DOs

Question 1

Rias Biaxas

Answer 1

Galicia
DO
1988
99% BLANCO!!
4021 - small
ALBARINO, Treixadura, Loureira + Caino Blanco
Mino river
5 subzones -
Val de Salnes - biggest, oldest, flattest wettest, birthplace Albarino >70% A + L + T + Cano Blanco
Condo de Tea - inland, warmest >70% A + Treix
O Rosal - Blends >70% A + L
Soutomaior - only Albarino
Ribeira do Ulla - newest > 70% A+L+T + CN

Question 2

Ribeira Sacra

Answer 2

Galicia		
DO		
1996	
94% Tinto	
1241	- Small
MENCIA - + Garnacha and Godello	
Steep Mino riverbank	
SLATE	
Ribiera Sacra Summum	 >85% pref, 60% Mencia
Sacred riverbank
5 subzones inc Amandii = spicy roman wine

Question 3

Ribeiro

Answer 3

Galicia		
DO	Yes	1932	OLDEST
90% Blanco	
2220	
TREIXADURA (vinho verde links) + mix of many others
RiverMino	
Granite	
Extreme temps
Sweet wines in 18c= Tostado de Ribiera	
Colleitieros =115 of them

Question 4

Valdeorras

Answer 4

Galicia		
DO		1945	
Mixed - Blanco	
1182	
Mencia and GODELLO	
Sil river	
Slate	
Valdeorras Castas Nobles >85% Preferred	Valley of Gold	
8 subregions

Question 5

Txakoli of Alava

Answer 5

Pais Vasco	
DO		2001	
Blanco	95	
One of Spain's smallest DOs
Hondarribi Zuri		
Limestone		
Smallest and Driest DO in Region
5 subregions

Question 6

Txakoli of Bizkaia

Answer 6

Pais Vasco
Biscay		
DO		1994	
Blanco	403	
Hondarribi Zuri		
Clay loam		
Foehn	
Txakoli winemakers assocn

Question 7

Txakoli of Geratria

Answer 7

Pais Vasco		
DO		1989	=First
Blanco	427	
Hondarribi Zuri	
Coastal			
Parral
Largest, Warmest and wettest

Question 8

Bierzo

Answer 8

Castilla y Leon
DO		1989	
Tinto	
2854	
Mencia	= NATIVE and Godello
Slopes	
Granite/Limestone

Question 9

Cigales

Answer 9

Castilla y Leon
DO		1991	
64% ROSADOS	
1948	
Tempranillo+Garnacha	+ Verdejo
Duero	
Sand + Limestone	
Clarete - deep dark rose	
Majuelos

Question 10

Ribeiro del Duero

Answer 10

Castilla y Leon		
DO		1980	
Tinto	22395	
Tinto Fino	
Duero	
Varied	
Vega Sicilia=Don Eloy Lecando y Chaves
1970s=Alejandro Ferndandez	
Some of highest vienyards in Spain
No whites allowed in DO - but can use white grape Albillo Mayor 
Pink, Maroon, Brown and Gold aging labels

Question 11

Rueda

Answer 11

Castilla y Leon		
DO	Yes	1932	Oldest DO in Region
Blanco	14753	
VERDEJO
Duero	
Gravel stone	
Rancio	= Dorado oxidatively aged
Marques de Riscal
Palomino Fino no longer authorised
Coloured labels

Question 12

Toro

Answer 12

Castilla y Leon		
DO		1987	
Tinto	5555	
Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo)		
Sand and clay		
Wine taken by Columbus
High elevation
Weighty tannic wines
Lowest rainfall in CyL

Question 13

Rioja

Answer 13

La Rioja	
Yes	DOCa	
Yes	1991	
Tinto	
115000	
Tempranillo (+Garnacha)	
Ebro	Cal clay, ferr clay and alluvium		
3 subzones	
Special aging
Bottle numbers and Trustseal

Question 14

Navarra

Answer 14

Navarra		
DO		1933	
Tinto + Rosado	
10774	
Garnacha	
Pyrenean foothills	
Marl, loam, clay	
Rose and sweet white	1933	
Cierzo	
5 subzones
Tierra Estella=
Valdizarbe- diverse grapes
Baja Montana=Rosado
Ribeira Alta=Largest
Ribeira Baja=lowest and warmest

Question 15

Calatayud

Answer 15

Aragon		
DO		
1989	
Tinto	
3200	
Garnacha	
High foothills	Sistema Iberico
Slate, clay sand	
Calatayud Superiore	=low yielding, 50yr old vines
Vinas Viejas	
co-ops

Question 16

Campo de Borja

Answer 16

Aragon		
DO		
1980	
Tinto	
6242	
Garnacha	
Mtns and Ebro	
Limestone, clay		
V old vines- some of oldest in Spain	
Co-ops
3 subzones - Alta, Media, Baja

Question 17

Cariñena

Answer 17

Aragon		
DO	Yes	1932	Historical
Tinto	
13768	
Garnacha	
Ebro valley	
Limestone clay	
Anejo	
Not much carinena

Question 18

Somontano

Answer 18

Aragon		
DO		1984	
Tinto+	
3931	
International	
Pyrenean foothills	
Limestone clay		
Bdx influence	
Wet

Question 19

Cataluna

Answer 19

Cataluna		
DO		1999	
Mixed	4
2431	
Various	- Garnacha red and white	
Limestone clay		
Covers all region	
Blends

Question 20

Cava

Answer 20

Cataluna	Yes	
DO		1986	
Espumoso	
33110	
Xarello, Macabeo, Parallada	
Cava de Paraje Calificado	Limestone clay		Also La Rioja, Valencia, Aragon, Navarra, Extredamura, Pais Vasco	
CORPINNAT

Question 21

Empdora

Answer 21

Cataluna		
DO		1975	
Mixed - Tinto	
1756	
Garnacha , Lledoner, Samso	++
Terraces, 2 sections	
Alluvium slate	
Garnacha del Empdora	T
ramontana

Question 22

Montsant

Answer 22

Cataluna		
DO		2002	
Tinto	
1844	
Garnacha, Samso Carignan	
Encircles Priorat	
Panal, Saulo, Llicorella		
6 subzones
Zoning project

Question 23

Penendes

Answer 23

Cataluna		
DO	Yes	1960	
Mixed- Blanco	
16637	
Xarello, Macabeo, Parallada	
Series of steps from Med	
Limestone clay	
Classic Penedes	- sparkling organic 2014
3 subzones - Superiore, Central, Maritime

Question 24

Priorat

Answer 24

Cataluna		
DOQ	Yes	2009	
Tinto	
1972	
Blends: Garnacha, Samso, Mazuelo + Bdx	
Mtn ranges, Ebro Costers	Llicorella	
5 rungs of quality	- Names of the Land
1=DOQ Priorat
2=Vi de Vila
3=Vi de Partage
4=Vinya Classificada
5=Gran Vinya Classificada
Cierzo	
Vinyas Velles	
Scala Dei

Question 25

Terra Alta

Answer 25

Cataluna		
DO		1982	
Tinto	
6066	
Garnacha - inc peluda	
High in SW	
Limestone clay	
Sweet fortified	
Co-ops	
Quality wines numbered

Question 26

Alicante

Answer 26

Valencia		
DO	Yes	1957	
Mixed- Tinto	
10379	
Monastrell	
Coastal plain	
Limestone and clay	
Fondillon

Question 27

Utiel-Requena

Answer 27

Valencia		
DO	Yes	1957	
Tinto	
34510	
Bobal	
West Valencia	
Limestone	
Doble pasta	
Some DO Valencia	
Leveche

Question 28

Bullas

Answer 28

Murcia		
DO		1994	
Tinto	
1811	
Monastrell	
High, 2 areas	
Limestone chalk

Question 29

Jumilla

Answer 29

Murcia	
Yes	DO		
1966	
Tinto	
18682	
Monastrell	
N Murcia	Limestone	
Shared with CLM, 40%land, 70% prodn

Question 30

Yecla

Answer 30

Murcia		
DO		1975	
Tinto	
4830	
Monastrell	
Plain	
Limestone		
95% exported	
La Purisma co-op

Question 31

La Mancha

Answer 31

Castille La Mancha		
DO	
Yes	1932	
Tinto	
165470	
Airen and Tempranillo		
Limestone		
Largest DO in Spain and world

Question 32

Manchuela

Answer 32

Castille La Mancha		
DO		2000	
Tinto	
6709	
Bobal	
Eastern border	
Limestone	
Doble pasta	
Split from La Mancha

Question 33

Valdepenas

Answer 33

Castille La Mancha		
DO	Yes	1932	
Tinto	
21832	
Airen and Tempranillo	
South CLM	
Limestone	
Aloque	
Valley of stones	
Tempranillo=Cencibel

Question 34

Vinos de Madrid

Answer 34

Madrid		
DO		1990	
Tinto	
8860	
Malvar+Albillo and Tinto Fino	
South nr Tajo river	Granite	
Sobremadre	
4 subzones	
Terraces

Question 35

Ribera del Guardiana

Answer 35

Extremadura		
DO		1999	
Tinto	35797	
Tempranillo and Caytana Blanca+ Pardina	
River Guardiana	
Clay limestone		
6 subzones	9% of Spain's plantings -2nd highest

Question 36

Jerez

Answer 36

Andalucia		
DO	Yes	1933	
Generoso	6989	
Palomino Fino		
Albarizia

Question 37

Manzanilla-Sanlucar

Answer 37

Andalucia		
DO	Yes	1964	
Generoso		
Palomino Fino		
Albarizia		
joint CR with sherry

Question 38

Malaga

Answer 38

Andalucia		
DO	Yes	1933	
Dolce	
996	
PX and Moscatel		
Limestone	
Parajete

Question 39

Mantilla-Morilles

Answer 39

Andalucia		
DO		1945	
Generoso	
5025	PX  	
Cordoba	Albero	
Sweet PX	
2 rivers, 17 towns

Question 40

Binassalem

Answer 40

Balearics		
DO		1990	
Tinto	
605	
MantoNegro and Presnal Blanc/Moll	
Ft of Mtns	
Limestone

Question 41

Pla I Llevant

Answer 41

Balearics		
DO		1999	
Mixed	439	
Callet and Presnal Blanc/Moll	
Plain	
Limestone		
Embat

Question 42

Islas Canarias

Answer 42

Islas Canarias
DO 2011
Blanco 493
Marmajuelo+Doradillo and Castellan Negra

Question 43

Lanzarote

Answer 43

Islas Canarias		
DO		1993	
Blanco	
1849	
Malvasia Volcanica	
Volcano	
Lapilli

Question 44

Tacoronte-Acentejo

Answer 44

Islas Canarias		
DO		
1992	
Tinto	
1017	
Listan Negro	
Tenerife	
Volcanic

Question 45

Valle de la Orotava

Answer 45

Islas Canarias		
DO		1996	
Tinto	329	
Listan Negro	
Tenerife	
Volcanic

Question 46

Ycoden-Daute-Isora

Answer 46

Islas Canarias		
DO		1996	
Blanco	161	
Listan Blanco	
Tenerife- Mt Tiede	
Volcanic		
Steep and treacherous vineyards

Question 47

Rias Baixas - OCW

Answer 47

Rías Baixas, the leading do wine zone in galicia, north west Spain (see map under spain), producing some of the country’s most sought-after dry white wines. Between 1987 and 2012 the DO’s vineyard area grew from 237 ha/570 acres to 4,050 ha/9,700 acres with the number of wineries rising from 14 to 177. Named after the flooded coastal valleys, or rías, that penetrate up to 30 km/19 miles inland, the zone’s reputation is based on the white albariño grape. Wines were exported to northern Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries but, after the ravages of phylloxera, many of the traditional vine varieties were abandoned, and by the 1900s the region’s vineyards were largely planted with high-yielding hybrids and by Jerez’s palomino, producing poor-quality wine. The revival began in the late 1970s, when growers were encouraged to replant native vine varieties and producers were given incentives to invest in modern winemaking equipment. The metamorphosis gathered pace with the application of eu funds following Spain’s accession to the EU in 1986.

Rías Baixas has five separate subzones, all within the province of Pontevedra. Many of the purest Albariño wines come from Val do Salnés zone centred on the town of Cambados on the west coast. The two further subzones, O Rosal and Condado do Tea, are on the northern slopes of the river Miño facing the vinho verde region in Portugal on the opposite bank. A fourth, small subzone, Soutomaior, was admitted in the late 1990s, to be joined later by Ribeira do Ulla in the far north. All five zones share the same granite-based subsoils and relatively cool, damp, maritime climate. The Atlantic influence is strongest in Val do Salnés, where annual rainfall averages 1,300 mm/50 in. Vines were traditionally cultivated on pergolas (see tendone) to protect grapes from the constant threat of fungal diseases, although modern vineyards are planted on a more practical local variant of the geneva double curtain vine-training system.

Twelve different vine varieties are officially permitted in Rías Baixas although Albariño accounts for 90% of the vineyard area. Other white grapes which may be blended with Albariño according to local regulations include caiño blanco, as well as treixadura, and Loureira (see loureiro; locally known as Marqués), both of which are found in the Vinho Verde region. (torrontés and godello are also permitted.) On its own, Albariño produces a fragrant, intensely fruity, dry white wine with a natural minimum alcohol often above 12%. Yields used to be low, which made the wines expensive, but abusive yield increases began to occur in the 1990s, sometimes aggravated by over-reliance on selected, aroma-enhancing yeasts. There have been experiments with oak. The six permitted red grapes, including mencía, espadeiro, and Caiño Tinto, were planted on a total area of just 190 ha/455 acres in 2012

Question 48

Ribiera Sacra -OCW

Answer 48

Ribeira Sacra, growing Spanish do, created in 1996. It is the only galician region specializing in red wines, from the mencía grape, and some less well-known local varieties, together with some whites from Godello and Albariño.

Question 49

Ribeiro -OCW

Answer 49

Ribeiro — means ‘river bank’ or ‘riverside’ in the Galician language and is the name of a red and white wine do zone in galicia, north west Spain (see map under spain). Ribeiro spans the valleys of the river Miño and its tributaries and Arnoia downstream from Orense. In the 16th and 17th centuries wines from Ribeiro were exported as far afield as Italy and England but they disappeared from international markets until recently. phylloxera put paid to the region’s prosperity at the end of the 19th century. As in rías baixas, for example, farmers, seeking a quick return to profit, replanted their holdings with the sherry grape palomino. Over recent years, growers have been encouraged to uproot this productive but unsuitable variety in favour of treixadura, torrontés, Lado, and other indigenous varieties which perform well in the damp maritime climate of north west Iberia and can be made into aromatic, crisp white wines. But it is the red wine explosion that has been notable this century, with the recovery and discovery of local Brancellao (alvarelhão), Caiño Redondo, Carabuñeira (Portugal’s Touriga Nacional), and Ferrón varieties, and the rediscovery of the better vineyards planted to the long-reviled, post-phylloxeric Garnacha Tintorera (alicante bouschet). With help from eu funds, wineries have been updated and the traditional, labour-intensive pergolas (see tendone) are being replaced by lower vine-training systems.

Question 50

Valdeorras - OCW

Answer 50

asternmost wine zone in galicia in north-west Spain (see map under spain). Steeply terraced vineyards are planted predominantly with inappropriate but productive vine varieties such as Garnacha Tintorera (alicante bouschet) and the white palomino. The indigenous white godello, which had all but disappeared from Galicia in the wake of phylloxera, is being aggressively replanted. This moderately productive variety is susceptible to disease, but Valdeorras is protected from the Atlantic by mountains immediately to the west. If carefully vinified, it can produce an aromatic wine with an alcoholic strength of 12 to 13%. In the late 1990s, some of Spain’s most acclaimed barrel-fermented whites were Godello wines from Valdeorras made by the Guitián family, who pioneered this style, now artfully practised by the likes of Rafael Palacios and Valdesil. The mencía grape, which makes fruity reds, is similarly respected by a new wave of producers in Valdeorras.

Question 51

Pais Vasco - OCW

Answer 51

The Basque country (País Vasco in Castilian, Euskadi in Basque) is the most ferociously independent of all Spain’s 17 autonomous regions. This densely populated, heavily industrialized strip of country facing the Bay of Biscay is not normally associated with wine, even though the important rioja region stretches north of the River Ebro into the Basque province of Alava where the Rioja Alavesa subregion is located—The three wholly Basque dos are the tiny region of Getariako txakolina on the coast 25 km/15 miles west of San Sebastián, the smaller Bizkaiko Txakolina around Bilbao, and the newest one, Arabako Txakolina.

Question 52

Bierzo - OCW

Answer 52

Bierzo, increasingly fashionable small do region in north west Spain (see map under spain) which administratively forms part of castilla y león. However, the River Sil, which bisects it, is a tributary of the Miño (Minho in Portugal) and the wines have more in common with those of galicia than those of the douro 140 km/88 miles to the south. Sheltered from the climatic excesses of the Atlantic and the central plateau, Bierzo shows promise as a wine region. The mencía grape is capable of producing balanced, fruity red wines in well-drained soils on the slate and granite of this part of Spain.

In the late 1990s, a group of small, mostly young growers reproduced in Bierzo the same ‘miracle’ which had happened in Priorat one decade earlier—they resurrected a moribund wine region. One of the protagonists, Álvaro Palacios, was indeed one of the Priorat pioneers as well. With his nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios, he reclaimed small, old vineyards on slate slopes and produced wines with no resemblance to the light quaffable reds traditionally produced from fertile valley vineyards.

Question 53

Cigales - OCW

Answer 53

small wine zone in northern Spain, north of Valladolid in castilla y león (see map under spain), higher and cooler than toro, with impressive average vine age. This do has traditionally produced dry rosé wines made from Tinto del Pais (tempranillo) and some garnacha grapes, but an increasing number of dry reds show real potential and, so far, value.

Question 54

Ribeiro del Duero - OCW

Answer 54

important wine zone in castilla y león in north-central Spain that challenged rioja as the leading red wine-producing region in Iberia towards the end of the 20th century when it grew substantially. By 2012 it had a total of 21,500 ha/51,500 acres of vineyard, a third as much as Rioja. Ribera del Duero spans the upper valley of the River Duero (known as douro in Portugal), starting some 30 km/18 miles east of the city of Valladolid (see map under spain). Although Bodegas vega sicilia on the western margin of the denomination has been producing one of Spain’s finest wines since the mid 19th century, the region was awarded do status only in 1982. Since then more than 200 private estates have emerged.

Vega Sicilia, concentrated and long-lived red wine that is Spain’s undisputed equivalent of a first growth, made on a single property now incorporated into the ribera del duero denomination. The wine was being made long before the present do region took shape in the 1980s. This 1,000-ha/2,500-acre farm either side of the main road east of Valladolid has been making wine in its present form since 1864 when Eloy Lacanda y Chaves planted vines from Bordeaux alongside Tinto Fino, also known as Tinta del País (a local strain of tempranillo). T

The more than 200 ha/500 acres of vineyard on limestone soils overlooking the River Duero (douro in Portugal) are planted mainly with Tinto Fino but cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and a little malbec together make up about 20% of the total production. A tiny quantity of old-vine white albillo remains.
At first sight, the Duero valley is not the most congenial place to grow grapes. At between 700 and 850 m/2,800 ft above sea level, the growing season is relatively short. frost, commonplace in winter, continues to be a threat well into the spring. Temperatures, which can reach nearly 40 °C/104 °F in the middle of a July day, fall sharply at night—a phenomenon associated with wine quality elsewhere (see temperature variability).

The potential was recognized by Alejandro Fernández, who played a key role in the considerable development of the region in the 1980s. Pesquera, his wine vinified from grapes growing around the village of Pesquera del Duero a short distance upstream from Vega Sicilia, was released in the early 1980s to international acclaim. Other growers (many of whom had previously sold their grapes to the co-operatives) were thereby encouraged to make and market their own wines, soon challenging Rioja’s traditional hegemony inside Spain. In the 1990s, consumption of top-quality Ribera wines soared within Spain, causing deepening concern in Rioja. Several Ribera producers attained quality levels not much below those of Vega Sicilia and Pesquera.

The region’s principal vine variety, the Tinto Fino (also called Tinta del Pais), is a local variant of Rioja’s tempranillo. It seems to have adapted to the Duero’s climatic extremes and produces deep-coloured, occasionally astringent, firm-flavoured red wines without the support of any other grape variety. White wine made from albillo has been entitled to the DO since 2020 but is still occasionally blended into the intense red wine to lighten the load and add glycerine content. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec, introduced by Vega Sicilia 130 years ago, are now allowed throughout the denomination. Garnacha is used in the production of rosé.

Question 55

Rueda - OCW

Answer 55

Rueda, historic Spanish white wine zone named after the unprepossessing town which straddles the main road from Madrid to León in castilla y león (see map under spain). In the Middle Ages, vineyards flourished on this bleak Castilian plateau and cellars were hollowed out of the limestone under the town, but after phylloxera ravaged the zone, Rueda went into rapid decline. The high-yielding palomino grape was used for replanting, a move that in this case was justified since the main local styles were fortified wines in the image of sherry.

For much of the 20th century, the local verdejo grape was Rueda’s sleeping beauty. It was awoken in the 1970s, when Bodegas Marqués de Riscal of rioja recognized the area’s potential for dry white wine and sold a fresh Rueda white alongside its Rioja reds. Rueda was awarded do status in 1980 and the local Consejo Regulador succeeded in relaunching the native variety of which there were nearly three times as much as of Palomino in the mid 2000s, a radical reversal of the previous situation. Fortified wines are hardly made today and modern Rueda is a light, fruity, dry white wine. It may be made from a blend of Viura (macabeo) and Verdejo, the latter accounting for at least 50% of the blend, or it may be a sauvignon blanc varietal. Rueda Superior must contain at least 85% Verdejo and, as more farmers convert their vineyards, there are ever more varietal wines. Sauvignon Blanc was introduced by Marqués de Riscal in the early 1980s. Some fine, elegant wines have resulted, including one from one of the lurton family of Bordeaux.

tempranillo produces some typically firm red wine in the zone. In 2002, red wines were admitted in the Rueda DO but are rarely seen.

Question 56

Toro -OCW

Answer 56

oro, revolutionized Spanish red wine zone in castilla y león (see map under spain) whose wines were famous within Spain in medieval times. This wild and remote zone spans the Duero valley east of Zamora. It was accorded do status in 1987. At an elevation of between 600 and 750 m/2,000–2,800 ft, growing conditions are severe. The dry, stony soils can support cereals or vines. The region’s principal grape variety, Tinta de Toro, is a local variant of Rioja’s tempranillo which has adapted to the climatic extremes of this part of Spain. The grapes need careful handling. Left to their own devices, they will easily ripen to a potential alcohol level of 16%. Local regulations permit a maximum alcoholic strength of 15% but the best wines usually have a strength of around 13.5

Question 57

Rioja -OCW

Answer 57

La Rioja is the oldest winemaking province in argentina but Rioja is probably best known in the wine world as the leading wine region of spain, producing predominantly red wines in the north of the country. Named after the río (river) Oja, a tributary of the river Ebro, most of the Rioja wine region lies in the autonomous region of La Rioja in north east Spain, although parts of the zone extend into the neighbouring basque country to the north west and navarra to the north east. Centred on the regional capital Logroño, Rioja divides into three zones along the axis of the river Ebro. Rioja Alta occupies the part of the Ebro valley west of Logroño and includes the winemaking town of Haro. Rioja Alavesa is the name given to the section of the zone north of the river Ebro which falls in the Basque province of Alava. Rioja Baja extends from the suburbs of Logroño south and east to include the towns of Calahorra and Alfaro. In 2013, Rioja had 63,500 ha/152,400 acres of vines.