Meseta: Extremadura Flashcards
How long has Extremadura been inhabited
Approx 50,000 yrs
Cave paintings
Megalith tombs
What was the province called that the Romans formed with part of Portugal and Extremadura
Lusitania
What was the Via de la Plata
Silver Road
Roman trading route
Connects western Spain - Astorga to Merida
Trade in precious metals
Route to Santiago di Compostela (from Seville)
Why was Merida important in Roman times
Hub for trade to East and Africa
House of the Ampitheatre has a mosaic of treading grapes
Which century did the Visigoths arrive in Extremadura
5th
Which century did the Moors invade
8th
Which century did King Alfonso IX of Leon reclaim Extredamura
13th
Jews, Muslims and Christians lived peaceably in Extremadura territory in 14c - what happened to stop this
Tribunal of Holy Office of the Inquisition
1478
Who was the famous explorer of Extremadura who conquered the Aztec Empire
Hernan Cortes
Did Extremadura thrive in the 16-17c
No
Many conflicts
Vineyards abandoned
When was the Portuguese Restoration
1640-1668
Who was Fray Juan Luis de Siruela
Wrote about wine in Guadeloupe Monastery
1520
Recipes for wines
What were the 3 main wars 17-19c
1 Portugese Restoration 1640-1668
2 War of Spanish Succession 1701- 1714
3 War of Spanish Independence 1808- 1814
What impact did joining the EU have on Extramadura’s wine production
Less bulk and more quality
Co-ops
Location of Extremadura
N= CyL
E=CLM
S=Andalucia
W= Portugal
Capital = Merida
5th largest
13th most populated
2 Provinces - Caceres (N) Badajoz (S)
Extremadura climate
Continental
Low rainfall sceptics in Mtns (NE)
More cont in N - droughts
South maritime influence
What is the impact of the Azores High
Summer
Blue skies
Dry air
Heat
What is the mountain ranges in Extremadura
Sistema Central in the North
Sierra Morena in the South
Sierra Centrales Extramadures (East)
Sierra de Villuercas
What are the rivers
Tajo
Guadiana
a bit of the Guadalquiver
What are the soils
Varied - depending on location
Granite north
limestone south
What are the main white grape varieties
Cayetana Blanca
Alarije
Most distilled for spirits
What are the main red grapes
Tempranillo, then Garnacha Tinta and Cab Sav
Extremadura - OCW
Extremadura, one of the 17 autonomous regions in spain and, perhaps surprisingly, the country’s fourth most important wine region. Spain’s wild west is hardly ideal for growing grapes. Sheep are reputed to outnumber people in this semi-arid upland area between castilla-la mancha and portugal (see map under spain). Most of the wine is sold in bulk for distillation and ends up as brandy de Jerez. The Tierra de Barros (‘land of mud’) zone near the Portuguese border, which shares climate and soil features with neighbouring alentejo, witnessed a certain rebirth after 1990.
The regional administration settled in the late 1990s for a single do for most of the wine areas in Extremadura—ribera del guadiana. Cencibel, Garnacha, Graciano, and, increasingly, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah dominate amongst red grape varieties, and Pardina amongst white ones. But the region was still underperforming in 2014. cork is an important crop here.
How many DOs in Extredamura
1
DO Ribera del Guadiana
Bank of the river Guadiana
DO Ribera del Guadiana - date
1999
Historically wine important
DO Ribera del Guadiana - wine style
TINTO 93%
Blanco 5% ++
DO Ribera del Guadiana - soils
Clay, limestone
DO Ribera del Guadiana - climate
Continental - Atlantic influence Azores high
Average rainfall
800mm
DO Ribera del Guadiana- topography
River Guadiana
1000m
35797 ha!!
Rolling hills and mountains - vineyards and olives
DO Ribera del Guadiana - grapes
Tempranillo/Cencibel
Whites = CAYETANA BLANCA and PARDINA plus Alarje, Borba
Both the same though previously thought different
How many subzones in DO Ribera del Guadiana
6
Canamero
Montanchez
Ribera Alta
Ribera Baja
Tierra de Barros
Matenegra
What is special about subzone Canamaro
Highest elevations
Sand and slate
Lowest temps
Furthest East
Alarje White planted (75%)
What is special about subzone Montachez
Northernmost
Granite
Borba white (66%)but others
What is special about subzone Ribera Alta
Largest
Suited to all varieties
central - by river
Tempranillo Garnacha Tinta
What is special about subzone Ribera Baja
Borders Portugal
Atlantic influence
Lowest
Mostly white
Blended
What is special about subzone Tierra del Barros
Barros= Mud
Flat land
Clay soil
Most important 80% DO vineyards
South
Reds=Tempranillo
What is special about subzone Matanegra
Most southerly
Tempranillo. Bebe
DO Ribera del Guadiana - OCW
Ribera del Guadiana — is the chosen name for a single denominated zone encompassing about 26,000 ha/64,000 acres of vineyards in Spain’s extremadura region. The do, awarded in 1998, includes such well-known areas as Tierra de Barros. The autonomous Extremadura government is actively encouraging the planting of international varieties and improvements in wine quality but the results have been slow in coming.
Extremadura S has a low concentration of vineyards T or F
False high concentration
9% of total plantings in Spain 2nd highest in Spain after CLMancha (50%)
What is the name of the driving force of weather patterns over the Atlantic Ocean primarily affecting Extremadura
Azores High
What are the 2 primary river basins in Extremadura
Tajo
Guadiana
Pardina
Pardina — light-skinned grape producing rather ordinary wines in extremadura shown by dna profiling in 2005 to be the same as cayetana Blanca.
