ES: Murcia, Valencia Flashcards
Murcia: Lay of the Land
- DO’s (3)
- regions/geography around
- major river
Levante - Bullas, Jumilla, Yecla DO’s
- CLIMATE: Divided between Med & Continental in the arid inland. ~13.3in rain/yr / 2189 sun hrs
- TERRAIN: low-lying mountains + coastal plains. Segura River, with its tributary Guadalentín, irrigate the dry inland
Monastrell reigns supreme in all 3 DOs
Valencia to the east, the Mediterranean sea to the south, Castilla La Mancha to the north, Andalusia to the west
DOs of Murcia (3)
Bullas
Jumilla
Yecla
Bullas DO
- where
- grapes/styles
Murcia, SE Spain
TERRAIN/CLIMATE: slopes upwards from south to north, coast to inland. Continental with Med influence.
GRAPES/STYLES: 60% of production is Monastrell
- Macabeo based whites.
- Rosé/Red min 60% monastrell
- Vino de Licor/ Vino Espumoso
Not super important. DO since 1994, but most of production has been co-op driven.
3 major producers based in Jumilla?
Juan Gil
Casa Castillo
Bodegas El Nido
Jumilla DO
- Terrain/Elevation
- Climate
- Grapes/Yields, etc
Murcia, est. 1966. 25k ha.
Monastrell = 80% of plantings
TERRAIN: wide valleys, plains, and mountains. Hot, dry, harsh. 300 - 800M avg elevation
CLIMATE: arid continental. 11.8 in rain/yr. 3000 sunshine hours.
SOILS: sand, limestone
Moisture-retaining lime, north-facing vineyards, and elevation offer respite from hot, dry conditions. 75% dry-farmed bushvines. 70% organic. Super low natural yields - 1500kg/hectare.
Jumilla DO Monastrell - min %?
Varietally- labelled Monastrell Rosado/ Tinto - min. 85%
1st phylloxera in Jumilla. Benefits?
1989
(helpful for some re-imagining of Jumilla wine and modernization)
- vineyards were replanted with virus-free material
- winemakers enacted more contemporary strategies ie carbonic maceration, longer bottle aging
- renewed focus on quality and modernization to combat the historic bulk/co-op reputation
*all of this also led to outside investment which further aided the quality revolution
Jumilla Vino de Licor
- varieties
- ABV
100% Monastrell
15 to 22% ABV
Yecla DO
- location
- terrain/climate
Northernmost DO in Murcia.
CLIMATE: transition from Med to Continental. ~12in/yr.
TERRAIN: eastern edge of Cordillera Subbetica. Limestone soils. 400 - 800M.
Monastrell dominates plantings.
Campo Arriba - higher, northerly, older vines. Campo Abajo - southerly, lower.
Familia Castaño
Bodegas Las Purisima (one of Spain’s largest coops)
Sierra Salinas (joint venture Castaño x Swiss investors)
Valencia DOs (3)
- most planted?
Valencia
Utiel-Requena (32,567 ha)
Alicante
(north –> south)
Valencia’s 4 Pago’s?
- El Terrerazo (2010)
- Los Balagueses (2011)
- Vera de Estenas (2019)
- Chozas Carrascal (2020)
(in order of EU approval)
1st: El Terrarazo by Mustiguilo
WHERE: All 4 are in Utiel-Requena
Fondillón
- variety
- aging
- RS
- method
A historic specialty of the Alicante DO
* 100% Monastrell
* min 10 years aging; rancio
* Max. 40 g/l RS
The best overripe Monastrell grapes are used - NOT fortified. Might be vintage dated or may come from a solera. Blue cheese is a great pairing.
Production centers around Mónovar (Utiel-Requena; sits further inland)
Utiel-Requena DO
- location
- doble pasta
- most planted grape
Valencia - most planted DO with 35k ha
TERRAIN: flat. Sits on elevated plateau @ 700M. Transitional from Med to Continental climate.
DOBLE PASTA: Translates to “Double Pulp” - ferments must with the leftover skins/pulp from rosé production to extract more color and texture
BOBAL country! 72% of plantings. Bobal Alta Expersion = 35yr old vines
[historical specialty was rosé; red wines were often underripe and not great. Early autumn frosts encouraged early picks
What is Alicante Bouschet?
Garnacha Tintorera
Grenache x Petit Bouschet
Developed in 1866 by Henri Bouschet, a Frenchman.
Thick-skinned, high yielding, deep and color but somewhat lacking flavor.
Teinturier
Doble Pasta - where, what?
Utiel-Requena DO
Translates to “Double Pulp” - ferments must with the leftover skins/pulp from rosé production to extract more color and texture
Levante Cava production - where?
Utiel-Requena DO, in the village of Requena.
- Dominio de la Vega
- Hispano Suizas
- Chozas Carrascal
- Vegalfaro
Spanish term for semi-sparkling wine
Vino de Aguja
4 Pago DO in Utiel-Requena? (2023)
Chozas Carrascal
Los Balagueses
Vera de Estenas
Finca Terrerazo
What is the Grandes Pagos de España?
The GPE is NOT affiliated with the DO Pago category, although some members belong to both.
This group includes members from all over Spain - both large and small. It was established in 2000 by Victor de la Serra of Finca Sandoval and Carlos Falco of Marques de Grinon. They’re mission is terroir-focused. Members can apply or be invited and the selection process is claimed to be rigorous. Members include: Numanthia, Gramona, Arinzano, Fillaboa, Enrique Mendoza, Mustiguillo
Elevation of Jumilla?
400M to 800M
What is the Spanish term for the local body that governs each DO?
Consejo Regulador
Jumilla’s climate?
Hot, arid continental
* eastern fringes have hints of Mediterranean influence
* lime in the soil to retain water, north-facing vineyards + elevation of 400 to 800M mitigates heat
* ~11.8 in rain/yr, 3000 sunshine hours
Jumilla soils
Sand over limestone bedrock
Which of Valencia’s DOs is the most heavily planted?
Utiel-Requena with about 35k hectares
Spanish term for provignage
Acodo
* don’t forget that provignage/acodo are a work around to have own-rooted vines since direct replanting in the EU (always?) requires phylloxera-resistant rootstock
