NW - South America Flashcards
South America
When did vinifera arrive in South America?
By 1560
South America
What stunted early South American wine industries?
Colonial bans on making wine.
South America
Who set up Chile’s repository of vines? When? Where
Frenchman Claudio Gay
1830
University of Chile’s Quinta Normal department
South America
What is special about Chile as a winemaking country?
Only country in the world to remain totally phylloxera-free
South America
What is the synonym of the Mission grape in Chile? Argentina?
Pais
Criolla Chica
South America
What are two grapes related to the Mission grape with historical importance in South America?
Cereza
Criolla Grande
South America
When was Malbec brought to Chile?
1860
South America
What is Torrontes?
Aromatic crossing of Criolla Chica x Muscat of Alexandria
Three subvarieties
Torrontes Riojano (preferred)
Torrontes Mendocino (unrelated Muscat crossing)
Torrontes Sanjuanion
South America
What was Sauvignon Blanc from Chile actually discovered to be?
Sauvignon Vert (Fruilano)
South America
What was Merlot from Chile actually discovered to be?
Carmenere
South America
How large is Chile?
Stretches 3000 miles along coast of South America with viticulture occupying about 800
South America
What are the major climatic influences of Chile?
Andes offers cool nighttime temperatures
Coast cooled by Humbolt Current which also forces cool sea air inland
Very dry with irrigation needed in the north
Wetter in the south
South America
What are the basic rules of Chilean wine law?
Established in 1995 with 75% vintage/varietal/DO, but typically 85% to qualify for export
Min alcohol of 11.5%
South America
What are the riserva labeling requirements in Chile?
Riserva and Riserva Especial - min 12% abv
Riserva Prada and Grand Riserva - min 12.5% abv
Riserva Especial and Grand Riserva - mandatory time in oak
South America
What are the major red grapes in Chile? What percentage of acreage to they have?
Cabernet Sauvignon Pais Merlot Carmenere Syrah Pinot Noir Cabernet Franc 73%
South America
What are the major red grapes of Chile?
Sauvignon Blanc (and Sav Vert)
Chardonnay
Semillon
Muscat of Alexandria (for distillation)
South America
What are the major regions for Chilean wine?
Atacama Coquimbo Aconagua Valle Central Sur
South America
What are the sub-regions of the Atacama? What are they known for?
Copiapo Valley
Huasco Valley
Pisco production and table grapes
South America
What are the sub-regions of the Coquimbo? What are they known for?
Elqui Valley
Limari Valley
Choapa Valley
Pisco production and table grapes
South America
What are the sub-regions of Aconagua? What is the major river of the Aconagua?
Valley of Aconagua
Valley of Casablanca
San Antonio
Aconagua
South America
What are the soils of the Aconagua Valley? What is the most prominent winemaker?
Generally alluvial
Errazuriz, whose Sena Bordeaux Blend beat Lafite and Margaux in the 2004 Berlin Tasting
Notable due to the high heat in the interior valley
South America
What is Casablanca’s climate? What are the varietals it is known for?
Coastal
Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay
South America
What is San Antonio?
Sub-region of Aconagua divided in to four zones - Leyda, Lo Abarca, Rosario, Malvilla
Primarily a white region with Pinot Noir showing promise
South America
What are the sub-regions of the Central Valley from North to South?
Maipo Valley
Rapel Valley
Curico Valley
Maule Valley
South America
How large is the Maipo Valley? What are the major varieties?
10,000 ha Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Chardonnay Carmenere
South America
What is the best sub-region of the Maipo Valley? What wines come from there?
Puente Alto
Source of many premium wines from Cabernet Sauvignon including Errazuriz Almaviva (Cab - JV with Mouton-Rothschild)
South America
What are the sub-regions of the Rapel Valley?
Cachapoal
Colchagua
South America
What are the major grapes of the Rapel Valley?
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Carmenere
South America
What is Colchagua? What is its terroir? What wines are coming from there?
Sub-region of the Rapel Valley
Large, central portion of the valley
Warm climate, fertile soils
Historically bulk wine producer, but finding success with premium wines from higher-altitude eastern sub-regions with greater diurnal variation
South America
What is the Maule Valley?
Sub-region of Central Valley
Mostly bulk production from Cabernet Sauvignon and Pais
South America
What are the sub-regions of Sur? What are the most planted varieties?
Itata
Bio Bio
Malleco (tiny with just a few hectares of PN and Chard)
Pais, Muscat de Alexandria
South America
What changes were made to Chilean Wine Law in 2011?
Addition of three new geographic terms Costa Entre Cordilleras (75% is grown here) Andes May append DO labels, must be 85% from that area
South America
What are the major wine regions of Argentina from N to S?
Salta Catamarca La Rioja San Juan Mendoza La Pampa Rio Negro Neuquen
South America
How is Mendoza broadly divided?
North Mendoza Central (Upper) Mendoza Maipu East Mendoza Southern Mendoza Uco Valley
South America
How big is Argentina as a producer?
World’s 5th largest
2008 was world’s 7th largest exporter
South America
What is the climate of Argentina?
Extreme Continental
Andes rain shadow
Can reach 100 F or more in summer, high altitude used to mitigate
Zonda wind, a fierce, dusty, hot afternoon wind that blows from the mountains in late spring and early summer - can affect flowering
Little moisture == little fungus
Snowmelt == irrigation
South America
What is the average height of an Argentinian vineyard?
900m
South America
What are the major red grapes of Argentina?
Malbec Bonarda (from Italy but different than Bonarda in Piedmonte) Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Merlot Tempranillio
South America
What are the major white grapes of Argentina?
Pedro Gimenez (unrelated to PX, usually used for blending)
Torrontes
Chardonnay
Chenin Blanc
South America
What are the pink skinned varieties of Argentina?
Cereza
Criolla Chica
Criolla Grande
Together total 30% of acreage
South America
What is significant about the Mendoza Chardonnay clone?
Prone to millerandage
High skin to juice ratio
South America
What are the labeling requirements for Riserva and Grand Riserva in Argentina? When were they introduced? What grapes are excluded?
Riserva - 6 months aging for white/12 for red
Gran Riserva - 1 year for white/2 for red
Introduced in 2008 and limited maximum yields
Cereza and Criolla Chica
South America
How big is Mendoza? How much of Argentina’s production is located there?
146,000 ha under cultivation
Approx 3/4 of total wine production
South America
What is Salta? What is it known for? What is its major sub region?
Northern region in Argentina with high elevation, only 2500 ha
Torrontes, Malbec, Cab Sav
Cafayate
South America
What are the major grapes of Catamarca?
Torrontes
Syrah
Malbec
Cabernet Sauvignon
South America
What comprises Cuyo?
La Rioja
San Juan
Mendoza
South America
What is the most famous wine region in La Rioja? What are La Rioja’s most cultivated grapes?
Famatina Valley
Torrontes
Malbec
South America
What is San Juan?
Second largest wine region in Argentina with over 47,000 ha under vine
Typically devoted to pink skinned varieties, although Syrah and Bonarda (sometimes confusingly labeled Barbera Bonarda) are up and comers
Also does sherry-style wines, brandies and vermouths
South America
What is the Uco Valley? What is the soil? What is significant about the region?
Western subregion of Mendoza and home to the province’s highest vineyards
Alluvial sand over clay
With Zonda wind, phylloxera and other diseases kept at bay
South America
What is furrow irrigation?
Incan irrigation technique where snowmelt is diverted into vineyards by channels
South America
What are the most planted grapes in the Uco Valley?
Malbec
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay
Semillion
South America
What are the major wine regions in Central Mendoza?
Lujan de Cuyo (one of Argentina’s 2 DOCs)
Maipu
Both known for Malbec
South America
What are the major departments of Southern Mendoza? What is their principal grape?
San Rafael (one of Argentina’s 2 DOCs)
General Alvear
Chenin Blanc
South America
What are the major grapes of Patagonia (Rio Negro and Neuquen)?
Torrontes Semillon Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Pinot Noir
