Fundamentals: Viticulture, winemaking, wine law Flashcards
Which country has the world’s largest vineyard?
Spain 975k ha (2016)
What are the top three wine producing countries in the world?
Italy
France
Spain (14.7%)
Spain is the world’s third largest producer of wine. But where does it rank as an exporter by volume, value?
Volume: 1st at 22%
Value: 3rd
Which of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain produce almost 60% of its wine?
Castilla-La Mancha
Cataluña
La Rioja
Name the three primary vine training systems used in Spain
parral (pergola)
en vaso (gobelet)
espaldera (VSP)
Which is more usual in Spain: cane pruning or spur pruning?
spur pruning
In which general area of Spain is parral the most popular? Why?
Northwest, especially wet Galicia.
Parral allows maximum air circulation, preventing mildew and allowing more even ripening. Also farmers can grow other products on the land under the parral.
What is a ‘parra’?
The wire trellis used in parral training, anchored by stone posts
Which vine training technique is generally used in the continental climate areas of Spain?
en vaso (gobelet)
Apart from the continental climate areas of Spain, where else is en vaso training common?
the islands
Which vine training technique in Spain is particularly good at protecting vines from sunburn?
en vaso (gobelet)
What is marco real?
Vines are planted in a chessboard pattern 2.5m apart. The wide spacing minimises hydric stress.
What is en cabeza?
The head of the vine is trained in a downward position so the leaves protect the fruit from sunburn
What vine training technique is often used for vines planted in Marco Real manner? What is it a variant of?
en cabeza
variant of en vaso
What is the Spanish form of Vertical Shoot Positioning called?
espaldera
Describe espaldera vine training
Vine trunk about 3 feet (1 metre) high. One or two permanent arms (cordons) resting on a support wire. Spur pruned. Shoots are trained upwards with catch wires to form a narrow, vertical curtain.
What are the benefits of espaldera training?
Allows vine maintenance and harvest to be mechanised, and drip irrigation
How many indigenous varieties are there in Spain? (range of estimates, central estimate)
85-600
200
The top 20 varieties grown in Spain produce what proportion of wine?
89%
65% of Spain’s vineyard is planted to which top six varieties?
Airén
Tempranillo
Bobal
Garnacha Tinta
Macabeo/Viura
Monastrell
Cabernet Franc is a cross of…?
Morenoa x Hondarribi Beltza
What crossed with Cabernet Franc to produce Carmenère? And what is that a cross of?
Gros Cabernet = Hondarribi Beltza x Fer
Name five international grapes grown in Spain. In which 4 regions particularly?
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Syrah
Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Cataluña
Navarra
Castilla y León
Castilla-La Mancha
Which grape varieties are planted on over 100,000 ha in Spain? How many ha are planted with vines in total?
Airén 217k ha
Tempranillo 203k ha
Total 974k ha (2017)
When was Roussillon part of the Aragonese Empire?
13-18C
In which century did Spain start to make its mark as a world wine power? Why?
mid 19C
When France’s vineyards were ravaged by phylloxera, many French winemakers settled in Spain bringing better techniques and barrels.
Historically, what kind of vessels were Spanish red wines fermented in? What were they also used for?
tinajas
(large earthernware jars)
also used for storage
What kind of fermentation vessels are now common for fermenting red wines in Spain?
stainless steel tanks
What kind of oak was mostly used to age red wine in Spain in the 1970s-90s? Why?
American oak
Cheaper, strong flavours (vanilla)
Which grape variety is particularly suited to ageing in American oak?
Tempranillo
Which three countries are the main sources of oak for barrels in Spain, for red wine ageing?
America
France
Hungary
In addition to Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, many regions authorise traditional ageing terms for red wine. Name three in Spanish and English, and the minimum ageing duration. How common is their use today?
Noble (18 months)
Añejo (mature, 24 months)
Viejo (old, 36 months)
Rarely used today
Traditionally, how did Spanish winemakers tame the very high alcohol and low acidity of their red wines? What techniques make this avoidable today?
By adding white grapes.
Temperature-controlled tanks and modern equipment.
Which common red variety in Spain was traditionally always blended, but now produces quality single-varietal wines?
Bobal
Historically, what style of white wines were made in Spain? Why?
Rancio.
White varieties, like Verdejo, were prone to oxidation.
In Spanish white wine making, what are the relative popularities of barrel-fermentation and stainless steel?
Some use barrel fermentation, but temperature-controlled stainless steel is the norm
Name the white grape that matches these locations and styles today:
once mainly for brandy and raisins?
Green Spain and Castilla y León (barrel fermentation, Burgundian)?
Rías Baixas (fresh, fruit forward)?
Rueda (fresh, fruit forward)?
Airén
Godello
Albariño
Verdejo
Which style of wine was not big in Spain but rapidly gaining international popularity?
vino rosado (rosé)
Where was the centre of vinos rosados production for the Spanish aristocracy in the 13-15C? What were they like?
Cigales (Castilla y León)
Heavy-handed, candied red fruit flavours.
When did the style of Spanish rosado shift? Where and how?
mid 20C
Regions like Navarra, Cataluña
Direct press, Provence style
What are the two most common methods for producing vino rosado?
direct press (free run juice)
saignée (2-24h maceration, free run juice, residue used for vino tinto)
Apart from direct press and saignée, what other technique is less commonly used to make rosado in Spain? How?
Oak aged rosado.
Red and white grapes fermented together, wine aged in oak.
Which two varieties are most commonly made into rosado? What style do they lend themselves to?
Bonus: and which lesser-known indigenous grapes? (5)
international grapes? (2)
Garnacha/Garnatxa
Tempranillo
light, fresh
Bobal
Mencía
Monastrell
Prieto Picudo
Trepat
Cabernet Sauvignon
Syrah
Who created Spain’s first sparkling wine? Of which estate? What year?
Josep Raventós i Fatjó
Cordoníu (in Cataluña)
1972
When and where was the first official mention of cava, referring to Spanish sparkling wine?
1959
Trade Regulations of Sparkling and Fizzy Wines
Which sparkling wine production method is used to make cava? Which grapes (for white cava)?
método tradicional
Macabeo
Xarel.lo
Parellada
Which two grapes are most commonly used in cava rosado?
Garnacha Tinta
Trepat
Distinguish between vino espumoso and cava.
Only wines produced within DO Cava may be labelled cava.
If a producer cannot, or chooses not to, label their sparkling wine as cava, what is the alternative?
Vinos Espumosos de Calidad
(Quality Sparkling Wines)
In the método tradicional, what is added to initiate second fermentation (in Spanish)? Minimum lees ageing?
licor de tiraje
9 months
When did two Frenchmen patent a mechanised riddling device, and what was it called?
When did Spain develop and use such a device, what was it called, and how many bottles did it hold?
1968: gyro
1970s: girasol, 540 bottles
Manual riddling used to take months. How fast was a girasol? And a gyropalette? How fast can Freixenet do it?
Girasol: weeks
Gyropalette: 3-4 days
Freixenet: 1 hour, with bottles then sur pointe for 24h to compact
When did the Moors introduce distillation to Andalucía, paving the way for sherry?
8C
Sherry production bounced back when the Spanish retook Jerez, in which century?
13C
Sherry had gained a reputation as one of the finest wines in the world, by the end of which century?
end of 16C
Which three grapes are authorised for sherry production?
Palomino
Pedro Ximénez
Moscatel
(this has changed recently with pre-phylloxera grapes also allowed)
Which is the dominant sherry grape, with what percentage of plantings?
Palomino 95%
What are Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel mostly used for?
Sweetening agents
Sweet sherry
What is the Spanish name for the distilled wine used to fortify sherry? What is it made from?
destilado
distilled wine from Airén grapes in La Mancha
What is the maximum amount of finished sherry that is bottled from the solera at one time?
33%
Which sweet wines were enjoyed, and in which centuries, by:
Shakespeare?
Louis XIV?
sherry late 16 - early 17C
‘mountain wines’ from Málaga late 17 - early 18C
Which DO is exclusively dedicated to producing vino dulce?
DO Málaga
Name four areas producing vino dulce from the Moscatel grape
Marco de Jerez (sherry)
Málaga
Navarra (late harvest)
Alicante (sun-dried and oak aged)
Which vino dulce is made from overripe Monastrell in Alicante? How is it aged?
Fondillón
Minimum 10 years in solera
How is vino dulce made on Lanzarote?
Malvasia grapes
air-dried
oxidative style
Apart from Jerez, Málaga, Navarra, Alicante, and Lanzarote, where else is experimenting with vino dulce? (4)
Ribeiro
Rioja
Cataluña
Las Islas Baleares
Minimum ageing requirements for vinos tintos, as months to release (months in barrel):
Joven
Crianza
Reserva
Gran Reserva
Joven (1st year, none)
Crianza 24 (6)
Reserva 36 (12)
Gran Reserva 60 (18)
Minimum ageing requirements for vinos blancos/rosados, as months to release (months in barrel):
Joven
Crianza
Reserva
Gran Reserva
Joven (1st year, none)
Crianza 18 (6)
Reserva 24 (6)
Gran Reserva 48 (6)
(Crianza ageing changed in the SWS corrections)
Give three factors that kept Spanish wine prices low in the early 20C
poverty
prohibition
stagnant economy
In the early 20C, winemakers tried to increase production and reduce costs. What trends emerged?
Winemakers formed co-operatives to share costs and reduce competition.
Regulations to improve quality (led by Rioja).
In which year did a Royal Decree define the origin of Rioja wines?
1902
In which year was Rioja’s Consejo Regulador created, controlling the use of the name ‘Rioja’ and mandating a special bottle seal?
1926
After Rioja, which two regions were next to appoint a Consejo Regulador in the late 1920s / early 1930s?
Jerez
Málaga
In which year did the Wine Statute create the Denominación de Origen system? What did it allow for the creation of, all over Spain?
1932
Consejos Reguladores
What was the original purpose of the wire netting on Rioja bottles?
to prevent counterfeiting
The Wine Statute of 1932 was eventually superseded. By which statute, in which year? What institute did it create, to do what? How did that change with the Spanish Constitution in 1978?
Statute on Vineyard, Wine and Alcohol Regulations
1970
Instituto Nacional de Denominaciones de Origen
regulate and monitor DOs; each Consejo Regulador reported to it.
From 1978 the autonomous communities took control locally (the Ministry of Agriculture protects DOs internationally).
When and how was DOCa/DOQ created? How many are there today, and when were they awarded?
1988
royal decree
1991 DOCa Rioja
2009 DOQ Priorat
In which year did the EU create two quality divisions with geographical origin (DOP, IGP), and one without (vino)?
2008
What are the five quality wine designations used in Spain, and how do they group within the EU quality levels?
Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP):
Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa/DOQ)
Denominación de Origen (DO)
Vino de Calidad con Indicación Geográfica (VC)
Vino de Pago (VP)
Vino de Indicación Geográfica Protegida (IGP):
Vino de la Tierra (VT)
Give three minimum requirements for DOCa/DOQ. How many are there?
Region must be DO for 10 years.
Wine produced and bottled in the region.
Wines must cost double the national average for DO wines.
2 DOCa/DOQs
Give five areas regulated under DO status. How many DOs are there?
authorised grape varieties
production levels
winemaking methods
ageing times
VC for minimum 5 years
68 DOs
When was the Wine Statute amended to create VCs? What does VC stand for, and what does it mean? How many are there?
2003
Vino de Calidad con Indicación Geográfica (VC)
VC is between VT and DO
(produced in a region
grapes from same area
quality, reputation due to geography)
7 VCs
When was the Wine Statute amended to create VPs? What does VP stand for? What does it mean? What is novel about this designation? How many are there?
2003
Vino de Pago (VP)
Single estate (pago = vineyard)
with unique soil/mesoclimate
VP wines must be grown under the area’s distinctive conditions and produced and bottled within the estate.
Novel because VPs can make their own rules (grapes, viti/vini, ageing)
19 VPs
What are the Grandes Pagos de España?
A voluntary organisation of about 30 wineries across Spain. (Nothing to do with the VP designation.)
Under EU guidelines for IGP, what proportion of grapes must be sourced from within the geographical area?
85%
VT wines (which are IGP) must meet the EU geographical requirements that 100% of production and 85% of grapes must come from the geography. Give two further requirements. How many VTs are there?
Minimum alcohol
Varietal typicity
42 VTs
Vino (formerly Vino de Mesa) wines are permitted to mention country of origin, grape variety, and harvest year on the label. What are they not allowed to mention? Why might a Vino be high quality?
Any specific geographical indication.
Some ambitious winemakers label as Vino de España to allow them to use non-traditional techniques.
Under the EU labelling requirements of 2008, state:
the six mandatory pieces of information;
the one further item required for sparkling wine;
three optional items often included;
one other optional item.
Mandatory:
EU / Spanish quality designation (e.g. PDO / VP);
Name of region / appellation;
Alcohol by volume;
Country of origin;
Name of bottler/producer (and importer, if any);
Volume.
Mandatory for sparkling:
sugar content
Common optional items:
wine name;
vintage year;
ageing classification if any.
May also state grape varieties.
