Galicia Flashcards
Spanish for Green Spain
España Verde
Name the autonomous communities in Green Spain
Galicia
Cantabria
Asturias
País Vasco
Galicia is known as the “country of…”?
Country of the thousand rivers
Name the two main rivers in Galicia
Miño
Sil
Name the main mountain range in Galicia
Macizo Galaico / Galician Massif
Name the three primary ranges in the Macizo Galaico / Galician Massif
Serra do Eixe
Serra da Enciña da Lastra
Serra do Courel
The most successful grape varieties in Galicia have what characteristics?
Early ripening
Cool climate varieties
Climate of Galicia
Maritime
Winter in Galicia: typical temperature, describe the rainfall
mild (avg 14ºC), heavy rain
Summer in Galicia: describe the rainfall pattern
Drought in south
Rain all year in north
In summer, which parts of Galicia are warmest? coolest?
Warmest: inland
Coolest: NW coast
NW coast 23ºC
SW coast 25ºC
inland 30ºC
Galicia is bordered by…
Atlantic (cliffs and rías)
Portugal
Castilla y León
Asturias
Describe a ría
Submerged river estuary
Branch-like, convoluted, indented coastline with islands
Insignificant water source, no silt
Capital and largest city in Galicia
Capital: Santiago de Compostela
Largest city: Vigo in SW
How are vines trained, depending on terrain in Galicia?
Steep slopes: en espaldera on terraces (costly, manual)
Flatter sites: parrals (high yield, preferred by smallholders)
Describe vine training: parral
Parral: 7ft high granite posts and trellises, ventilation, room for second crop under
What are soil types generally like at the coast, up river, and inland?
Soils (granite is ideal - porous, well drained)
* Coast: granite, sandy, shallow, acidic (sandy beaches?)
* Inland up rivers: granite, clay (clay river beds?)
* Further inland up rivers: shallow slate, shale, granitic sand
Does Galicia make more white or red wine?
White
Are Galician grape varieties usually international or indigenous
Almost all indigenous
What techniques are usual for vinification in Galicia?
Stainless steel
Fresh wines for immediate consumption
Some producers barrel age
For which four white grape varieties are producers experimenting with barrel ageing, in Galicia?
Albariño
Godello
Treixadura
Loureira
What genus and species are French, American, Galician oak?
Genus: quercus
Species:
* French: petraea/robur
* American: alba
* Galician: pyrenaica
Rías Baixas: mostly red/white? percentage? dominant variety?
99% blanco (Albariño)
Characteristics of Albariño in Rías Baixas
mostly unoaked, young, light, acid, pale, citrus / peach / white flowers
Rías Baixas: soil
Shallow sandy soil, some granite, alluvial on Miño
Rías Baixas: elevation, rainfall, climate
low elevation (0-300m)
high rainfall (1,691 mm/yr)
maritime
Which DO in Galicia has the largest area under vine?
Rías Baixas (4,021 ha)
Galician for small family Bodegas
Adegas is Galician for small family quality Bodegas
DO Ribeiro, in Galicia: mostly red/white? percentage? dominant variety?
90% blanco (Treixadura)
DO Ribeiro, in Galicia: soil with percentages
70% granite + organic; 20% schist, 10% sedimentary
Best on hillsides above rivers
Name the three main rivers of DO Ribeiro. What effect do they have?
Avia
Miño
Arnoia
They moderate temperatures in valley floor, but the best vineyard sites are up on the hillsides in cooler air anyway.
DO Ribeiro: elevation, rainfall, climate
low-ish (100-350m) but enough to cool air, maintain acidity, prolong growing season
moderate rain (900 mm/yr)
maritime
Oldest DO in Galicia, first winemakers, historically famous for what?
Ribeiro
Roman
historic sweet wines for pilgrims
DO Ribeiro: main weather hazard
spring frost
Boutique winery in DO Ribeiro: local name, regulations, how many?
Colleiteiro
<= 60,000 L/yr, all production on site
115 (in 2016)
DO Ribeira Sacra: mostly red/white? percentage? dominant variety?
94% tinto (Mencía)
Most production is 100% Mencía
DO Ribeira Sacra: minimum requirements for grape varieties
minimum 70% of the 6 preferred varieties
Characteristics of Menćia in DO Ribeira Sacra
light, fresh, moderate colour, berries / herbs / smokey, some ageing large wood vats
DO Ribeira Sacra: soils by river
Slate (Miño, NW)
granite (Sil / Bibei, SE)
Ribeira Sacra: elevation, rainfall, climate
400-500m
700-800 mm/yr
maritime + continental
DO Ribeira Sacra: history of the name
Name from 1124 constitutional document authorised by Doña Teresa (daughter of King Alfonse VI of Portugal): Rovoyra Sacrata, referring to the site for a monastery.
1608: typo by Benedictine monk (Rivoyra Sacrata)
DO Ribeira Sacra: name for premium wine and minimum requirements (for tintos, blancos)
Ribeira Sacra Summum = 85%+ preferred grapes and 60%+ Mencía
For whites: 100% preferred grapes
DO Valdeorras: mostly red/white? percentage? dominant variety?
55% blanco (blanco usually 100% Godello)
DO Valdeorras is mostly white, but what is the main red variety?
Mencía
Minimum proportion of named grape in DO Valdeorras, if labelled:
Valdeorras Godello
Valdeorras Mencía
100% Godello
85% Mencía
Minimum variety requirement for vinos espumosos in DO Valdeorras
85% Godello
DO Valdeorras: soils and rivers
Shallow slate over quartzite / schist (Sil)
DO Valdeorras: elevation, rainfall, climate
Medium elevation (300-700m)
High-ish rainfall (850-1000 mm/yr)
maritime + continental
DO Valdeorras: weather risks
Late frosts, hail in spring
DO Valdeorras: origin of name
Roman, valley of gold
(but WSG lecture by Noah Chichester says it’s Valley of the Gigurri)
DO Valdeorras: name and requirements of premium wine labelling
Valdeorras Castas Nobles
85%+ preferred varieties
Name the subzones of DO Rías Baixas and their adjacent bodies of water
Ribeira do Ulla (Ulla river)
Val do Salnés (Umia river)
Soutomaior (Ría de Vigo)
O Rosal (Miño river)
Condado do Tea (Miño river)
Superlative for DO Rías Baixas subzone: Ribeira do Ulla
Northernmost
Superlatives (4) for DO Rías Baixas subzone: Val do Salnés
Flattest
Largest
Oldest
Coolest
Superlative for DO Rías Baixas subzone: Soutomaior
Smallest
Superlatives (4) for DO Rías Baixas subzone: Condado do Tea
Furthest inland
Most mountainous
Most continental
Warmest
Minimum grape varieties for white wine labelled: DO Rías Baixas
No restriction
Minimum grape varieties for DO Rías Baixas Albariño wine
100% Albariño
Minimum grape varieties for DO Rías Baixas white wine from Ribeira do Ulla
70%+ preferred grapes
(Rías Baixas: Albariño, Loureira/Loureiro Blanco/Marqués, Treixadura, Caíño Blanco)
Minimum grape varieties for DO Rías Baixas white wine from Val do Salnés
70%+ preferred grapes
(DO Rías Baixas: Albariño, Loureira/Loureiro Blanco/Marqués, Treixadura, Caíño Blanco)
Minimum grape varieties for DO Rías Baixas white wine from Soutomaior
100% Albariño
Minimum grape varieties for DO Rías Baixas white wine from O Rosal
70%+ Albariño/Loureira
Minimum grape varieties for DO Rías Baixas white wine from Condado do Tea
70%+ Albariño/Treixadura
Which subzone(s) of DO Rías Baixas have the following minimum required grapes:
70% preferred white grapes (and what are they?)
Ribeira do Ulla
Val do Salnés
Albariño
Loureira/Loureiro Blanco/Marqués
Treixadura
Caíño Blanco
Which subzone(s) of DO Rías Baixas have the following minimum required grapes:
70% Albariño/Loureira
O Rosal
Which subzone(s) of DO Rías Baixas have the following minimum required grapes:
70%+ Albariño/Treixadura
Condado do Tea
Which subzone(s) of DO Rías Baixas have the following minimum required grapes:
100% Albariño
Soutomaior
If a white wine does not conform to the minimum required grapes for its Rías Baixas subzone, what labelling would be the fallback option?
DO Rías Baixas
(no restriction)
Origin DO and subzone of Albariño
Rías Baixas (Val do Salnés) where it is >50% of the vineyard
In DO Rías Baixas, O Rosal, what terrain are vines planted on?
Terraces
Main exports of Galicia in late 15C
wine to New World
vine cuttings to Europe
From the Middle Ages to the 18C, which part of Galicia was known for what kind of wine?
Ribeiro was known for vino tostado (sweet, fortified, sun/barn-dried) for Camino de Santiago pilgrims
Exported to England as Tostado do Ribeiro in 17-18C
In the late 18C to 19C, what disasters befell Galician winemakers?
Planting craze for vino tostado turned into a crash (as fashion switched to full dry, red wines from Portugal).
Depopulation, mildew, disease, phylloxera
What was planted in Galicia in the early 20C?
Low quality hybrids, non-traditional Palomino / Garnacha Tintorera
Why was Galicia spared much of the fighting in the Spanish Civil War?
The initial coup was successful in Galicia, so it was under Nationalist pro-church control
In which decade did Galicia revive local grapes, which three in particular, and assisted by regulation of what?
1980s
Albariño, Godello, Mencía
Regulations restricted foreign varieties
The Sil river crosses Valdeorras from east to west creating [gentle/steep?] slopes on the left bank and [gentle/steep?] slopes on the right bank.
Left (north facing): steep
Right (south facing): gentle