:31:44 +0000

Growing up, Portuguese kid stew was as ordinary to me as beef stew was to my American friends. Whenever there were mentions of “cabrito,” my smile lit up! Around this time of year, my younger self would be jumping for joy around my mother’s kitchen, since this was often the meal of choice for Easter. Chocolate bunnies didn’t excite me at all, but this sure did. Let’s just say I was a foodie way…

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6 Extreme Foods of Northern Portugal – For Foodie Adventurers

Gabriella Opaz — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 17:58:37 +0000

Don’t let the bucolic fields of pink and white almond blossoms, abundant fruit orchards and twisty vineyards fool you, there’s a gory, bloody side to Northern Portugal. Here is where you’ll find extreme snout to tail eating, where winter pig slaughters are a time for families to bond, to roll up their sleeves and hand-wash guts, sort through lard and season blood for sausages smoked over piles of…

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Catavino’s Top 10 Tips for Traveling in Portugal: Ditch the High Heels!

Gabriella Opaz — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 15:25:12 +0000

I adore a stunning pair of high heels. I’m not talking about the mammoth spikes that can alternatively be used as an assault weapon, or block heels that make you walk like un-oiled stick figure; I’m referring to the elegant sensible heels that sculpt your legs into sumptuous, sleek delectables. That said, Portugal is not for the heel obsessed. Frankly, […]