History, Geogrpahy and Wine Law Flashcards
Outline the ruling peoples of Spain from 3000BCE to 700CE
Iberians and Celts (Bronze age)
Phoenicians (viticulture)
Carthaginians (trade between Eastern and Western Mediterranean)
Romans
Visigoths
Who took the Iberian Peninsula from the Visigoths? When?
A Muslim Berber army
711 - the beginning of the Moorish conquest of Spain
What was the Reconquista?
The reconquest of Spain by Christian forces that began almost immediately upon the Moors’ arrival
What did the marriage of Isabella I and Ferdinand II result in?
The de facto unification of Castile and Aragon once Ferdinand II took the throne
They expelled the remaining Moors (and the Jews) in 1492
What was the popular sweet wine from Spain prior to Sherry?
sack
How did Bordeaux influence Spain in the mid-1800s?
Two prominent Spaniards, the Marqués de Murrietta the Marqués de Riscal, and were exiled during the Carlist Wars and went to Bordeaux, when they were allowed to return they brought with them the practice of oak aging and Cabernet Sauvignon cuttings.
What causes Spain’s wine industry to boom in the late 19th century?
Odium and then Phylloxera in France meant that the French looked to Spain to fill their wine deficit. This led to the development of Rioja as it is know today.
What events contributed to the downfall of Spain’s wine industry in the late 19th century?
Phylloxera
France began to recover form Phylloxera and also turned to Algeria for bulk wine, so exports dropped dramatically
What stymies the growth of the Spanish wine industry in the 20th century?
The King was exiled
Civil war and the Nationalist uprising with Francisco Franco at the helm
Who introduced temperature controlled fermentation and stainless steel tanks to Spain (Catalonia) in the 1960s?
Miguel Torres
What mountain range separates Spain from France?
The Pyrenees
What is the large plateau at the heart of Iberia?
The maseta central
What mountain range bisects the meseta central?
Sistema Central
What are the 3 main categories for Spanish wine?
Vino (Vino de Mesa)- cannot state a region, but can state vintage and variety
PGI (Vino de la Tierra)- min 85% of grapes from the stated area
PDO (VGIC, DO, DOCa, VP, VPC)
What qualify as PDO wines in Spain?
VGIC Vino de Calidad con Indicación Geográfica acts as a stepping stone between VdlT and DO
DO usually refers to a single confined wine growing area, but non-contiguous appellations can be designated as well, the widest spanning example being Cava
DOCa only Rioja and Priorat
VP Vino de Pago a designation awarded to a single estate that may exist within of outside of a DO
VPC Vino de Pago Calificado* exists to cover future VPs that may fall within DOCa zones
What was the fist VP in Spain? When? Where?
Dominio de Valdepusa
2003
Castilla-La Mancha
List on VO from each of the following regions: Castilla- La Mancha, Navarra, Aragon, and Valencia
Florentino (Castilla-La Mancha)
Arinzano (Navarra)
Bodega Pago Ayles (Aragon)
Chozas Carrascal (Valencia)
What are the aging requirements for DOC red wine at the Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva levels?
Crianza: min 2yrs total w/ at least 6m in oak
Reserva: min 3yrs total w/ at least 1yr in oak
Gran Reserva: min 5yrs total w/ at least 18m in oak
What are the aging requirements for white and rosado at the Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva levels?
Crianza: min 18m total w/ 6m in oak
Reserva: min 2yrs w/ 6m in oak
Gran Reserva: min 4yrs w/ 6m in oak
What is the max size of oak casks permitted for qualification of oak aging?
330l
What are the aging requirements for red wine in Rioja?
Crianza: min 2yrs total w/ 1yr in oak
Reserva: min 3yrs total w/ 1yrs in oak and 6m in bottle
Gran Reserva: min 5yrs in bottle w/ 2yrs in oak and 2yrs in bottle
How are the aging requirements in Ribera del Duero different then those in Rioja?
Reserva and Gran Reserva do not have a min bottle aging requirement
What is the Vi de Vila category?
A village labeling system established in Priorat in 2009
What does Joven mean on a bottle of Spanish wine?
Young wine with minimal to no oak influence
