Ebro Valley: Aragon Flashcards
When were the first evidence of civilisation in Aragon
1700BC - although it is believed there were people there 45,000 years ago
Which were the local tribes of Aragon
Vascones, Iberians and Celtiberians
Who conquered the local tribes and when
Romans 2AD
Which tribes came after the Romans
Visigoths and Franks and Moors
Where did the Moors have their capital
Zaragoza - Capital of Caliphate of Cordoba
Aljafiera Palace
After the Moors what happened to Aragon
Part of the Kingdom of Navarra until Sancho III died in 1035 => Aragon went to his illegitimate son Ramiro I
How did Aragon have a link to Barcelona
Count of Barcelona married the Princess of Aragon => Kingdom of Barcelona
What happened to stop the Catalans from Barcelona ruling Aragon
Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castile in 1479 to create united Kingdom of Castile
Replanting of vineyards
Reconquista
What ancient Roman law meant that Aragon still have self-rule despite being part of the Kingdom of Castile
Fueros
What were the Nueva Planta Decrees
Felipe V from the beginning wanted to change the Spanish system looking for a more French model, closer to its territory of origin. The king wanted to establish a centralist and uniform monarchy, which was in conflict with Spanish custom. The French system centered the power in the figure of the king, and the foral rights and the courts of ancient kingdoms (such as the Aragonese) were not compatible with these measures.
The continuous revolts that had occurred in the country made the measures that the king wanted to impose more reasonable. The king believed that the revolts and rebellions were the consequence of a not very centralized nucleus of power, and to break this the French model was necessary.
But the reforms of Felipe V were not going to be directed to all the territories that had their own rights. The decrees fell on the kingdoms that made up the Crown of Aragon, because they were territories that had supported Charles of Habsburg in the War of Succession
These causes led to the promulgation of the Nueva Planta Decrees, which greatly affected Catalonia, Aragon, Mallorca and Valencia.
The Decrees had a very important consequences for the Hispanic kingdom.
Catalonia, Mallorca and Aragon saw their charters, their institutions, their Provincial Councils and their Courts disappear. And the Spanish was established as an administrative language of the region, except for some exceptions with Basque.
The state was centralized in an attempt to expand the power of the absolute monarchy of Felipe V. This also influenced the kingdom of Castile, with the loss of power of the mayors of the Castilian municipalities, whose objective was to increase the power of the monarch.
Another objective of these decrees was that there should be greater uniformity, that is, that the gap between Castile and Aragon was less.
The “privilege of foreigners” was eliminated by means of which it was tried that personalities Castilian women to occupy positions in Aragon, and that the same happened in Castile with political figures Castilian.
The customs between Aragon and Castile were abolished.
The legal system became Castilian, abolishing the Aragonese legal characteristics to create a single common legal system.
The existing tax system in Aragon was changed, creating new taxes in each of the 4 regions.
The Cortes lost power, and went from being called Cortes de Castilla to being called Cortes de Castilla y Aragón. Wanted Castilianize the peninsular kingdoms, that is, to change the Aragonese customs for the Castilian ones in the economic, legal, and political sections.
In conclusion, we can say that the Nueva Planta Decrees carried with them the disappearance of the Crown of Aragon and they entailed a unification in many ways that continues to this day.
When was the railway opened between Zaragoza and Carinena (where the wine was made)
1887
when did Aragon become an autonomous community
1982
When did Aragon gain ‘historic community’ status
2007
What is the location of Aragon
N=France
E=Catalunya
S=Castile- La Mancha, Valencia
W=Navarra, La Rioja, Castille y Leon
Capital= Zaragoza
3 provinces
Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel
What is the main climate of Aragon
Continental
Maritime influences
Cierzo
Northern areas have some of highest rainfall in Spain
Drought, hail, frost
Who was Catherine of Aragon
Daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella
Married Henry VIII - first wife
What is the main topographical features of Aragon
Mountains - Pirineos (North) and Sistema Iberico (South)
Ebro Valley Basin plains and hills
What are the 2 main soil types of Aragon
Limestone and clay
What is the principal grape of Aragon
Garnacha
Indigenous
Long lived vines
Replanted after phylloxera
Where else vies for birthplace of Garnacha
Sardinia
When did wineries of Aragon try to save old vines
1990s - EU subsidies to plant more profitable crops
Where in Aragon are there more international varieites
Somontano in North
Describe the main types of vineyard in Aragon
En vaso
Manual harvest
Old vines
low hills
Aragon - OCW
Aragón, known as Aragon in English. Once a powerful kingdom whose sphere of influence stretched from the levante in the west as far as naples and sicily in the east, Aragón is now one of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions. In the north east of the country, it spans the broad valley of the River Ebro which is flanked by mountains on either side (see map under spain). The north is dominated by the Pyrenees, which feed water on to the arid Ebro plain. To the south and east the climate becomes progressively extreme as the land rises towards the central Spanish plateau.
The wines of Aragón used to be strapping potions with natural alcohol reaching levels as high as 17 or 18%. Red wines, made predominantly from the garnacha grape, were mostly sold in bulk for blending. However, four do regions designated between 1980 and 1990 changed the profile of Aragón wines. somontano in the lush Pyrenean foothills east of the city of Huesca chose to almost entirely forgo indigenous grape varieties, a choice which has proven controversial and not always fruitful in terms of sales, but south of the Ebro wines from the DOs of campo de borja, cariñena, and calatayud have benefited from investment in modern winemaking technology, which has revolutionized the style of modern-day Garnacha, sometimes blended with Tempranillo or Syrah. Throughout much of Aragón, large co-operatives continue to dominate production, buying in grapes from smallholders.
DO Calatayud - date
1989
DO Calatayud - wine style
TINTO 91%
GARNACHA
DO Calatayud - soils
Slate, clay, sand
DO Calatayud - climate
Continental
550m
Frosts
DO Calatayud- topgraphy
Foothills of Sistema Iberico
1040m HIGH!
3,200ha
DO Calatayud - vinas Viejas
Vines at least 35 yrs old
low yield
DO Calatayud - Calatayud Superiore
Vines at least 50 yrs old
V low yield
DO Calatayud - OCW
Calatayud, dynamic denominated wine zone with 5,000 ha/12,000 acres of vines in aragón in north-east Spain, in arid country on either side of the River Jalón, a tributary of the Ebro (see map under spain). As in much of central Spain, yields rarely rise above 20 hl/ha (1 ton/acre). Most grapes are sold to one of nine local co-operatives. The garnacha grape, which accounts for around two-thirds of Calatayud’s production, makes heady, potent red wine, although tempranillo and various international varieties are now also planted. Investment in new technology, particularly stainless steel and refrigeration, is increasing the proportion of Garnacha-based rosés and crisp white wines made from viura.
DO Campo de Borja - date
1980
Old vines - some over 130 years old
Average ~ 40yrs
DO Campo de Borja- wine style
TINTO 82%
Garnacha
Old vines
DO Campo de Borja - soils
limestone, clay
DO Campo de Borja- climate
Continental
Cierzo
Frosts
450mm
DO Campo de Borja - topography
700m
6,242ha
Between the mountains (S. Iberico) and the water (Ebro)
DO Campo de Borja - wines
Elegant and floral
DO Campo de Borja -OCW
Campo de Borja, promising Spanish wine zone in the undulating plains around the town of Borja (after which the Borgia family was named) in the aragón region in the north east (see map under spain), producing fairly alcoholic red wines. This is one of the most arid parts of the country and the 6,800 ha/16,300 acres of low-yielding vineyards, planted predominantly with garnacha vines, produce intensely sweet, dark grapes which are made into heady red wines. The Borsao Borja co-operative has revolutionized the region with its young, intensely fruity reds that have won a large following on export markets and shown the way to the future for the do. The best wines, notably the result of an Australo-American joint venture, can command prices that would not even have been dreamt of in the late 1990s.
DO Carinena - date
1932 V EARLY - one of Spain’s first
King Ferdinand liked the wines
Voltaire
More old vines than anywhere else in Spain
DO Carinena - wine styles
TINTO 89% ++
Garnacha Tinta
Carinena only 5%
DO Carinena- soils
limestone and clay
DO Carinena - climate
Continental
540mm
Cierzo
Hailstones
DO Carinena - topography
Ebro river valley
800m
13,768ha
DO Carinena - wine style
Intense fruit - spicy notes
DO Carinena - what is anejo
Minimum abv of 15%
Oxidative method
24/12 in barrel
No bottle aging requirement
DO Carinena - OCW
town in north-east Spain which lends its name to both a denominated wine zone and a vine variety, widely grown in southern France as carignan. Although it is thought to have originated in the area, the vine (officially known as Mazuelo in Spain) has been widely abandoned here in favour of garnacha, which seems better suited to the arid growing conditions in this, the largest of the four do zones of the aragón region (see map under spain). But Cariñena, like so many other regions of Spain, is trying to break with the the viticultural and winemaking flaws of the past. The minimum alcoholic strength permitted by DO regulations for red Cariñena was reduced from 14 to 12% in 1990. Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon have also been planted, and the local red wine rarity Vidadillo rediscovered. Among the white vine varieties that cover a fifth of Cariñena’s total vineyard area, Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca have been joined by Parellada from Penedès. The co-operatives, led by San Valero, have been fully modernized, and some noteworthy private producers have joined them, notably Solar de Urbezo, Pablo, Bioenos, Añadas, and Grandes Vinos y Viñedos.
DO Somontano - date
1984
Bordelaise settled after Phylloxera
DO Somontano - wine style
57% tinto
23% blanco
DO Somontano - soils
Limestone clay
DO Somontano - climate
Continental
Med influences
Wide diurnal temp
WETTEST subregion
500mm
Cierzo
DO Somontano - topography
Pirineos foothills
Wettest and greenest region
1000m!
3931ha
DO Somontano - wines
International varieties
3 permitted are indigienous 17% plantings
DO Somontano - OCW
Somontano, wine zone in the foothills of the central Pyrenees, in aragón in north-east Spain (see map under spain). Somontano (meaning ‘under the mountain’) is one of Spain’s newer wine regions. There are currently some 4,750 ha/11,400 acres under vines. In stark contrast to much of inland Spain, Somontano looks like winemaking country. The heavy winter rains are supplemented by a network of rivers and streams flowing off the mountains. Even in summer, when temperatures can easily reach 35 °C/95 °F, the fields remain green and productive.
Bodega Pirineos, once the region’s co-operative, together with the ultra-modern, recently created wineries Viñas del Vero (vintage 1986) and Enate (1991), make most of Somontano’s wine. The main early selling point of Somontano in the early 1990s was its dedication to international varieties but by 2010 this had become its main problem as competing on a varietal basis with Cabernets and Syrahs made all over the world proved an arduous task. The native moristel and Parraleta varieties represent only 3.5% of the vineyard surface. Tempranillo, with 15%, is the only significant Spanish variety. The native Garnacha was on the wane, and mainly used for rosés, until Viñas del Vero discovered and relaunched the impressive old vineyards at Secastilla with a very distinctive single-estate Garnacha red. Some 160 ha of Garnacha remain. For whites, the traditional Macabeo and almost extinct Alcañón have been joined by Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer, which together represent 81% of the 870 ha/2,090 acres planted to white wine varieties.
Garnacha is an oxidative grape variety. T or F
True
How many VPs does Aragon have
1 VP Ayles
Name the 2 significant mountain ranges flanking Aragon
Pirineos and Sistema Iberico
Which Aragon DO is one of Spain’s oldest demarcated wine regions?
DO Carinena
What is the dominant vine training method used throughout Aragon
En vaso
What are 3 threats to Aragon’s growing season
Hail
Spring frosts
Cierzo winds
What is the primary climate of Aragon
Continental with Maritime influence
In which Aragon DO do 6 co-operatives account for the majority of wine produced
DO Campo de Borja
Which grape variety accounts for more than half the plantings in DO Calatayud
Garnacha Tinta
What soil types dominate the DOs of Aragon
Clay, Limestone
What is the name for DO Calatayud vinos tintos produced using a minimum of 85% Garnacha Tinta and from vines >50 years old
Calatayud Superior
Which Aragon DO is a stronghold for international varieties
DO Sonomontana
Which Aragon DO has more old vines than anywhere else in Spain
DO Carinena
Which 2 DOs in Aragon are authorised to produce Cava
Campo de Borja and Carinena
What is the primary grape of Aragon
Grenache
Which DO is considered the birthplace of Garnacha Tinta
Carinena
Which Aragonese DO is the most ardent user of international varieites
Somontano
What are the three provinces of Aragon
Huesco, Zaragoza and Teruel
Where does Arargon rank in a list of the Spanish regions by size
4th
Over half of DO Campo de Borja’s vines are what age?
30-50 years
Which is the wettest DO in Aragon?
Somontano
In DO Somontano how many of the 15 authorised grapes are Spanish
7
