Meseta: Madrid Flashcards
Where is Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid) located?
This landlocked, uniprovincial autonomous community is in the near-geographic center of Spain.
It is bordered to the north by Castilla y Leon and Castilla-La Mancha to the south & east.
Which is Spain’s highest capital city?
Madrid (2,146ft/654m)
(Andorra la Vella, Andorra is the highest in Europe)
What is the climate in Madrid?
Continental
* seasonal/diurnal temperatures can be extreme
* winters dip below freezing
* light snowfalls are common
* summers are extremely hot
* 20in/500mm annual rainfall
What mountains surround Madrid?
- Sierra de Guadarrama (Sistema Central): runs along the entire northern border
- Sierra de Gredos (Sistema Central): small portion runs along northern border
What are the rivers of Madrid?
Tajo River: forms the southern border of Madrid & is fed by 6 tributaries, which travel from north to south from individual sources in the Sistema Central:
1. Alberche
2. Guadarrama
3. Manzanares
4. Jarama
5. Henares
6. Tajuna
What soil types are found in Madrid?
Northern part: granitic soils of the Sierra de Guadarrama & the Sierra d Gredos ranges
Southern-west: granite
Southern-eastern/central: sedimentary alluvium, limestone, & loamy-clay
The majority of wine regions are located in the south.
What are the most widely planted red varieties in Madrid?
- Tinto Fino (Tempranillo)
- Garnacha Tinta
What are the most widely planted white varieties in Madrid?
- Malvar (Lairen)
- Albillo (Real)
Why is it that Malvar thrives at high elevations?
This grape variety needs a long growing season to ripen its fruit; high, cool sites help to preserve its acidity.
What are “ranas”?
These are terraces of sedimentary soils where vineyards are planted in Arganda & Navalcarnero sub-zones in DO Vinos de Madrid.
What vine training method is used in Madrid?
En vaso is commonplace, as is manual harvest.
However, many wineries are changing to more machine-friendly training systems.
What is sobremadre?
This is a unique wine production method used in Madrid.
Once fermentation is complete, a min. of 25% of the solids remain with the unfiltered wine (“with the mother”) for 90-180 days.
Wines are bottled directly from the fermentation vessel w/o clarification or filtration. A bit of carbon dioxide remains in the solution, leaving the wines slightly effervescent.
Which grapes may by used to produce what style of wine using the sobremadre method?
Any authorized grapes may be vinified using this process to craft:
* vinos blancos
* rosados
* tintos
Name the only DOP in Madrid.
DO Vinos de Madrid (1990)
Where is DO Vinos de Madrid located?
This wine region comprises 3 non-contiguous growing areas located to the northeast and south of the capital city of Madrid.
These areas border DOs Mondejar, Ucles, La Mancha, & Mentrida in Castilla-La Mancha.
What are the 4 sub-zones in DO Vinos de Madrid?
- Arganda (56% of vineyard land; 50% of total production): 31 municipalities
- Navalcarnero (21% of vineyard land; 20% total production): 19 municipalities
- San Martin de Valdeiglesias (23% land; 30% production): 9 municipalities
- El Molar: 11 municipalities
Which is the largest subzone in DO Vinos de Madrid?
Arganda (56% of vineyards; 50% of DOs total production)
31 municipalities are authorized for wine production.
Where is the Arganda sub-zone located?
This sub-zone is located in the southeast corner of DO Vinos de Madrid.
What soil types are found in Arganda?
- alluvium
- limestone
- loamy-clay
What are the primary grape varieties in Arganda?
- Tinto Fino/Tempranillo/Cencibel
- Malvar
How does wine produced from Tempranillo in the Arganda sub-zone compare to other regions and DOPs?
Tempranillo produced here is typically more concentrated & complex than those of Castilla-La Mancha & Extremadura.
But, not as finessed nor as complex as DOCa Rioja, DO Ribera del Duero, & DO Toro.
Where is the Navalcarnero sub-zone located?
This DO Vinos de Madrid sub-zone is a flat plain bisected from north to south by the Guadarrama River and is located west of the city of Madrid.
What soil types are found in Navalcarnero?
- alluvium
- loamy-sand
Which grapes are the focus in Navalcarnero?
- Garnacha Tinta
- Malvar
