Northern Spain (Rioja, Navarra, Aragon, Catalunya) Flashcards
What are the mountains in Rioja?
- the Sierra de Cantabria
- the Sierra de la Demanda
- Montes Obarenes and the Sierra de Toloño
What is the river run through Rioja?
the Ebro River
What are the 3 subzones of Rioja?
- Rioja Alta
- Rioja Alavesa
- Rioja Oriental
What is the city of Rioja Alta
Logrono
What is the climate of Rioja Alta?
generally continental with some maritime influences
What are the climate and soils of Rioja Alta?
- North west: cooler and wetter, calcareous clay
- southern part: altitude 700m, cool and wet, ferrous clay
What are the climate and soils of Rioja Alavesa?
cool and wet, 700m
Calcareous clay
What are the climate and soils of Rioja Oriental?
the northern part: low altitude, the warmest and driest
the southern part: altitude at 500-1000m calcareous clay and ferrous clay
What are the allowed red varieties of Rioja?
Tempranillo
Garnacha
Graciano
Mazuelo
Maturana Tinta, permitted in 2009
Cabernet Sauvignon
What are the allowed white varieties of Rioja?
Viura
Tempranillo Blanco, discoverd in 1988, permitted in 2004
Malvasia
Garnacha Blanca
Verdejo
Sauvignon Blanc
What are the characteristics of Tempranillo?
- Early budding and ripening
- raspberry and black plum fruit
- medium to medium (+) tannins and acidity
What is the synonym of Maturana Tinta?
Trousseau
What is the synonym of Viura?
Macabeu
What are the characteristics of Viura?
- late budding, late ripening
- susceptible to botrytis
What are the characteristics of Graciano?
- late ripening
- drought resistant
- susceptible to fungal diseases
What are the styles of traditional producers?
- Didn’t focus much on concentration and extraction
- underwent long aging in American oak
What are the style of new producers, vin de autor?
- low yields
- selected parcels
- very ripe-fruited, concentrated and structured
- wines aged in French oak
What are the style of mid-priced and premium white Rioja wines?
- made in oaked style
- an oxidative style
- without fruit or fresh acidity
Who makes very old bottling of white wines in the classic oxidative style?
- Castillo Ygay from Marques d Murrieta
- Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva from Lopez de Heredia
What are the requirements of Vino de Zona regulation of Rioja?
- All grapes sourced from the single zone named
- 15% of the grapes may come from a vineyard outside the zone
- Vinification, aging and bottleing of the wine much take place within the zone
What are the requirements of Vino de Municipio?
All grapes must be sourced from the municipality with similar 15 % rule
What are the requirements of Vinedo Singular?
- All grapes are sourced from particular vineyards or estates
- Vinification, aging, storage and bottling must take place within the same winery
- The producer must have owned the vineyard for a min 10 years, the vineyard must be a minimum of 35 years old, and yields must respect specified max level
- the vineyard must be hand harvested and treated in a sustainable way
What are the aging requirement of Rioja Tinto Crianza?
Min 24 months total
min 12 months in barrel
What are the aging requirement of Rioja Tinto Reserva?
min 36 months total
min 23 months in barrel
min 6 months in bottle
What are the aging requirement of Rioja Tinto Gran Reserva?
min 60 months total
min 24 months in barrel
min 24 months in bottle
What are the aging requirement of Rioja White/ Rose Crianza?
min 24 months total
min 6 months in barrel
What are the aging requirement of Rioja White/Rose Reserva?
min 24 months total
min 6 months in barrel
What are the aging requirement of Rioja White/Rose Gran Reserva?
min 48 months total
6 months in barrel
What is Bodegas Familiares de Rioja?
a group of around 40 small and medium-size producers who promote their wines under this heading and campaign on issues that particularly effect small producers