Category: Life

Sometimes I write about something that doesn’t fit in any of the other categories.

Life, Uncategorized

Brazilian Churrasco for Americans


Explaining the “Brazilian Churrasco” to US Americans

Today is Fourth of July, the day we celebrate Independence Day, usually by lighting up the grill and inviting family and friends to a backyard barbecue.

(if you are Brazilian, you should read this post instead).

I was born in Brazil, another country where eating meat is an important piece of the diet and cultural identity. Having lived in California for 20 years and spent some time in Australia (another country with BBQ credentials) and Alabama (where “BBQ” means something very different), I have seen many cultural misunderstandings when it comes to eating beef.

So, before heading out to the Fourth of July BBQ,  I sat down this morning to write about the American way of eating beef for Brazilians. After publishing that article, I realized it would be fun to do the reverse and try to explain the Brazilian way of eating beef for my American friends.

In the past years, “Brazilian Steak Houses” or Churrascarias became very popular in the US. If you open an airline magazine, more than half of the advertisements are for those relatively expensive dining experiences.

First, the Beef

Brazilian cattle have more “Zebu” (original from India) in its genes. American beef has more “Taurine” (from Europe). US cattle is raised confined and “grain-fed”, not eating grass in an open pasture as designed by nature.

As a result, American beef is fattier and tenderer than natural beef you would find South of the Equator. In fact, the USDA classification of beef assumes “marbling” (fat deposits within the meat – side-effect of corn feeding) as an indication more desirable beef.

The way we cut beef is also different. The most popular cut for grilling in Brazil is “Picanha” (which is a piece of Top Sirloin), which in the US is hard to find because it gets separated and mixed with other cuts of beef. The closest you will find in a typical US supermarket of what Brazilians would consider a good piece of beef for grilling is Sirloin or Tri-Tip.

Steak house cuts (Rib Eye, NY Strip) are also popular in Brazil for everyday thin pan-fried steaks (the same steak you find in French Steak Frites), but not the most prized for grill cooking.

Churrasco and South America Pampas

A Churrascaria is a restaurant where servers dressed in Gaúcho attire walk around holding big pieces of beef on skewers and slicing them into mesmerized guest’s plates. It is “all-you-can-eat” meat, there is usually a good salad bar.

Eating at a churrascaria is an experience and, to a large degree, it is an authentic Brazilian experience.

“Churrasco” is meat cooked over an open flame, typically in very large pieces using very large skewers. It can also be used to describe beef cooked on a grill over coals (much like the barbecue).

Gaúchos (gah -oooo -chos) are the peoples in the South-American pampas (South of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina), the South American “cowboys”. They eat a lot of beef and also drink Yerba Mate tea.

A Brazilian Barbecue

What should you expect if you visit Brazil and someone invites you for a barbecue (“churrasco”) in their backyard?

Churrascarias are a very specific type of restaurant and are not necessarily the way Brazilians eat beef most of the time.

A typical “barbecue” will not be very different from what I see in California: family and friends, beer and Caipirinha (Brazilian signature cocktail made of cachaça, lime, sugar), a charcoal grill.

There might be other types of meat (chicken, sausages are common), but the star of the grill will be pieces of “Picanha” (top sirloin). Brazilian churrasqueiros will argue about the “right way” of grilling it, but most will agree on the following:

– Cut the piece of Top Sirloin (you can improvise with Tri-tip as well) in very thick steaks (leave the outside layer of fat on)

– Season it right before going to the grill with lots of coarse rock salt

– Grill it over charcoal until medium rare then cut in smaller byte-size pieces on a plate

– You can use your hands. Some like to dunk the morsel of meat in cassava flour before eating it.

Ok, need to leave or I’ll be late for Fourth of July barbecue.

Life, Portuguese, Uncategorized

Churrasco e Barbecue


O que o brasileiro tem que saber para comer carne nos EUA

(if you are not Brazilian, you should be reading this post instead)

Hoje é 4 de Julho, dia que se comemora a Independência dos Estados Unidos. E também o dia aqui na California em que se acende a grelha no quintal e se convida os amigos para uma cerveja e… um churrasco.

Comer carne é parte importante da cultura e da dieta brasileira e americana. Como nasci no Brasil, moro na California, visitei a Australia (outro pais com tradição churrasqueira) e já passei um tempo no Alabama (onde barbecue tem outro significado), já vi muito mal-entendido quando o assunto é comer carne.

Então, antes de sair para o meu BBQ de quatro de julho, sentei aqui para esclarecer algumas dessas confusões.

Primeiro, a carne

O boi americano é genéticamente diferente do boi brasileiro. O brasileiro tem mais “Zebu” (originado na India) enquanto o boi americano tem mais “Taurino” (originado na Europa). Os métodos de criação de gado nos EUA são mais intensivos, com o boi confinado e alimentado com milho e outros grãos.

O resultado é que a carne bovina americana é mais gordurosa, mas macia e provavelmente menos saudável. No sistema de classificação do USDA (Departamento de Agricultura), uma carne tem graduação mais alta quando tem mais “marbling” (gordura misturada na carne, resultado da alimentação com grãos).

Os cortes de carne nos EUA também são diferentes. Para entender os detalhes, veja esse artigo. Alcatra é “Eye Round”. Contra-Filé é “Strip Steak/Rib Eye”. Maminha é “Sirloin”. Picanha é difícil de encontrar (porque ele acaba dividido e misturado com outros cortes), mas quando se acha, é “Top Sirloin”.

Confusão, confusão

No Brasil, nós comemos “bife” (uma porção de carne, cortado em um filé fino, normalmente frito na panela ou chapa e servido no prato) ou “churrasco” (normalmente assadas no espeto ou na grelha e fatiadas no momento de servir).

Imagino que “bife” é uma tradução mal-feita de “beef” a palavra em inglês para designar carne bovina. Bife aqui é “steak”.

“Barbecue” é uma palavra usada nos paises de língua inglesa para o aparato para se cozinhar carne (a “churrasqueira”) ou o evento onde se prepara carne na grelha (a “churrascada”).

Mas no sul dos EUA  “Barbecue” (BBQ) tomou significado próprio. É uma forma específica de se preparar carne (normalmente suína): a carne é defumada e cozida em temperatura baixa por várias horas até ficar bem macia (“fall off the bone”) e servida com um molho doce a base de tomate, vinagre e acúcar (“BBQ sauce”).

  1. Carne = Beef
  2. Bife = Steak (maior e mais grosso que bife)
  3. Churrasqueira = Barbecue (fora dos EUA)
  4. Churrasqueira = Grill (EUA)
  5. Churrasco = Barbecue (California)
  6. Carne desfiada com molho = Barbecue (EUA)
  7. Não coloque molho BBQ no bife ou churrasco

Então, como se come carne nos EUA?

Enquanto no Brasil tem gente que come um “bife” quase todo dia, nos EUA, quem come carne no dia-a-dia, normalmente o faz na forma de hamburger no restaurante fast-food.

O “steak” americano é um pedaço substancial de carne (normalmente 300-500g) de uns 3cm de altura, temperado com sal e pimenta do reino, preparado na grelha e servido ao ponto. É como se come carne quando se vai a um “steak house”.

Os cortes melhores e mais populares são o “Rib Eye Steak” ou o “NY Strip Steak” (ambos em torno do contra-filé).

Quando se pede carne em um restaurante, você vai ouvir a pergunta “How do you want your steak cooked?” As respostas esperadas são “rare” (tostado fora, cru por dentro), “medium-rare” (ao ponto, que é o ponto certo), ou “medium” (um pouco mais passado que ao ponto). Se você disser “medium-well” ou “well-done” (bem passado), corre o risco de ser chutado para fora do restaurante (o que seria bem merecido).

A imagem que americano come “hamburger e hot dog” é correta até certo ponto, mas é normalmente distorcida para indicar que americanos não entendem de carne (o que não é verdade).

No churrasco do quintal, hot dogs são para as crianças. Além dos “steaks”, o corte mais comum para se assar carne na grelha em peça inteira é o “tri-tip”.

Nos EUA, o termo “Barbecue” pode ser usado como o brasileiro usa “churrasco” (uma reunião onde se prepara carne na grelha), mas também indica um jeito específico de se preparar carne no sul (defumada, assada em fogo baixo por horas, servida com molhos doces).

Preste atenção no contexto. Se estiver na California e te convidarem para um BBQ no quintal, provavelmente é um churrasco como você está acostumado. Se perguntarem se “voce gosta de BBQ?” ou convidarem para ir a um “BBQ restaurant”, isso significa outra coisa.

Colocar molho BBQ no steak é confusão de Californianos que não entendem de carne e que (pasmem) as vezes é copiado em outros lugares por gente desinformada. Em boas steak-houses, pedir “BBQ sauce” é ofensa ao mestre churrasqueiro.

Churrascarias, ou “Brazilian Steak Houses” ficaram comuns nos EUA nos últimos anos. O Fogo de Chão (que tem mais restaurantes nos EUA que no Brasil) e outra cadeias brasileiras tem restaurantes na maioria das capitais americanas. O americano sofre tentando pronunciar “churrascaria”, mas gosta da experiência.

Life, Portuguese, Travel

Uma Visão Brasileira do Vale do Silício


Dois dias (ou décadas) no Vale do Silício

Era um domingo em 1991 quando recebi uma ligação. “Quer ir morar na California?”. Em 92 me mudei de São Paulo, onde nasci e cresci, para o Vale do Silício. Vim para ajudar a construir a Cyclades (uma empresa brasileira que se tornou global), com a idéia de passar dois ou três anos nos EUA. Duas décadas depois ainda moro lá (estou escrevendo esse post de Campinas-SP, durante uma viagem de negócios).

Tenho escrito muito a respeito de Mídias Sociais, Marketing e Tecnologia, mas sempre em inglês. Nas últimas semanas, depois de ter sido listado como um dos “50 brasileiros todo empresário deve seguir em Twitter” me conectei com bastante gente no Brasil e resolvi começar a publicar em Português também.

Então além de @Marcio_Saito (temas usuais: Social Media, Marketing, Tecnologia, Montanhismo, em Inglês), vou tuitar em @Marcio_SaitoBR usando hashtag #diretodovale com foco na conexão Vale do Silício – Brasil.

Esse é o meu post inaugural, então decidi falar um pouco do Vale do Silício. Não as histórias tradicionais de “empresários de sucesso”, mas uma visão mais pessoal de um brasileiro morando no dito cujo a tanto tempo.

Onde fica esse tal de Vale do Silício?

O Silicon Valley cobre a área ao sul da Bahia de San Francisco. O nome vem de Silício, a matéria-prima para os chips que iniciaram a revolução digital, mas hoje e associado a tecnologia em geral (ainda normalmente relacionado a computação, mas também incluindo biotecnologia e “green”). Cobre várias cidades parte da região da “Bay Area”, incluindo San Jose (Cisco), Santa Clara (Intel), Cupertino (Apple), Mountain View, Palo Alto (Google, Facebook), Redwood City (Oracle). No mapa acima, mas ou menos desde San Mateo na península até Fremont no lado leste da Bahia.

O coração do Vale do Silício é a cidade de San José, que tem cerca de 1 milhão de habitantes e fica 70km (uma hora de carro) da mais famosa, mas menor, San Francisco.

Como as pessoas vivem no Vale do Silício?

A vida é suburbana. São várias cidades emendadas. As pessoas vivem em casas térreas e as áreas residenciais são espalhadas com ruas largas. Algumas “freeways” cruzam a região (101 na peninsula, entre San Jose e San Francisco, 237 no Sul, e a 880 de San Jose a Berkeley no lado Leste da Bahia).

Uma das maiores surpresas quando cheguei aqui e fui para um shopping: o burburinho não era em inglês. Demograficamente, os americanos são minoria no vale. A maior parte da população é formada por imigrantes de outros paises: México, Índia, China, Vietnam, Filipinas, etc. Viver no vale é um exercício de diversidade e tolerância, com gente do mundo inteiro. Essa experiência é visível na variedade de restaurantes, arquitetura, vestuário, etc.

Ninguém sabe o tamanho exato da comunidade brasileira na área por que ela inclui imigrantes sem documentação e imigrantes transitórios que vão para ficar por tempo limitado. Mas existe uma comunidade emergente de brasileiros ligados a Universidade de Stanford e a tecnologia do Vale do Silício.

Em business, a cultura é anti-mainstream e casual. Não se usa gravata. Não é incomum encontrar gente de chinelo de dedo no escritório.

Por que a tradição em tecnologia?

É difícil de isolar um motivo para o sucesso sustentado do vale na área de tecnologia. Tem a ver com a diversidade (gente do mundo inteiro vem ao vale para “dar certo”), as Universidades (Stanford em Palo Alto, UC em Berkeley, etc), o eco-sistema (venture capitalists, empreendedores, mão-de-obra qualificada, infraestrutura).

E tem terremoto mesmo? É verdade que nunca chove?

Tem dezenas de tremores pequenos todo dia. O Vale do Silício é cortado de norte a sul no lado da peninsula pela San Andrea fault e no lado leste pelas Hayward e Calaveras faults, as linhas de deslocamento da crosta terrestre, onde a placa do Pacífico está sendo empurrada para baixo da America do Norte. Em San Jose, uma vez por mês você sente um tremor (de magnitude 4) em algum lugar perto. O último terremoto grande (6+) foi em 1989 (Loma Prieta).

Então, eu que moro no Vale do Silício desde 1992, ainda não peguei “the big one”. Para ver e acreditar: Mapa de terremotos na California essa semana.

Entre Abril e Outubro, as pessoas marcam casamentos ao ar aberto sem se preocupar muito pois chove muito pouco. No inverno chove e a temperatura chega próximo de zero. No verão chega a 40C, mas o ar é muito seco então a sensação de frio ou calor é menos extrema que em São Paulo.

Dois dias no Vale do Silício

Se você resolver me visitar e tiver dois dias para visitar o vale, aqui estão algumas sugestões:

– Palo Alto e Universidade de Stanford – University Ave, saída da Hwy 101. Visite a garagem onde começou a HP e o campus da universidade berço de várias das empresas do vale (visite a maior coleção de esculturas do Rodin fora da França, incluindo “O Pensador”).

– GooglePlex – Arrume alguém conhecido que trabalhe na Google em Mountain View e seja convidado para almoçar lá. Você vai notar o ambiente desestruturado e informal e a cultura empresarial dominante no Vale do Silício. Se não conseguir ser convidado, almoce no Calafia em Palo Alto, o restaurante do primeiro “chef” contratado pela Google para cozinhar para os funcionários, uma amostra da perpectiva Californiana da cozinha (organicos, locais, ingredientes frescos).

– Vinícolas de Santa Cruz Mountains – Quem pensa em vinho Californiano normalmente pensa em Napa e Sonoma, que são regiões vinícolas de renome internacional. O que pouca gente sabe é que a região vinícola de Santa Cruz Mountains é mais acessível e tem vinícolas tão interessantes e produzindo os melhores Pinot Noirs. Como as vinícolas são pequenas, os vinhos não são encontrados e outros lugares.

– Santana Row  – Santana Row é o equivalente local da Rodeo Drive em Los Angeles. É onde estão as lojas das marcas de luxo, em um “open air shopping mall”. Aproveite para visitar o showroom da Tesla (carros elétrica). Em um final de semana, jante no Straits Cafe (um restaurante com preços moderados e cozinha de Cingapura). Depois das 10, o restaurante vira night club e você vê uma amostra da diversidade do vale vestida para caçar.

– Museus de Tecnologia – Para mim, um museu de tecnologia é um paradoxo. Mas tem várias opções. O mais interessante é o Tech Museum no centro de San Jose que tem atrações para crianças e marmanjos. Museus mais focados: Intel Technology Museum em Santa Clara mais focado em chips e silício e o Computer History Museum em Mountain View.

– Empresas de tecnologia – O melhor é conhecer alguém que tenha acesso, mas dá para pegar um pouco do ar simplesmente passando pelas empresas. Dirija pela 101, 237 e você vai todos os nomes em tecnologia: Oracle, Yahoo!, Google, Intel, Cisco, …

– Restaurantes Brasileiros – Se ficar mais tempo e sentir saudade. Não tem muito não, reflexo da comunidade pequena. Churrascarias viraram moda nos EUA nos últimos anos. A melhor é a “Espetus” em Burlingame. Para comida mais caseira no vale do silício, a gente vai no “Senzala” em Mountain View.

Quando vier, me avise. Terei prazer em oferecer dicas adicionais. Até então conecte comigo em @Marcio_SaitoBR e acompanhe o hashtag #diretodovale.

Life, Social Media, Uncategorized

Time to Say Thank You.


This week is the time of the year when we in the US take a break from our busy lives to do something very important. No, not eating turkey and cranberry sauce. No, not researching the new gadget to buy during the Black Friday sale.

It is the time we use to express Gratitude.

Gratitude is a positive emotion we feel in acknowledgment of a benefit we have received. Saying “Thank You” is the way to express that emotion which, I believe, is the basis of life in community. It recognizes the fact that we depend on one another to live, to be ourselves.

We get used to say “Thank You” as a matter of social protocol. This is the time to bring its meaning back to consciousness.

I grew up in Brazil and my native language is Portuguese. We say “Obrigado“, which is not my favorite expression because it equals gratitude with indebtedness. Literally, it says “I owe you something”.

In my travels around the world I have always taken interest not only on the local word to express gratitude, but also on its literal meaning and the social attitude behind it.

My favorite form of “Thank You” is the one used in Malaysia. “Terima Kasih” sounds very friendly and it literally translates to “Receive Love”.

I am no historian or linguist, but I theorize that words equating gratitude and indebtedness have roots in a period in history where gratitude was used as social currency between levels of hierarchy, where favors were exchanged for political loyalty. Words that equals gratitude with love reflect a more equal exchange between peers.

I have been blogging on Social Business for about a year now. I think we are shifting from a business environment where stronger relationships are more people-to-people and less customer-to-company or people-to-expert. In Social Business, gratitude has to be more like love and less like indebtedness.

For more on Gratitude, see the article on Wikipedia (BTW, Wikipedia needs support and is asking for donations, not out of indebtedness, but true gratitude).

Here is a list to say Thank You in other languages.

Namastê (from Sanskrit), used in Nepal and India, is a salutation that roughly translates to “I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me” (“Thank You” is “Dhan-ya-vaad”). It feels to me like how the ideal Thank You should be like.

With that in mind, I would like to say Thank You for reading, agreeing or disagreeing, providing feedback and teaching me through interaction.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Life, Uncategorized

Good Metaphors are Truth


Metaphors are a figure of speech that aims to conveying one idea in terms of another. As an old teacher once told me, “it is like comparing two things, but doing it in a way that the other person doesn’t notice.”

One of the classic references is “Metaphors we Live by” (George Lakoff/Mark Johnsson).

Why are metaphors so attractive and powerful?

Looking for common patterns and trying to reduce the Universe to a basic set of unifying rules is our way of dealing with complexity. Metaphors are tools for applying knowledge in one field transposing them into another.

Is that really true? Are metaphors passive tools? Or are they patterns embedded in our physical brain, driving the way we perceive and (mis-)understand things around us? If the “The Medium is the Message”, then maybe metaphors are our brain (trying to do as the old teacher said).

I was in Twitter this morning discussing an interesting business metaphor (could we create a “Company health index”) with @NurtureGirl and @KRCraft.

@HarryLyme interjected with: “as attractive as such abstractions tend to be: all metaphors are ultimately false.”

That thought made me think and conclude just the opposite.

Our brains work through patterns. That is why metaphors are so useful and powerful. They can take over our thoughts, shape our understand and lead us to conclusions disconnected from the original issue. Caution is advised.

But the world around us also follows patterns (or so does it appear to me). If that is true, our brain workings just mimic those patterns, then some metaphors might just be true.

Our brain follows patterns. So does the Universe.

Good metaphors are Truth.

Ok, time to go look for something to eat.

Life, Social Media, Uncategorized

The Power of Collaboration


Late last week, my house was invaded by Argentine ants. That happens every year after a bout of high temperatures in late summer, so I know what to do. I set ant baits (Home Depot sells the only brand effective with this variety) and have to be patient and live with the invaders for a couple of days.

So I had been observing them on my kitchen floor and worked on this post, but was preempted a couple of day ago by another “Business Lessons from Ants” post by Nbuduisi Ekekwe on HBR.

This morning I decided my story is a bit different and worth publishing. So here it is.

I imagine that for an ant, looking for a small crumb of food on my kitchen floor is comparable in dimension to me searching from a hot-dog cart in an area the size of Manhattan. But working as a collaborative community ants can accomplish that task with very surprising efficiency.

A few dozen ants enter the kitchen and explore following a seemingly random pattern. It could take an hour, but eventually one of them finds the food crumb. She then starts a new search, for another fellow scouter. Once they find each other, they briefly touch antennas “I’ve found food”. The original ant traces back to the food (leaving a chemical trail that others can follow), the second one start looking for the next scouter to spread the news in the same manner.

That is when the magic happen. Within 5-10 minutes of the first discovery, the simple algorithm converges quickly. An obstacle-optimized highway forms between the point where they enter the house and the piece of food. An army of hundreds of thousands (enough to fill half of my vacuum cleaner canister) then invade the kitchen.

I would assume each ant is pre-programmed with a very simple algorithm and has no visibility of the higher-level mission. But using a very collaborative method and a simple and descentralized communication method, the colony can explore vast areas, and very efficiently create a path from newfound food and the nest.

Observing ants brought a few thoughts to my mind:

  • Classical business rely on work hierarchy, segmentation, specialization and competition to execute
  • Ants show us that equal individuals working collaboratively, without central command (well, there is a queen, but she doesn’t seem to be very dictatorial), can execute tasks that are far beyond the ability (or even the understanding) of each individual
  • Are we wired to collaborate and share information like ants seem to be? I believe we are “social”, but to a lesser degree than ants are.
  • The successful implementation of social business models will depend on our ability to learn some of the lessons ants can offer.

There are many other lessons and thoughts that can emerge from observing ants. But I had to stop to cook dinner.

Life, Uncategorized

Making Caipirinha



Some of my friends will engage in long discussions on what is “the” recipe and process to make a “real” Caipirinha, but the traditional Brazilian cocktail is really really simple.

The word caipirinha translates to “country girl”, but that doesn’t carry much meaning. Caipirinha is really the name of the drink. It is a refreshing cocktail that can be found anywhere in Brazil and in bars around the world.

It is made from Cachaça (a.k.a. “Pinga”), a clear or slightly golden distilled from fermented sugar cane typical from Brazil. It is similar, but different, from rum (which is distilled from molasses). Popular and readily available brands include “51”, “Pitú”and “Ypioca”. In the US market “Sagatiba”, and “Leblon” are the most common.

Most cachaça is produced in high volume and intended to be mixed or to be taken as a shot. There is higher-quality cachaça meant to be sipped straight,  but you need to have a Brazilian friend to find one.

Here is my Caipirinha recipe (for two):

  • 2 small-to-medium limes
  • 4 teaspoons of sugar
  • 4 ounces of Cachaça
  • ice

Look for limes with smooth and thin skin. Wash, trim the top and bottom off, cut them in wedges or 1/8s. Add the sugar and mash with a muddler. Add the Cachaça. Shake the mixture and serve in a old-fashioned heavy glass with crushed ice.

Variations include the use of Vodka instead of Cachaça or the addition of other fruit juices (in which case, Brazilians call it “Batida”).

Here are a few examples of cachaça you will find in my pantry.

Life, Uncategorized

So, what is “Meritage”?


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So we have another of our wine tasting dinners this weekend. Our theme this month is “Unusual Blend.”

In the Old World, most wines are classic blends of different grapes. There are baseline proportions, but the wine maker will adjust the exact amount of each grape based on the characteristics of the harvest each year (with the purpose of maintaining balance and expressing the character of the local weather and soil conditions – the terroir). Wines are labeled based on the region where it is produced, following the classic local blend.

For example, Bordeaux is a region in the Southwest of France producing both white and red wines. Red wines are produced as a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes (sometimes with the addition of a small proportion of Malbec and Carmenere).

Rioja is a region in Northern Spain. The Red Riojas are made mostly of Tempranillo (60%) and Granacha (20%), with smaller proportions of Graciano and Mazuelo grapes.

The better climate conditions in the wine producing regions of the New World allow wine makers to produce wines from a single grape varietal (searching to maximize the potential and express the character of the grape and the region). Accordingly, wines are labelled based on the varietal and region (Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Russian River Pinot Noir, etc).

So, California is generally known for its Cabernet Sauvignon. The Santa Cruz Mountains leverages the local micro-climate to product great Pinot Noirs. Australia wine regions produce lots of Shiraz.

Some grapes that were originally used in Europe only as a minor component of classic blends have been expressed in single-varietals in the New World. Argentina produces world class Malbecs and Chile produces Carmenere, for example.

When blends are produced outside the traditional regions in Europe, they cannot carry the original region name, which are protected by a international regulatory system.

In the US, wines must contain at least 75% of a grape to be labeled as that varietal, so Bordeaux-like blends do not qualify as a varietal and there was growing frustration among wine makers with a generic “red wine” label.

So in 1988, the Meritage association was created to manage a newly created trademark to designate those blends made from grapes traditional from Bordeaux in California (membership has since grown to include some other international wines).

Life, Uncategorized

Spanish Wines


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We get together for wine tasting once a month or so. There is usually a theme and we each bring a bottle and a dish to share.

Late last year we had a Spanish wine evening and, because I was in a brief period between jobs, I had the time to research and select all the bottles for the evening. Since them, I have continued to taste the Spanish wines I can find in California. I think they are under appreciated here and decided to put together this post.

At its worst, I think wines made of Tempranillo have a similar character as cheap Chianti wines you pick up from the bottom shelf in supermarkets. At its best, Rioja and Ribera del Duero wines made of Tempranillo are considered some of the best wines in the world.

Photo Credits: Margaret N

The line up for that night sampled the main wine regions and styles of Spanish wine: we had a Jerez Sherry, an Albariño, a pair of Riojas (wanted to compare a Crianza with a Reserve), a couple of Ribeira del Duero. I had a bottle of Cava and a couple of Priorats, which we saved for a later day. For food we had Marcona Almonds, Manchego cheese, Jamón Serrano, and several other dishes. I also tried to cook a Paella (my Spanish friends said Scallops would be a very unusual ingredient).

Spain is one the most traditional producers of wine in the world, with the largest planted area and third largest production of wine worldwide (behind Italy and France).

Tempranillo, Albariño, Garnacha, Cariñena are some of the most common grapes. Rioja is the premier wine producing region, with Ribera del Duero and Priorat also producing great wines. The region of Jerez produce Sherry (fortified wine) and Catalonia produces Cava (sparkling). Rias Baixas produces white Albariños.

Besides the use of the Tempranillo grape, Spanish wines are thought to be more “rustic” and employ more traditional wine making methods. Modernization of the industry happened later compared to other wine producing countries.

Spanish wines are often labeled by age. Crianza are young wines (aged 2 years, with at least 6 months in oak), Reserva (at least 3 years with one year in oak), Gran Reservas are produced only in above average vintages and require 5 years, with 3 years in oak. Not unusual for Spanish wines to be released only after 10+ years of aging.

Rioja reds usually are made mostly with Tempranillo, with some blending of Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo grapes. Rioja was influenced by Boardeaux producers in the 17th century and uses oak barrels to age wine.

Ribera del Duero is the second wine producing region, also using mostly Tempranillo grapes. Tinto Pesquera produces wines that are often among the top rated by wine experts.

Priorat is less traditional (and sometimes more innovative) and uses Garnacha and Carineña grapes.

Rias Baixas Produces the best whites from the Albariño grapes.