Blame it on Rioja

Doug Frost MS, MW at the Worlds of Flavor Conference at CIA Greystone, November 8, 2008.

Over the weekend, at the Culinary Institute of America Greystone’s Worlds of Flavor Conference in California’s Napa Valley, “A Mediterranean Flavor Odyssey,” I sat in on “Delicious Pairings: The Wines of Rioja and the Best of Basque Tapas,” a seminar I helped put together, hosted by Doug Frost, one of only three people in the world to be both a Master Sommelier and a Master of Wine, and Patxi Bergara, San Sebastian’s most creative pintxos chef.

I had wisely decided to set up my FlipVideo Camera in the front row, and although I plan to post Rioja-related clips here at some point, I decided to begin with something a bit more general: a short, two-minute commentary by Doug Frost on the notion of a universal palate.

Incisive and perceptive, his comments are also very, very funny.

Ryan and Gabriella Opaz, the tireless couple behind Catavino.net, don’t mess around.

Apart from compiling a huge trove of information and insight on Iberian wine and constantly tweaking their website to benefit their readers’ online experience, the Barcelona-based duo are also launching the first annual European Wine Bloggers conference next month in Logrono, La Rioja’s capital, a collaboration with Robert McIntosh, author of the UK wine blog, the Wine Conversation.

After a whirlwind trip to Rioja this spring, they compiled an extensive dossier on the Rioja wine region, complete with maps and tasting notes and even video, by far the best single online resource on the region that I know of.