Castilla y Leon

Question 1

Describe the general Castilla y León region

Answer 1

Vast Area of Northern Spain
High Altitude Plateau (northern part of meseta)
Mountains to north & south
Continental Climate, some maritime influence to the west.
A Number of internationally recognized DOs

Question 2

Describe the general Bierzo DO

Answer 2

Until recently, known for rustic wines for locals
Alvaro Palacios & Ricardo Pérez in 90s attracted by slate slopes in area; similar to Priorat
Brought along quality wines at higher prices

Question 3

Describe Growing Environment of Beirzo DO

Answer 3

North Western Castilla y Leon
Similar to Galician wine region but further inland; warmer summers, cooler winters, lower but adequate rain
Mountains or Hills on 3 sides, but open to the west, allowing maritime influence
Some cool and rainy years, some warm and dry (marked vintage variation)
fertile silty loam soils on lower slopes
Shalliow, poor slate soils for best vineyards at 500-850m ABS

Question 4

What are the Grape Varieties in Beirzo DO

Answer 4

Primarily Mencia; 75% of plantings
Medium plus to high acid, rabidly accumulates sugar, higher alcohol if picked too late.
Range; light bodied and fruity w/ medium tannin, or more concentrated fuller bodied, higer tannin. Influenced by conditions and winemaking
Must be 70% of blend aiong with Alicante Bouchet
2% of plantings so most wines are 100% Mencia
Some Godello

Question 5

Describe the wines of Berizo DO

Answer 5

fertile silty loam soils on lower slopes, where inexpensive & mid-priced wines are grown at high yeilds
Medium minus body & Tannin, red fruited
Drink now style; sometimes with carbonic
Rarely oak
Good quality and mid priced
Best vineyards on hillside slopes at 500-850m, good drainage, shallow poor slate. Diurnal range for slow sugar accumulation, retaining acid whilst tannin develops
Slope and aged vines; most commonly bush vines, 80% of DO over 60 years old
Low Yeilds, high production cost.
Concentrated wines, medium to medium plus body, medium plus tannin, higher abv, ripe red fruit, plum, floral and herbal
Oak matured often, adding spice, balanced with Mencia’s delicate aromas
Very Good to Outstanding quality
Mid-priced to premium, some super premium - (Descendientes de J. Palacios, Raul Perez)

Question 6

Describe Beirzo DO Wine Law & Business

Answer 6

Varied production year to year; average 83,000hL
2,400ha planted, 1100 growers, many small plots, very few machine harvested vineyards
50% of growers with co-ops
74 wineries, many established in last 15 years
2017; new classification in DO based on geographical characteristics from vineyards and villages of note, significant yeild restriction. Similar to DOQ Priorat

Question 7

Describe the Growing environment of Toro DO

Answer 7

West of Castilla y Leon
Duero runs through the region
Far inland, continental climate
620-750m above sea level; large diurnal range
Low moderation, spring frost an issue

Question 8

Describe the wines of the Toro DO

Answer 8

Main grape is Tinta de Toro; some believe a form of Tempranillo, adapetd to the local climate
Thicker skins due to intensity of the sun; more colour, higher tannin
75% of Tinta de Toro, blended with Garnacha
High alcohol, medium + to high acid
Rosés are made of Tinta de Toro or Garnacha
White wines of Malvasia and Verdejo

Question 9

Describe the viticulture of the Toro DO

Answer 9

Low rainfall, irrigation not permitted from June until after harvest
Low denisity vines, low number of bunches per vine.
Maximum density of 2700 vines per hectare
Mostly bush vines
Sandy soils, no phylloxera, ungrafted vines
20% of the vines are over 50 years old, many over 100
Site selecton is important for cooler sites with slower ripening, high altitude and north facing aspects.

Question 10

Describe the winemaking of the Toro DO

Answer 10

• Inexpensive to mid-priced wines undergo carbonic fermentation to enhance fruitiness, less tannin. Early drinking, Acceptable to good quality
  premium and super-premium wines of very good and outstanding quality; oak matured, lots of new oak - American and French oak is used, or a mix of both.
  High quality producers; Teso La Monja and Numanthia

Question 11

Explain the wine buisness of the Toro DO

Answer 11

Long history of wine production, but hampered compared to other regions
Far away from ports and major cities
Investment came based on succcess of Ribera del Duero and it’s rising land prices
Grown from 8 wineries to over 60.
96,000hL of wine sold in 2016

Question 12

Describe the wine region of Ribera del Duero DO

Answer 12

First winery established; Vega Sicilia in late 19th century
Only very few wineries until the 1990s, but now exploded into 300 wineries.
Pesquera sparked the change after international success; inspiring growers to make their own wines instead of sending grapes to a co-operative.
Proximity to Madrid has allowed tourism to aid the region
Investment has come from Rioja and Catalunya producers.
Threat of production quality as region grows rapidly

Question 13

Describe the Grape Growing Enviroment of Ribera del Duero DO

Answer 13

Upper valley of the River Duero
Similar climate to Toro DO and Rueda DO, but slightly hotter summers and cooler winters, higher altitude vineyards (750-1000m)
Frosts a problem, occuring in autrum and spring, limiting hang time and seriously affecting yeild.
Low rainfall, 400-600mm; irrigation permitted at certain times of year, not harvest period.
Range of Aspects; Eastern side of appelation higher & cooler.

Question 14

Describe the wines of Ribera del Deuro DO

Answer 14

Primarily Tinto Fino (tempranillo)
Using different sites with slightly different climate can help gain balance, complexity and consistent yeilds (flat north facing sites are most at risk of frost).
96% of plantings, more than half the vineyards are bush vines, 25% are over 40 years old and many over 200.
Newer vineyards are trellissed
Average grower size is 3 hectares.

Question 15

Describe the winemaking of the Ribera del Duero DO

Answer 15

White wines now permitted from local variety Albillo Mayor, making up 75% of blend
Red wie the vast majority of production, minimum 75% Tinto Fino; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Garnacha and Albillo (white grape allowed to provide freshness bot not often practiced)
Many wines entierley Tinto Fino; full bodied, high alcohol, ripe flavours, vanilla, chocolate, new oak.
French oak popular, but some blend with American; premium & super premium wines often 40-100% new oak
Wines trending toward less extraction and new oak.
Generally good to outstanding quality
Crianca, Reserva and Gran Reserva are commonly used; Crianza most common, Gran Reserva quite rare.

Question 16

Describe the wine business in Ribera del Duero DO

Answer 16

Sales range from 600,000 - 700,000 hL
20% of production is exported, primary markets being Switzerland, Mexico, USA, Germany & China

Question 17

Describe the Rueda DO

Answer 17

Markedly different to other Castilla y Leon regions, most wines are white wines
Until the last 50 years, most wines were oxidatiove fortified wines
Verdejo looked at for fruity, fresh white wines that were becoming successful.
Investment from Marques de Riscal

Question 18

Describe the Grape Growing Environment of Rueda DO

Answer 18

Similar climate to Toro and Ribera del Duero, with hot dry summers, cold winters, low rainfall.
Vineyards at 700-800m altitude, cool nights that retain acid.
Limestone with Sandy clay subsoil
Free draining, low in organic matter, reduces vine vigour

Question 19

Describe the wines of Rueda DO

Answer 19

Key grape is Verdejo, drought tolerant, handling lack of rainfall, medium to medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, apple, pear peach, herbal, slightly bitter
Sauvignon Blanc important; blended with Verdejo or single varietal

Question 20

Describe the viticulture of Rueda DO

Answer 20

New Vineyards must be VSP trellised.
Night harvesting is desired as it allows grapes to be coolest.
Lots of old bush vines (some on sandy soils that avoided phylloxera), 10% of plantings, high quality fruit

Question 21

Describe Winemaking of Rueda DO and it’s laws

Answer 21

Most inexpensive wine made in a protective manner; cool ferment in stainless steel, cultured yeasts. Acceptable to good quality.
Mid-priced wines see lees aging, with stirring for texture, often of good quality.
Best wines fermented and matured in oak making body and texture; Malo avoided to retian acidity, good to very good.
Wines must be 85% of named variety, but generally are 100%
DO Rueda is used for blends that do not meet requirements for varietal labelling
Redd and rose wines are also produced in small volumes

Question 22

Describe the Wine Business of Rueda DO

Answer 22

Exponential growth in the last 20 years, volumes almost quadrupled.
Early-priced style popular both domestically and globally
Competition is high from other regions and countries, so higher-quality wine is rising.
14% of wine exported - the top market being the Netherlands, Germany & USA
60% of total output is made by producers local to the area, a significant proportion are based outside the region.

Question 23

Describe the Castilla y Leon VT

Answer 23

Covers Autonomous Communities of the same name
The northern part of the meseta is protected from Atlantic influence by mountains
Continental climate, summer temperatures are moderated by altitude
A large number of Spanish and International varieties are permitted
Allows producers outside the DO boundaries to produce wine with a Geographical indication and also more freedom for wineries to make wines in styles or from grapes not permitted in DO.
Huge area, but a small amount of plantings - 9,000ha, but 63,000ha in DO boundaries
Most wines are inexpensive or mid-priced, but there are some premium examples