Rioja DOCa Flashcards
Where is the Sierra de la Demanda mountain range?
The Sierra de la Demanda along with the Sierra de Cameros forms the the Sistema Iberico which is the southern border of La Rioja adjacent to Castilla y Leon**
What is Al-Andalus?
The historical caliphate in much of the Iberian peninsula (including Rioja) governed by the Moors at various times between 711 and 1492.
What is the difference between DOCa Rioja and La Rioja?
DOCa Rioja is a wine region located in the northern half of the autonomous community of La Rioja with additional portions of DOCa Rioja located in the neighboring communities of País Vasco and Navarra.**
What was the largest city in Europe during the height of Moorish power in Spain?
Cordoba, with a population of some 100,000 in 1000 [not testable]
What administrative regions border La Rioja?
N: Pais Vasco, Navarra; S and W: Castilla y Leon; E: Aragon (but only for 5 miles)** [actually Navarra is also on eastern aspect]
When were the first wine exports from La Rioja?
13th century; excess production during the Reconquista were sold to British and Dutch (through the port cities of Bilbao and Santander)
When were the first wine regulations created in La Rioja?
16th century to protect reputation of area; banned use of outside grapes and promoted the use of seals to guarantee their place of origin
Who was Gonzalo de Berceo?
A secular priest, was educated and lived at the Yuso monastery (in Rioja) in the 13th century; this writer/poet is credited with the earliest evidence of prose written in Castilian Spanish** [Of course there is a fine Rioja winery named in his honor, Bodegas Berceo SA.]
Who was Don Manuel Quintano?
A young priest from a grape-growing family in Álava was the first to encourage Rioja winemakers to barrel age their wine after a visit to Bordeaux; his efforts were not widely adopted due to cost, lived 1756-1818** [Of course there is a fine Rioja winery, Bodegas Manuel Quintano.]
Who was the Marqués de Murrieta?
Luciano de Murrieta y Garcia-Lemoine, Riojan aristocrat (born in Peru 1822, died 1911) that learned winemaking techniques in Bordeaux and brought them back to Rioja to improve quality; he had been embarrassed when living in London about the poor reputation of Spanish wines had there** [He had left Spain during Carlist Wars.]
Who was the Marqués de Riscal?
The Spanish wine industrialist and journalist Camilo Hurtado de Amézaga y Balmaseda (1827-1888) learned winemaking techniques in Bordeaux and brought them back to Rioja to found a winery in 1858 on lands he inherited in Elciego** [He had left Spain during Carlist Wars.]
Who (when and why) first used metal cages on the wine bottles in Rioja?
Marqués de Riscal in the 19th century to discourage counterfeiting by refilling bottles.
When was first legal recognition of La Rioja as a wine region?
1925, Designation of Origin, first one [before 1932 Wine Law!]
The Ebro River separates La Rioja from which two autonomous regions?
Pais Vasco and Navarra, river forms a natural border for 2/3’s of the region [The river does not border Aragon.]
What are the important mountain ranges of La Rioja?
N: Sierra Cantabria; S: Sierra de la Demanda and Sierra de Cameros**
What forms the border of Rioja Alavesa and the rest of Pais Vasco?
Sierra Cantabria mountains** [think of the backdrop of photos of Ysios winery in Rioja Alavesa]
What forms the border of La Rioja and the meseta?
Sierra de la Demanda and Sierra de Cameros mountains (aka Sistema Iberico)
What is the zone of the 7 valleys?
a descriptor of La Rioja, the area of the tributaries to the Ebro River
What is the famous North/NW wind of Rioja?
cierzo, an anticyclone from Bay of Biscay Its effect increases further downstream of the Ebro.
What are the sub-zones of DOCa Rioja?
3 - Alavesa, Alta, Oriental (previously known as Baja)**
Which DOCa Rioja sub-zones overlap 2 autonomous regions?
only one, Oriental ** (a tricky nuance is that there is a part of Rioja Alta north of the Ebro (e.g. San Vicente de la Sonsierra) that makes wine more in the style of Rioja Alavesa, but those two sub-zones fully lie within their respective region.
What is the percent distribution of the different soil types in Rioja?
chalky (calcareous) clay 30%, ferrous clay 25%, alluvium 45% [percentages not testable, know types and dominant soils in each sub-zone; also notable that sandy soils are less common.]
What is the largest sub-zone of DOCa Rioja?
Oriental [in geographic size, but not in vineyard area - Alta has more vines]**
Which sub-zone in DOCa Rioja has the most vineyards?
Alta** (42% vs Oriental - 37% vs Alavesa - 21%; remember this is vineyards, not size)
What is the dominant soil type in Rioja Alavesa sub-zone?
chalky clay** [an important factor in the high quality wine of this region.]
What is the dominant soil type in Rioja Alta sub-zone?
ferrous clay** [yet perhaps best to think of this area as the most diverse in terms of soil types]
What is the dominant soil type in Rioja Oriental sub-zone?
alluvium** (many areas with large stones)
Which sub-zone in DOCa Rioja characteristically demonstrates all 3 soil types?
Alta**
Which sub-zone in DOCa Rioja has the lowest rainfall?
Oriental**
Which sub-zone in DOCa Rioja has the highest average elevation?
Alavesa** [potentially confusing as SWS module says highest vineyards are in Alta]
