Castilla y Leon

Question 1

What is Spain’s largest autonomía?

Answer 1

Castilla y León

Question 2

What is the terrain of Castilla y León?

Answer 2

The Northern edge of the Meseta Central.

Question 3

What are the DOs of Castilla y León?

Answer 3

Ribera del Duero
Rueda
Toro
Tierra del Vino de Zamora
Arribes
Arlanza
Cigales
Tierra de León
Bierzo

Question 4

What river flows through the center of Castilla y León?

Answer 4

The Duero River

Question 5

What two DOs of Castilla y León are to the north, on the border of Galicia? What grapes dominate?

Answer 5

Tierra de Leon and Bierzo.

Question 6

Recommended grapes in Tierra de Leon

Answer 6

Blanco: min. 50% Verdejo, Albariño, Godello

Tinto/Rosado: min. 60% Mencía, Prieto Picudo

Question 7

Recommended grapes in Bierzo

Answer 7

Blanco: Doña Blanca, Godello
Rosado: 50% Mencía, plus
Tinto: 70% Mencía plus

Question 8

Bierzo: Principal soils

Answer 8

Loose alluvials, sand, granite

450-1000M elevation

Question 9

When did Ribera del Duero acquire DO status?

Answer 9

1982

Question 10

What are the principal towns of Ribera del Duero?

Answer 10

Aranda de Duero (central)

Peñafiel (west)

Question 11

What styles are permitted in Ribera del Duero? Authorized grapes?

Answer 11

Red: 75% Tinta del País, max 5% Garnacha, Albillo Mayor
Rosado: 50% authorized red varieties

Tempranillo is the only recommended grape. Garnacha, Malbec, Merlot, Cab Sauv, and Albillo Mayor are also authorized.

Question 12

Which aging requirements are allowed for Rosado?

Answer 12

Crianza only

Question 13

When did Rueda achieve DO status?

Answer 13

1980

Question 14

What is the assemblage for white wines labeled “Rueda?”

Answer 14

min. 50% Verdejo, plus Viura, Sauvignon Blanc, Palomino Fino

Question 15

What varietal bottlings are permitted in Rueda?

Answer 15

Verdejo

Sauvignon Blanc

Question 16

What is the major red grape of Rueda?

Answer 16

Tempranillo, plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Garnacha

Question 17

What is the minimum % of red grapes for Rueda Rosado?

Answer 17

50.00%

Question 18

What styles are permitted for Rueda Espumoso? What is the varietal requirement?

Answer 18

White and Rosado; made via the traditional method. Min. 9mos on the lees

min. 85% Verdejo for Brut/Nature
min. 50% Verdejo for Seco/Semiseco

Question 19

What is Dorado?

Answer 19

A dry, fortified, oxidative wine from Rueda
Min 15% abv
Aged min 4 years, with 2 in wood

Question 20

Rueda: aging

Answer 20

Time on Tinto Gran Reserva lines up with Rioja Gran Reserva (24mos in barrel, 36mos in bottle), but the rest of the designations follow general regulations.

Question 21

What is the most famous product of Toro? What is the varietal makeup?

Answer 21

Red wines, of a minimum 75% Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo)

Question 22

What are the white grapes of Toro?

Answer 22

Verdejo

Malvasia

Question 23

How is Toro Rosado made?

Answer 23

By saignée, of garnacha and tinta do toro

Question 24

What styles are permitted to label Crianza/Reserva/Gran Reserva in Toro?

Answer 24

Tinto only

Question 25

What are the top names in Toro?

Answer 25

Fariña

Numanthia-Termes

Question 26

What is Vega Sicilia’s Toro offshoot?

Answer 26

Bodegas Pintia

Question 27

What style wines are made in Tierra del Vino de Zamora? From what grapes?

Answer 27

Reds of min. 75% Tinta de Toro, plus
Rosado: 60% Tempranillo, plus
Clarete: 30% Tempranillo, plus
Whites: 60% Verdejo, Malvasia, Moscatel de grano menudo, plus

Question 28

Where is Arribes DO?

Answer 28

On the Duero River, at the Portuguese border

Question 29

What are the grapes of Arribes?

Answer 29

Blanco: 60% Malvasia, plus

Rosado/Tinto: 60% Juan García, Rufete, Tempranillo, plus

Question 30

What are the two DOs of Castilla y León that lie north of Ribera del Duero?

Answer 30

Cigales DO (Northwest)
Arlanza DO (Due North)

Question 31

What are the wines of Cigales? The encepagement? The style?

Answer 31

Tinto/Rosado: 50% Garnacha and Tinto del Pais; noted for rosado and primeur rosado production.

Whites (min 50% Verdejo), Vino Dulce (tinto/blanco/rosado, 45-90g/L RS), Vino Espumoso also authorized

Question 32

What styles of wine are produced in Arlanza DO, from what grapes?

Answer 32

Red/Rosé: Tempranillo (min 50%), plus Garnacha, Mencía, Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot, Merlot (white grapes also authorized for rosé)
White: Albilla, Viura

Question 33

Why are vines in Spain often planted much farther apart than in other major wine regions?

Answer 33

The very dry soil (summer drought is the country’s biggest viticultural hazard) cannot support many vines, so they are spread out to reduce competition.

Question 34

What happened in 1995 that caused a major shift in Spain’s productivity?

Answer 34

Irrigation was officially legalized.

Question 35

Who owns Numanthia?

Answer 35

LVMH (2008)

Question 36

What Toro property is owned by Michel and Dany Rolland?

Answer 36

Campo Eliseo

Question 37

Red Rueda is often bottled under what appellation?

Answer 37

Vino de la Tierra Castilla y León

Question 38

What are the four provinces of production in Ribera del Duero?

Answer 38

Valladolid (west, “millla de oro”)
Burgos (central, 80% of the DO’s vineyards)
Soria (east)
Segovia (south)

Question 39

What is the traditional training in Ribera del Duero?

Answer 39

En Vaso (bush vines), widely spaced - 2,000-2,500 vines per hectare

Question 40

What is the modern training in Ribera del Duero? Where will you find it?

Answer 40

En Espalier: trellised, Guyot-trained vines. Found in more fertile, low-elevation vineyards, and used to produce joven or rosado wines.

Question 41

Which is higher in altitude: Rioja or Ribera del Duero? What does this mean for the grapes?

Answer 41

Ribera del Duero. Diurnal shift can be over 50º, retaining acidity in wines that ripen hugely (often over 14, 15%).

Question 42

Soil types of Ribera del Duero

Answer 42

arenas
arcilla (clay)
franco (silt)
alluvial stones
chalk

Question 43

Do most producers in Ribera del Duero irrigate?

Answer 43

No. It is legal, but only 5% actually use it.

Question 44

What bodegas on are on the Milla de Oro, and where does it go?

Answer 44

West to East from Tudela de Duero to Peñafiel. 
Mauro
Abadia Retuerta
Pingus 
Vega Sicilia
Hacienda Monasteria 
Alion