Duero River Valley Flashcards
Which autonomous region is Duero River Valley
Castilla y Leon
Which 2 important Catholic monarchs lived there
Ferdinand and Isabella
What % of Spain’s historic sites
60%
What is the Duero called in Portugal
Douro
How long is the Duero/Duoro
900km
Where does the Duero/Douro meet the sea
Atlantic
What is the history of Castilla y Leon
Pre - ancient 700,000 yrs ago
Vineyards - thousands years ago
Celtic tribes
Romans - aqueducts of Segovia, Via de la Plata (silver), ploughing
Visigoths
Moors - defeated in Asturias to the north
Middle Ages - monasteries– new vineyards, Santiago de Compostela
Renaissance - prosperity, highly prized wines (Isabella and Columbus), Ferd and Bella at Valladolid
19c - wine to french
20c Civil war and Franco
1983 Autonomous region Castilla y Leon
What is the Spanish for Way of St James
Camino de Santiago de Compostela
St James remains brought to Galicia 44BC
Tomb rediscovered by a hermit - flashing lights in sky
Rally point for Christians during Moorish invasion
Pilgrims got a certificate for less time in Purgatory
Camino Frances
800km
What is Vega Sicilia
Ribiera del Duero Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves 1864 => French grapes and techniques Highly valued
Location
Largest region in Spain N=Asturias, Cantabria and Pais Vasco E=La Rioja and Aragon S=Castille la Mancha, Communidad de Madrid and Extremadura W=Galicia 9 provinces Capital =Valladolid (unofficial)
What is the climate
Continental
Surrounded by mountain ranges and on Meseta
Extreme temps
Varied rainfall
What is the Topography of CyL
Northern Meseta
Mountains
Duero River Basin (97,000kmsq)
What are the Mountains of CyL
Montes de Leon 2,500m =NW Cordilla Cantabrica = N Sistema Iberico = E Sistema Centrale = S Torrecerredo highest peak 2,600m
What are the soils of CyL
Diverse - 32 types in Ribeiro
Clay, alluvium sandy, limestone
What are the main red grapes of CyL
Tempranillo= Tinot Fino, Tinta del Pais, Tinta del Toro
Mencia
Prieto Picudo
What are the main white grapes of CyL
Verdejo (found in Rueda)
Viti in CyL
Vineyards on plains and plateaus and river valleys
En vaso
Some trellising for mechanisation
Investment from EU
Vega Sicilia influence but mostly Tempranillo
Rueda uses Verdejo for vinos blancos (+ Sauv Blanc)
Vinos Rosados
What is Saignee
Method for rosado wines
French term meaning ‘bled’ for a winemaking technique which results in a rosé wine made by running off, or ‘bleeding’, a certain amount of free-run juice from just-crushed dark-skinned grapes after a short, prefermentation maceration. The aim of this may be primarily to produce a lightly pink wine, or to increase the proportion of phenolics and flavour compounds to juice, thereby effecting a form of concentration of the red wine which results from fermentation of the rest of the juice with the skins.
What is Clarete
is a historic Spanish term for a wine somewhere between a rosé (which the Spaniards would call rosado) and a light red.
Red and white grapes crushed together
Vinified as a Vino Tinto
What are the characteristics of DO Bierzo wines
1989 Tinto 83%, Blanco 12%, Rosado 5% Granite, limestone Continental climate - mild, humid compared to CyL generally 721mm rain 850m 2854ha White: Godello+ Red Mencia+ 75% plantings - bright acidity, raspberry herb En vaso on slopes/low hills
NEW CLASSIFICATION NOT TESTABLE
What are the characteristics of DO Cigales
1991 Rosado 64%, Tinto 34%, Other 2% Soil - sand and limestone Tributary of Duero - Pisurega Continental 407mm 800m 1948ha White- Verdejo - min 50% Red- Tinta del Pais/Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta and Gris min 50% grapes bought from family majuelos Historic cellars SS tanks => fresher rosados Mostly Rosados = Clarete method Brut nature, brut, semiseco and seco are only authorised for sparkling
What are majuelos
Family owned, family farmed plots in DO Cigales
What are the characteristics of DO Ribeiro del Duero
1982
Tinto 99%, Rosado 1%
Soils - varied
Climate - continental 460mm
945m HIgh! Sierras Demanda and Guadarrema
22,395ha
White - Albillo Mayor (no whites allowed in DO)
Red- Tinto Fino/Tinta de Pais/Tempranillo >75%
Riverbank of the Duero - area 115-35km along river
Inter-connecting cellars!!
Vega Sicilia - blend Bdx and Tempranillo
Single varietal Tempranillo - Alenjandro Fernandez
American and French oak
Longer aging times
What are the ordinances of Castilla y Leon
15c
Quality wine laws
who was Alejandro Fernandez
Ribeiro del Deuro
Village of Pesquera de Duero
Single variety Tempranillo
Start of quality improvements and DO status
what are aging requirements for DO Ribeira del Duero Tinto
Designation- Time in Barrel - Time before release Joven - no cask aging required Crianza- 12/12 - 24/12 Reserva - 12/12 - 36/12 Gran Reserva 24/12 - 60/12
What are the characteristics of DO Rueda
1980 - oldest DO in CyL Blanco 99%, Rosado Soils - gravel and stone Continental 430mm, late frosts 800m 14,753ha White- Verdejo History of Rancio fortified wines Replanted with Palomino Then Marques de Riscal= > Verdejo En vaso (historic) now Espaldera Small amount of red and rosado Country's largest producer of vino blanco Vino espumoso- trad method, 9/12 lees
NEW CLASSIFICATION NOT TESTABLE
What is Rancio
DO Rueda historic wine style
Wines from Tierra de Medina
Protected by Queen Isabella
deliberately maderizing the wine by exposing it to oxygen and/or heat. The wine may be stored in glass bonbonnes left out of doors and subjected to the changing temperatures of night and day. The word rancio has the same root as ‘rancid’ and the wines which result have an additional and powerful smell reminiscent of overripe fruit, nuts, and melted, or even rancid, butter.
What are the 5 DO Rueda white wine styles
Rueda = >50% Verdejo
Rueda Verdejo => 85% Verdejo
Rueda Sauvignon => 85% Sauv Bl
Rueda Espumoso => 50% Verdejo (seco/semi-seco) or 85% Verdejo (W/Bhat arrut Nature)
Rueda Dorado => Oxidatively aged with approved varieities
What are the characteristics of DO Toro
1987 Tinto 93%, Blanco 4%, Rosado 3% Soils - sand and clay Continental 400mm - spring frosts, low rain for region 825m 5,555ha White - Malvasia, Dona Blanca, Verdejo Red - Tinta de Toro (Temp) >75% Some Toro rosado Wines taken by Columbus Some pre-phylloxera vines French oak Blended with Garnacha
Where is Las Sierras de Bejar y Francia
Nature reserve SE Salamancar 199,140ha Duero and Taja rivers UNESCO status Unique flora/fauna
What is the Madreo technique
Rosado
Slow easy ferment
Slight sparkling
Tierra de Leon
What is the term for family-owned and family farmed plots within DO Cigales
Majuelos
How many months must DO Ribera del Duero Reserva be aged in barrel
12/12
Phylloxera did not affect some vineyards in CyL because vines were planted in which type of soil
Sand
Which is the oldest demarcated wine region in CyL
DO Rueda
What is the primary climate of CyL
Continental
What are the two primary white grapes used in DO Rueda
Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc
What VTS is used in the region to give grapes relief from summer heat
En vaso
What is the required mim % of Verdejo for a white labelled ‘Rueda’
50%
Approximately what % of DO Bierzo is planted to Mencia
75%
What is the only white grape allowed in Ribera del Duero
Abillo Mayor
What 3 methods used to make vinos rosado in CyL
Clarete, Direct press, Saignee… Madreo?
How many soil types in DO Ribeira del Duero
32+
What is the typical blending partner for Tinto de Toro, if used, for vino tinto in DO Toro
Garnacha Tinta
CyL is the fifth largest demarcated region within EU t or F
False - 3rd largest
If Garnacha Tinta and/or Albillo Mayor are blended with Tempranillo in Ribeira del Duero, how much can be used
No more than 5% between the 2
How many provinces are in CyL
9
Ribeiro del Duero has one of the highest average elevations of all wine regions in Europe T or F
True
DO Rueda only produces white wine T or F
False
DO Cigales is dominated by what wine style
Vino rosado
Which mountain range is located NW of CyL
Montes de Leon
What are the 3 other names by which Tempranillo is known in the region
Tinto del Pais, Tinto de Toro, Tinto Fino
What is Rueda Dorado
An oxidatively aged wine (from any authorised white grape)
How many months must DO Ribera del Duero Crianza be aged in barrel
12/12
The Duero river originates in which major mountain range/system
Sistema Iberico
What is the primary red grape in DO Bierzo
Mencia
Which winemaker brought Tempranillo to the world state by producing internationally acclaimed varietal wines
Alejandro Fernandez
Which region has more than 60% of Spain’s heritage sites
Castilla y Leon
How long is the Duero
895km
The best preserved Roman aquaduct in CYL is located in which city
Segovia
Which wine of CYL was taken by Columbus on his voyages
Toro
What was the Tierra de Medina
Rueda
In the 15th century, the region’s wines began to gain popularity under the name ‘Tierra de Medina wines’. In 1494 the first ordinances aimed at protecting the vineyard in the Rueda area were issued. … As wine was easy to transport, it became a product of exchange used in important commercial transactions.
Why were soils intolerant of phylloxera
sandy and dry
Which of Spain’s signature grapes grow well in CyL
Tempranillo
What are the primary synonyms for Tempranillo in CyL
Tino Fino, Tinto del Pais, Tinta del Toro
Mencia is most prominent in which CyL DO
Bierzo
Bierzo - OCW
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. Other top names are Paixar, Pittacum, Dominio de Tares, Estefanía, Luna Beberide, Mengoba, Raúl Pérez, Peique, Gancedo, Losada, Casar de Burbia, and Castro Ventosa.
What is the primary wine style in DO Cigales
Clarete
DO Cigales - OCW
Cigales — 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.
Which region is famous for underground cellars
DO Cigales
What % of Tinto del Pais in DO Ribiera del Duero
97%
What colours are the aging labels in Ribeira del Duero
Joven= Pink
Crianza=Maroon
Reserva=Brown
Gran Reserva= Gold
Which white grape still grows in DO Rueda but is no longer authorised to be planted
Palomino Fino
DO Rueda - OCW
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.
DO Toro - OCW
Toro, 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. A small number of producers have fostered a move away from the heavy, bulk reds of recent times, a move which gained notable momentum when some of the greatest names in Ribera del Duero, Rioja, and even Bordeaux were awakened to the region’s potential and launched their own estates, particularly Vega Sicilia’s Pintia, Mauro’s San Román, Sierra Cantabria’s Numanthia-Termes (subsequently acquired by lvmh), Michel Rolland’s Campo Elíseo, Telmo Rodríguez’s Pago La Jara, Jacques Lurton’s El Albar, in addition to the home-grown Bienvenida Sitio del Palo, Paydos, and Quinta Quietud. By 2010, Toro’s 5,700 ha/14,000 acres of vineyard supplied nearly 50 bodegas.
DO Riberia del Duero
Ribera del Duero, 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.
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 leading challengers included Dominio de Pingus, Alión, Pérez Pascuas, Pago de los Capellanes, Emilio Moro, Aalto, Hermanos Sastre, Alonso del Yerro, Goyo García Viadero, Hacienda Monasterio, and Cillar de Silos. Several of these growers are in the east of the region, near Aranda de Duero, where a tradition of cheap rosés had previously inhibited production of top-quality reds.
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.
The best preserved Roman aqueduct in CyL is located in which city
Segovia
What is CyL’s primary river
Duero
Which of Spain’s signature grapes grows best in Castille y Leon
Tempranillo
What are the primary synonyms of Tempranillo in CyL
Tinto Fino, Tinto Toro, Tinto del Pais
Mencia is most prominent in which CyL DO
Bierzo
What is the primary wine style in Cigales
Rosado
Which white grape still grows in DO Rueda but is no longer authorised to be planted
Palomino Fino
Which iconic producer brought international varieties to Ribeira del Duero
Vega Sicilia
The most pre-phylloxera soils in CyL are located in which 2 DOs
Rueda and Toro
What is the main grape of DO Bierzo
Mencia
Which is the dominant wine style in each of the following DOs - Bierzo, Ribeiro del Duero, Rueda, Cigales, Toro
Bierzo=Red Ribeiro del Duero=Red Rueda=White, Cigales=Rosado Toro=Red
