Green Spain: Galicia And Basque Country Flashcards by Rosemary Walker

What autonomías are included in “Green Spain”?

Galicia
Asturias
Cantabria
País Vasco (Basque Country)

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What is the climate of Galicia?

Cool Maritime

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5 DOs of Galicia from West to East

Rías Baixas
Ribeiro
Ribeira Sacra
Valdeorras
Monterrei (farthest south)

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What does Rías Baixas mean?

Low estuaries

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5 subzones of Rías Baixas from North to South?

Ribeira do Ulla
Val do Salnés
Soutomaior - can't be listed as subzone
Condando do Tea
O Rosal

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Major Rivers of Rías Baixas.

Tambre River
Ulla River
Lerez River
Verdugo River
Tea
Miño River

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If a wine is labeled Rías Baixas Albariño, what percentage of blending grapes are allowed?

Zero. Must be 100% albarino.

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What percentage of Albariño must be included in Northern Subzones Ribeira do Ulla and Val do Salnés.

70%

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What percentage of Albariño must be included in Southern Subzones Condando do Tea, O Rosal?

70% with the remaining some blend of
Condado de Tea: Treixadura
O Rosal: Loureira

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What percentage of vineyards in Rías Baixas are devoted to Albariño?

90%

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Red wines of Rías Baixas?

Recommended: Caiño Tinto, Espadeiro, Loureira Tinta, Sousón
Authorized: Mencía, Brancellao

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Where is Ribeiro DO located? What river?

Along Miño River
East of Rías Baixas
Miño and Avia converge, and the Arnoia joins just south

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Grapes of Ribeiro DO.

Blanco:
Recommended: Treixadura, Torrontés, Godello, Lado, Loureira, Albariño, Caiño Blanco
Authorized: Palomino, Albillo,
Tinto:
Recommended: Caiño Tinto (also known as Caiño Bravo or Caiño Longo), Ferrón, Sousón, Brancellao, Mencía
Authorized: Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), Tempranillo,

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What is Viño Tostado?

A dried grape wine from Ribeiro - local specialty.
-dried min 3 months
-min must weight 350 g/l
-fermented and aged in oak or cherry cask
-min 6 months in wood plus 3 months in bottle

Vino Tostado Blanco: Treixadura, Loureiro, Torrontés, Albariño, Godello
Vino Tostado Tinto: Caiño, Ferrón, Brancellao, Mencía, Sousón

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Defining feature of Ribeira Sacra DO? Main grapes?

Steep terraces built by Romans - like No. Rhone

Mencía, Treixadura, Godello, Albariño

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What does Ribeira Sacra mean?

“sacred bank”

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Authorized styles for Ribera Sacra DO.

Blanco: Godello, Loureira, Treixadura, Dona Branca, Albariño, Torrontés, Branco lexítimo, and Caíño Blanco
Tinto: min. 70% Mencia
Rosado: Min 85% Mencía, Merenzao, Brancellao, Sousón, Caiño Tinto
Súmmum: 85% principal grapes
Blanco Barrica & Garda
Tinto Barrica & Garda

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Authorized grapes for Ribera Sacra DO.

Blanco:
Principal: Albariño, Godello, Treixadura, Loureira, Torrontés, Dona Branca
Tinto:
Principal: Mencía, Merenzao, Brancellao, Sousón, Caiño Tinto
Authorized: Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón, Tempranillo

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What is the easternmost zone in Galicia? Best wines from there?

Valdeorras DO

-High acid godello whites

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What is the southernmost DO in Galicia?

Monterrei - small region only a handful of wineries

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Is DO wine produced in Asturias or Cantabria?

No
Asturias: Cangas VCIG

Three main DO zones of País Vasco E to W?

Getariako Txakolina
Bizkaiko Txakolina
Arabako Txakolina

Main grape of Basque Country/Txakolina? Red counterpart?

Ondarrabi Zuri - 95% vineyard acreage
Honderrabi Beltza = red

Ondarrabi Beltza - preferred red

What is Ojo de Gallo?

Name for rare rosado wines from País Vasco/Txakolina
min. 50% Ondarrabi Beltza

Name the five subregions of Ribeira Sacra DO.

Chantada Riberas do Miño Amandi (most famous) Quiroga-Bibei Riberas do Sil ```

Which grapes are used to make the best wine in Ribeira Sacra DO?

Mencía Treixadura Godello

What are the two principle soil types of Ribeira Sacra?

Slate and schist (lower sil = granite upper sil - slate)

Name some example of red wine from Ribeira Sacra.

Raúl Pérez "El Pecado" -100% Mencía Dominio do Bibei "Lalama" -90% Mencía 10%Brancellao/Mouratón/Sousón/Garnacha Dominio do Bibei "Lacima" -100% Mencía

What is the name of the white wine made by Dominio do Bibei that is 80% Godello?

Lapola -80% Godello, 15% Albariño, & 5% Doña Blanco -Ribeira Sacra

How are the conditions of the Quiroga-Bibei subzone of Ribeira Sacra different from the other subzones?

drier and harsher

Which famous producer of Ribeira Sacra is based in the Quiroga-Bibei subzone?

Dominio do Bibei

What does "Súmmum" mean on a bottle of white wine from Ribeira Sacra?

Summum blanco must be 85% of the varietal from one of the recommended grapes.

What does "Súmmum" mean on a bottle of red wine from Ribeira Sacra?

"Summum" wines of any color now must include at least 85% of principal varieties. Mencia is no longer required to be dominant in "Tinto Summum."

The Ribeira Sacra DO is located at the confluence of which two rivers?

Sil | Miño

What does "Castes Nobles" indicate on a bottle of wine from the Valdeorras DO?

Min. 85% preferred varieties -Godello or Mencia - Blanco and Tinto - aka NO PALOMINO - With origin in Latin, the name "Caste" means "pure; without mixture"

What does "Castes" indicate on a bottle of wine from the Ribeiro DO?

Stricter yield and abv. requirements for both red and white wine. *Maximum press yield is 74 liters/100 kg (72 liters/100kg for Castes, Barrica, and Espumosa) * Blanco: 9.5% Blanco Castes: 11% Tinto: 9.5% Tinto Castes: 11%

What is the most important red grape of the Ribeiro DO?

Caiño Tinto -also known as Caiño Bravo or Caiño Longo

Martín Códax is a producer in which Spanish DO?

Rías-Baixas -named after the most known Galician troubadour whose medieval poems, the oldest of Galician-Portuguese language with the original music, are preserved.

Which subzones of Rías-Baixas are on the coast?

Val do Salnés | O Rosal

What is the only sub region of Rías Baixas that does not have a specific requirement for recommended white grapes?

Soutomaior

Why is granite soil considered the best soil for Albariño in Rías Baixas? What is this soil called?

Because the climate is so wet and Albariño needs dry soil to be good. Granite has lower water retention. -xabre soil

Why is the pergola training system so common in Rías Baixas?

It keeps the grapes far enough off the ground to avoid the constant threat of mildew.

What is the minimum aging and maximum capacity of a barrel used for the Blanco/Tinto Barrica style in Ribeira Sacra? Garda?

Barrica Blanco: min 3 mths / max 600liters Tinto: min 6 mths / max 500 liters Garda: Blanco: min 4 mths / max wood 8,000L, concrete 5,000L Tinto: min 7 mths / max wood 10,000, concrete 5,000L

Describe the climate and soil of Ribeira Sacra DO. Major Rivers?

- Alluvial soils with slate bedrock - lower sil = granite - upper sil = slate | - Climate is warmer and drier than Rías Baixas - Sil and Miño Rivers

Where is Pittacum?

Bierzo DO

Minimum aging for Crianza in Valdeorras?

Whites: Min 18 months aging w/ 6 months in small oak barrels Reds: Min 2 years aging w/ 6 months in small oak barrels (in each case the maximum is 330L)

Minimum aging for Reserva in Valdeorras?

Whites: Min 24 months aging w/ 6 months in small oak barrels Reds: Min 36 months aging w/ 12 months in small oak barrels

Minimum aging for Gran Reserva in Valdeorras?

Whites: Min 48 months aging w/ 6 months in small oak barrels Reds: Min 60 months aging w/ 18 months in small oak barrels

Valdeorras: Soil types

Slate, Granite, Calcareous Clay, Argillo-Ferrous and Alluvial soils

What are rías? Name 2 in Rías Baixas.

Small inlets (fjord-like) in Rías Baixas. Ría de Pontevedra Ría de Vago

What are the two subzones of Monterrei?

Valle de Monterrei, Ladera de Monterrei

What does Blanco Barrica indicate on a bottle of wine from Galicia?

White wine aged in oak (max 600L) for 3 months.