Cataluna Flashcards
What is the unique soil type of DOQ Priorat?
Illicorella (quartz rich slate)
What limestone based silty loam called in DO Montsant?
Panal
What is the primary wine style of DOQ Priorat?
Tinto - 95%
Compared to Champagne and Cremant, what are the characteristics of Cava?
- Lower adicity
- Heavier on palatte
- Less autolytic
- Hint of fennel and/or herbs
Which wine region has the oldest soils in Cataluna?
DOQ Priorat
What a small group of producers in Penedes organized a grouip to emphasize terror driven sparlking wines?
CORPINNAT (Collective European Blend)
What river bisects DOQ Priorat region?
Siurana River
What are the requirements of Vinyes Velles (Old Vines) in DOQ Priorat?
Grapes must come from plots which are at least 75 years old or which were planted prior to 1945
What are the requirements to be labeled as Terra Alta Garnaxta Blanca?
- Minimum vintage rating of “very good”
- A series of quality standards be met
will have a numbered back label assuring their quality by Consejo Regulador
Which DO is the birthplace of Cava?
DO Penedes
Name three “premium” cavas
- Reserva
- Gran Reserva
- Cava de Paraje Calificado
What is the first classification in the world for 100% organic sparkling wines introduced in DO Penedes?
Classic Penedes
What is the climate of Cataluna?
Mediterranean
List Cava sweetness levels in order of dryness i.e. the driest is at the top
- Brut Nature
- Extra Brut
- Brut
- Extra Seco
- Seco
- Semi Seco
- Dulce
What year DOQ Priorat receive its designation?
2009
True or False
DO Cava can only be made from the three grapes - Xarel.lo, Macabeo and Paralleda
False
small amounts of other authorized grapes can be added
What is “Els Noms de la Terra”?
Replace the previous Vi de Finca category inspired by the Burgundy System in DOQ Priorat
What are wine styles of DO Emporda?
Tinto - 58%
Blanco - 24%
Rosado - 15%
What are “Brisats”?
Orange Wines
What can Tramontana do to the grapres near harvest?
Can dessicate and concentrate flavors and sugar if not pushed to extreme
What grape is the focus of DO Terra Alta?
Garnatxa Blanca (Garnacha Blanca) becoming the representative of DO Terra Alta
What grape (white) produces exceptional quality in Cataluna?
Garnatxa Blanca/Garnacha Blanca
What is the climate of DO Penedes?
Mediterranean
What are the five requirements of Classic Penedes?
- 100% organic grapes
- All grapes sourced in DO Benedes
- Method tradicional
- All winemakings and bottling done in cellars registered with the DO
- Min 15 months on lees agines (same as
Cava Reserva)
Which aging classification can only have Brut Nature, Extra Brut or Brut?
- Gran Reserva
- Paraje
What are one primary white grape and two red grapes in DO Emporda?
- White: Garnacha Blanca
- Red: Samso (Carinena/Mazuelo)
- Red: Garnacha Tinta/Lledoner
What contributes significatn diurnal temperature difference in DOQ Priorat?
Macroclimate created by Cierzo wind
How many subzones in Vi de Vila of DOQ Priorat?
12
What soil type makes low yielding vines that yield small concentrated berries to produce high quality wines with concentrated fruit, minerality, elegance and finess?
Ilicorella
Shallow and sit above layers of bedrock forcing roots to struggle to find water and nutrients
What are main soil types of DO Penedes?
- LImestone
- Loamy clay
List the minimum aging requirements for:
* Cava
* Reserva
* Gran Reserva
* Paraje Calificado
- Cava - 9 months
- Reserva - 15 months
- Gran Reserva - 30 months
- Paraje Calificado - 36 months
True or False
DO Penedes is one of Spain’s oldest and most progressive wine regions
True
The first region to adopt the use of temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks
What are four specific requirements for Vinya Classficada?
- Single vineyard
- Min 60% Garnacha Tinta and/or Samso
- 80% Min at least 20 years old, remaining at least 5 years old
- Traceabliity Min 5 years
What is another name Tempranillo known in Cataluna?
Ull de Llebre
What is the climate of DO Montsant?
Mediterranean with continental influence
Does Indigeneous or International varieties play the major role in Cataluna?
Indigeneous
Prior to the DO status designation, what DO Montsant was a subzone of DO Tarragone?
Prestigeous Falset subzone
What river cuts through Castilla y Leon, La Rioja, Aragon and the southern part of Cataluna?
Ebro River
Name DO awarded its designation in 1986 with 100% Espumoso
DO Cava
What two features are located in Vilaranca del Penedes in Penedes Central subzone?
- Bodegas Torres (one of Spain’s largest wineries)
- Sant Sadurni d’Anola - center of Cava production
Which two grape varities dominate the red arena in Cataluna?
- Garnatxa Negra/Garnacha Tinta
- Samso/Mazuelo(Carinena)
What is decomposed granitic sand known in DO Montsant?
Saulo
What is the climate of DO Terra Alta?
Mediterranean
What are two primary grapes in DO Montsant?
- Samso/Mazuela/Carignane (Carinena)
- Garnacha Negra/Tinta
Is Ilicorella Shale or Slate?
Can be both
What is the main soil type of DO Montsant?
Panal (silty-loam)
Some granitic sand (saulo)
Ilicorella (slate)
What two international varieties are the primary in Cataluna?
Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon
What is the most prized soil type in Cataluna and which appellation it is primarilly found?
- Ilicorella
- DOQ Priorat
Which DO is considered to be the spiritual home of Cava?
Penedes
List requirements for Cava de Paraje Calificada
- Vines min 10 years old
- Grapes from a single vineyard
- All harvesting manual
- Yelds must be lower than standard Cava
- All wines vinified on the estate
- Wines labeled with a vintage
- Wines aged on t he lees Min 36 months
- Sweetness: Brut Nature, Extra Brut or Brut
- Wines tasted and approved by a panel
- Production traceable from vineyard to shelf
What are two most common planted international white varieties in Cataluna?
- Chardonnay
- Sauvginon Blanc
Name three primary white grapes used in DO Cava
- Macabeu/Macabeo
- Xarel.lo
- Paralleda
Which two DO regions in Cataluna have extremely well-draining soils?
- DO Penedes
- DO Pla de Bages
True or False
Barcelona is the largest city in Spain
False
The second largest after Madrid
What is the highest aging category of Cava?
Cava de Paraje Calificado
When did Priorat receive the official recognition prior to DOQ designation in 2009?
1932
One of the 19 wine regions so recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Wine Statute
What is one primaty white variety and two red varieties?
- White: Garnacha Blanca / Grantxa Blanca
- Red: Garnacha Negra/Garnatxa Negra (Garnachan Tinta)
- Red: Grantacha Peluda/Garnatxa Peluda
In 1972 Catalan Generalitat provisionally recognized seven of Catalan’s historic DOs. List them
- DO Allela
- DO Conca de Barbera
- DO Emporda
- DO Penedes
- DOQ Priorat
- DO Tarragona
- DO Terra Alta
Name two mountain ranges in Cataluna
- Catalan Pirineos
- Cordirlleras Costero-Catalanas (two ranges - Cordillera Litoral likes closer to the coast line and Corillera Prelitoral furhter inland)
Name seven autonomous regions that DO Cava is produced
- Cataluna
- La Rioja
- Comunidad Valenciana
- Aragon
- Navarra
- Extremadura
- Pais Vasco
What are four specific requirements for Gran Vinya Classficada?
- Single vineyard
- Min 90% Garnacha Tinta and/or Samso
- 80% Min 35 years old vines, remaining at least 10 years old
- Traceab lity Min 5 years
What are the two requirements of Garnacha de Emporda?
- Min 90% Garnacha Tinta and/or Garnacha Peluda
- Min 2 years aging
Which DO does DO Montsant almost completely encircle?
DOQ Priorat
What is Tio de Nadal (Uncle Christmas Log)?
A log where gifts are “poop” out on Christmas.
A tradition in Cataluna
What are the percentage of Garnatxa Negra (Garnacha Tinta) and Samso (Carinena) account for of all red varieties planted?
65%
Almost 95% of all vineyards in this DO are planted with red grapes
Which sub zone boasts the largest are of production in DO Penedes?
Penedes Central - central plain
What is the main wine style of DO Montsant?
90% Tinto
What is the climte of DOQ Priorat?
Mediterranean with continental influence
What is Roman build conduit used for wine packed in amphorae and exported to Italy and France by land and to North Africa by sea?
Via Augusta
Which two rivers flow through DO Montsant?
- Siurana
- Montsant
What are wine styles of DO Terra Alta?
Tinto 72%
Blanco 18%
Rosado 10%
List DOQ Priorat Vinyard Classfications (5) in order of lower quality to highest
- DOQ Priorat
- Vi de Vila
- Vinya de Paratge
- Vinya Classficada
- Gran Vinya Classficada
What are two prime soil types of DO Emporda?
- Alluvium (plains)
- Granite (mountains)
What is Vi de Vila category in DOQ Priorat?
Village wines created in 2009 in effort to create deep connection to geographic, environmental, climatic, soical and historic factors which charactize individual vineyards withint the DO
Thie first of its kind in Spain and from 2007 vintage
What are three specific requirements for Vi de Villa?
- Village boundaries
- Min 60% Garnacha Tinta and/or Samso
- 90% Min 10 year old vines, remaining Min 5 years old
What is the climate of DO Emporda?
Mediterranean
What sparkling wine category DO Benedes created to distingush its sparlking wine from other DO Cava ones?
Classic Penedes
What are “costers”?
Vineyards on steep slopes or sculpted terraces on DOQ Priorat
Some are so narro that they have only two rows of vines
Are most wines in Cataluna “blends” or “varietals”?
Blends
Which DO in Cataluna is at the lowest elevation in all of Cataluna?
DO Emporda
What are the primary wine styles of DO Penedes?
Blanco - 51%
Tinto - 35%
Rosado - 11%
What are three primary Cava grapes?
- Xarel.lo (Pansal Blanc and/or Pansa Blanca)
- Parellada
- Macabeo (largest acreage of the three)
What is the primary soil types of DO Terra Alta?
Loamy clay with high limestone content
Name the longest and second longerst rivers in Cataluna
- Ter River
- Llobregat River
What are the requirements of each desingation in DOQ Priorat:
* Vi de Paratge
* Vinya Classificada
* Gran Vinya Classificada?
- Grapes sourced from estate or long term rented vienyards (min 7 years)
- Min 60% Garnacha Tinta and/or Samso (Carinena)
- Min 90% for Gran Vinya Classficada
What are thre sub-zones of DO Penedes?
- Penedes Superior
- Penedes Central
- Penedes Maritim
True or False
Cooperatives are responsible for most of the production in DO Terra Alta
True
Who was Josep Raventos i Fatjo?
Catalan, Josep Raventos i Fatjo traveled throughout Champagne and returned home to craft Spain’s first sparkling wine in 1872
What is Caganer?
A Christmas time tradition in Cataluna, a figurine of peasant pooping
What lies between Catalan Pirineros and Cordilleras Costero-Catalans?
Central Catalan Depression
What are considered works of art and dubbed as “wine cathedrals” in Cataluna?
Cooperatives
What is the significance of Carthoxa d’Escaladei (Carthusian Monastry of Scala Dei)?
Considered to be the brithplace of wines and winemaking in the Priorat region of Cataluna
The monks guided and advised communities around Serra de Montstant as they constructed terraces and planted vineyards
Which wine region was the first in Spain to adopt the notion of estate wines?
DOQ Priorat
Vin de Finca category as the highest rung in its wine quality pyramid
What are two primary grape types of DOQ Priorat?
- Garnacha Tinta
- Samos (Carinena)
Name DO that encompasses wineries within all exisiting Catalan wine regions as well as those vineyards outside DO boundaries
DO Cataluna/Catalunya
What are two basic requirements of Cava?
- Traditional method
- Minimum 9 months on lees
What is the primary grape variety of DO Penedes?
Xarel.lo
What percentage account for Vinos Tintos in DOQ Priorat?
95%
What are the requirements of CORPINNAT?
- 100% organic
- Hand harvested
- Aged Min 18 months (30 and 60 months also exist)
True or False
Cooperatives are extremely important in Cataluna
True
What are the three categories within “Els Noms de la Terra” in DOQ Priorat?
- Vi de Paratge (Liut-dit)
- Vinya Classificada (Premier Cru)
- Gran Vinya Classificada (Grand Cru)
What is often beneficial dry strong north wind blows throughout autumn, winter and spirng in DO Emporda called?
Tramontana
What is the typical pressure of Cava?
Fully sparkling with 5 - 6 bars
What are two secions of DO Emporda?
- Alt Emporda
- Baix Emporda
True or False
DO Terra Alta features some of the highest elevation vinyards in Cataluna?
True
What are three specific requirements for Vi de Paratge?
- Partge boundaries
- Min 60% Garnacha Tinta and/or Samso
- 90% Min 15 years old vine, remaining at least 5 years old