Spain Flashcards
governing body that oversees individual DOs
Consejo Regulador
world’s most planted white variety
airen
the 3 general climates of Spain
NW - maritime
central - continental
eastern and southern coasts - mediterranean
When did viticulture begin in Spain
1100 BC- when southern Spain was settled by the Phoenicians
What happened after France was hit by phylloxera?
Heightened demand for Spanish wine - and increasing French influence
Mazuelo is another name for this variety
Carinena
t/f: tempranillo is an early ripening variety
true
Spain is divided into __ autonomous communities
17
What is Vino de la Tierra?
“Wine of the Land” - IGP Level correspondant - labeled w/ broad geographic unit, usually an autonomous community
Spain’s quality pyramid
Vino de Mesa
Vino de la Tierra
VC/VCIG - Vino de Calidad
DO
DOCa
Vino de Pago
Aging Reqs for Spanish white and rose
18 (6)
2 (6)
4 (6)
Aging reqs for Spanish red
2 (6)
3 (12)
5 (18)
5 years of aging with 18 mo in oak is the aging req for..
Gran Reserva (red)
18 months aging w/ 6 mo in oak is the aging req for
white/rose crianza
Reqs for noble, anejo, and viejo
noble - 18 months aging
anejo - 2 years aging
viejo - 3 years aging w/ oxidative character
req for anejo
2 years aging
Spanish white wine w/ 2 years of age including 6 in cask qualifies for…
Reserva
“Cosecha”
vintage
spanish term for sparkling
espumoso
“finca”
farm/estate
what is a rancio wine?
Wine aged in only partially filled casks - oxidative character - usually high ABV
What does “roble” indicate
young wine w/ BRIEF oak influence
“vina” “vinedo”
vineyard
5 DOs of Galicia
Rias Baixes
Ribeiro
Ribeira Sacra
Valdeorras
Monterrei
What is north of Galicia?
Bay of Biscay
four of the five DOs of Galicia are centered around this river
Mino
Galicia’s only DO that focuses on red wine
Ribeira Sacra DO
Ribeiro DO is best known for this grape
Treixadura
What does Treixadura bring to a blend?
bigger body
what does Loureira bring to a blend?
acidity
Where are you most likely to find Caino Tinto?
Ribeiro DO
How are vines traditionally planted in Rias Baixes?
Pergola
wines labeled as Rias Baixes Albarino must be __% Albarino
100
the 3 important subzones of Rias Baixes
O Rosal
Condado do Tea
Val do Salnes
Ribeira Sacra DO vineyards grow on steep slopes facing these rivers
Mino and Sil
What does “colleiteiro” mean?
vigneron (Galician)
adega meaning
winery
Rioja stretches for about __ miles
62
When was Rioja awarded DOCa status?
1991
Rioja Alta’s historic center of production
Haro
What does Garnacha add to a Rioja blend?
elevates the body + adds juicy ripe fruit
From which region of Rioja are you most likely to find Garnacha?
Rioja Oriental
What does Graciano add to a Rioja blend?
elevates the acidity
What does Mazuelo add to a Rioja blend?
tannins and pigment
What does Mazuelo add to a Rioja blend?
tannins and pigment
soils of Rioja Alta and Alavesa
marl
soils of Rioja Oriental
clay alluvial
warmest subregion of Rioja
Rioja Oriental
traditional vs modern Rioja producers
traditional - used American Oak with extended aging
modern - new French Oak w/ less aging
Rioja red aging reqs
crianza - 2 (1)
reserva - 3 (1)
gran reserva - 5 (2)
Where is Barcelona found?
Catalonia
t/f: Penedes DO is restricted to sparkling wine
false - red, white, rose, still, dry or sweet, sparkling all allowed
Where is Scala Dei and what is it?
Priorat - historic Carthusian monastary - laid the groundwork for Priorat
what is llicorella soil and why is it special?
black slate + quartz soil. great drainage
Talk about Priorat’s vine situation
Steep slopes on llicorella soils - black slate, rocky - poor soil severely limits yields
Samso aka
Carinena
2nd most important red grape of Priorat
Carinena aka Samso in Priorat
the gyropallete was popularized in…
Spain
3 main grapes of Cava
Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada
Cava age classifications
Cava - 9 mo lees
Reserva - 18 mo lees
Gran Reserva - 30 mo lees
Cava de Paraje - 36 mo lees
Cava de Paraje reqs
36 mo lees - single estate wine, hand harvested, 10 yr + age of vines, vintage
Cava lees aging req
9 months
What is Classic Penedes?
Subclassification of Penedes DO. generally used by former Cava producers that have a stronger focus on quality. stricter reqs than Cava
What is Corpinnat?
“Heart of Penedes” - producer association - stricter reqs than Cava:
organic + hand harvest, focus on historical grapes, 18 mo aging
Tarragona DO is known for production of..
Vermouth
Moscatel aka
Muscat of Alexandria
What is “Levante” and “Poniente”
two important winds affecting Jerez
What is albariza soil?
famous soil of Jerez - occupies 80% of region - white chalky soil that retains moisture and reflects sunlight
3 soils of Jerez
Albariza - white chalk
barros - clay
arenas - sandy
what is Sherry fortified with?
mixture of grape spirit + old Sherry
what kind of barrel is used for Soleras?
used American Oak aka Butts
how is the stylistic fate of Sherry determed?
cellarmaster tastes each batch of initial base wine and makes determination for oxidative or biological aging future
“sobretables” refers to..
intermediate stage of aging (Sherry)
oloroso sherry has a distinct ____ character
nutty
“en rama” Sherry
unfiltered
Pale Cream Sherry
sweeted Fino
Which is sweeter: Pale Cream or Medium
Medium
Medium Sherry
sweetened Amontillado
Cream Sherry
sweeter than Pale Cream and Medium; Oloroso is base
How is PX Sherry made?
sun dried grapes
aging terms for Sherry
VOS - average age min 20 yrs
VORS - average age min 30 yrs
These islands are located off the coast of Northern Africa
Canary Islands
The two island autonomous communities
Balearic Islands
Canary Islands
two most important Canary Islands
Tenerife
Lanzarote
Where are the Balearic Islands?
off the coast of Catalonia in the Mediterranean
soil of the Canary Islands
volcanic
t/f: vines on the Canary Islands are typically own-rooted
true
what are “hoyos”
deep volcanic ash pits - used in the Canary Island Lanzarote
Palomino is known as ____ ______ in the Canary Islands
Listan Blanco
Mission is known as ______ _____ on the Canary Islands
Listan Prieto
main white grapes of Canary Islands
Listan Blanco aka Palomino
Malvasia
red grapes of Canary Islands
Listan Negro
Listan Prieto
Negramoll
tallest Mountain of Spain
Mount Teide (Tenerife)
What makes Lanzarote’s landscape unique
6 year long volcanic eruption in 1730 - black, volcanic soils - very harsh, windy requires use of hoyos
Which Canary Island has the most DOs?
tenerife (5 out of 10 CI DOs)
hub of Canary Islands’ wine industry
tenerife
Ribera del Duero must be at least __% Tempranillo
75
Bierzo is situated along this river
Sil River
soils of Bierzo
slate and granite
vega sicilia’s flagship wine
Unico
blending grapes of RdD
Bordeaux varities - cab sauv, merlot, malbec - and some garnacha
t/f: carinena is not allowed in RdD
true
most important grape of Basque Country
Hondarrabi Zuri
this DO’s sandy soils resisted phylloxera until 1980s
Jumilla DO
What happened when Jumilla DO was hit with phylloxera
pre-phylloxera Jumilla focused on bulk wine- after replantings producers pivoted to a quality-focus
Where is Fondillon made?
Alicante DO
Where is Alicante DO and what is its focus?
Valencia - Monastrell - Fondillon
t/f: Spain has more than 2.5 m acres under vine
true
almost 60% of spain lies above ____ ft in elevation
2000
spain’s vineyards are largely devoted to ______ grape varities
indigenous
tempranillo is known as _____ in La Mancha
Cencibel
Name for Tempranillo in Catalonia
Ull de Llebre
How many DOs does Spain have?
68
What does “Joven” indicate
means “young” - wine released yr after it was made
What kind of wine is Cigales DO known for?
reds and rosado based on tempranillo; rosado often blended w/ garnarcha
main white grape of Ribera del Duero
Albilo Mayor
Navarra is seeing more plantings of _____ varities
international
Rioja and RdD aging reqs (reds)
2 (1)
3(1)
5(2)
gran reserva Rioja must see at least __ months in barrel
24
t/f: trad method sparkling wines are produced in Rioja
true
most of Tarragona DO’s production is focused on this style..
full bodied aromatic whites
non-contiguous DO of Catalonia - focuses on blended of indigenous and internation grapes
Costers del Segre
Chardonnay is the _ most planted grape of Penedes
2nd
DO surrounded by La Mancha DO
Valdepenas DO
3 DOs of Murcia
Yecla, Jumilla, Bullas
top 2 export destinations of Sherry
Britain + the Netherlands
Sherry lies within …
Andalusia
Sherry Triangle
Jerez de la Frontera
Sanlucar de Barrameda
El Puerto de Santa Maria
PX prefers this soil
barros
Moscatel prefers this soil
arenas
“soleo” re: Sherry
process of drying grapes
When was Cava first produced?
1872
Cava DO introduced these two tiers in 2021
Cava de Guarda
Cava de Guarda Superior
Cava de Guarda and Cava de Guarda reqs
9 mo lees / 18 mo lees -both with additional production standards
why does Spain rank 3rd in production despite having the most acreage under vine?
Spain has lots of old, low yielding vines planted on infertile land
When did phyloxxera hit Rioja?
1901
Rioja’s “Vintage of the Century”
1970
unofficial capital of Rioja
Haro
t/f: Albillo Mayor is a parent of Tempranillo
true
what grapes are used for Rioja’s Espumosos de Calidad de Rioja
any of the allowable grapes
generico
no aging reqs
Where is “Pingus” made?
Ribera del Duero - by winery of same name
tinto fino found in RdD versus tempranillo found in Rioja
RdD - tinto fino has smaller berries and thicker skin
soils of RdD
nearer the river: marl, stones, sand
upper slopes (more prestigous) - more limestone and clay
Palomino is extremely _____ acidity and extremely ____-yielding
low, high
which is sweeter: px or cream sherry?
px
Sherry barrels are on average how old?
currently: 100 years old, roughly
what is special about flor yeasts?
they consume alcohol and oxygen and create acetaldehyde
what flavors and aromas does acetaldehyde result in
nuts and bruised apples
manzanilla vs fino
manzanilla is a fino made in sanlucar de barrameda - oceanside town with lots of humanity: results in a stronger layer of flor than allows even less oxidative influence than finos made inland
how are amontillado Sherries made?
fino sherries are fortified and then placed in a seperate solera
what is “cooking sherry”
base wine that is salted and doctored
does oloroso use free run juice or pressed juice?
pressed juice
which style moves quicker thru solera: fino or oloroso?
fino
Where is Montserrat Massif?
north of Barcelona
what does “cava” mean
Catalan for “cave”
Name a reason why Albarino does well in Rias Baixes
Albarino is thick skinned and resistant to moisture-induced disease
Origin of Priorat
in the middle ages (1163) - villager had a vision of angels descending a stairway from heaven - the next year, the King of Aragon founded a village (Scala Dei) and monestery on the spot
spanish term for old vines
velles vinyes
This region is a small, monastic region of a few tiny villages around an ancient monastery
Priorat
Priorat’s classification system
DOQ Priorat - basic level
Vi de Vila - village wines
Vi de Paratge - wines from historically respected area (think climat)
Vinya Classificada - single vineyard
Gran Vinya Classificada - Grand Cru
What is unique about Priorat’s classification system
classification includes requirements on age of vines
t/f: Priorat producers favor American oak
FALSE - contrary to Rioja and RdD - French Oak is preferred
two great DOs for Garnacha in Spain
Calatayud and Campo de Borja
White grape of Ribeira Sacra
Godello
viticultural assets of Ribeira Sacra
lots of old vine, cooling influence from atlantic, granite/slate/limestone soils
Rueda is home to some of the ______ white grape grapevines in the world
oldest
Spain’s best selling white wine
Rueda
name a few “other” grapes allowed in Cava production
pn, chard, trepat, garnacha, monastrell
How are vines often trained in Spain?
bush
why are vines often spaced far apart in Spain?
very dry and lots of sunshine - irrigation is expensive - dry soils can only support limited amount of vines
embotellado (en origen)
estate bottled
vino generoso
fortified wine
why are many vines in Toro ungrafted?
sandy soils - inimical to phylloxera
most planted white grape of Navarra
Chardonnay
top 3 red grapes of navarra
tempranillo, garnacha, cab sauv
which is more common in Navarra: french oak or american oak
french oak
Rioja has one of the ______ growing seasons of Spain
longest
This Catalonian DO is well known for international varities
Penedes DO
What does Montsant DO lack that Priorat DOCa has?
llicorella soils
biggest influence from Bordeaux
introduction of barrique aging
source of the Ebro river
Cantabrian mountains
t/f: cab sauv is not allowed in Rioja
false - “experimental grapes” may constitute up to 15% of blend
Rioja stretches from Haro to ____
Alfaro
t/f: Carbonic maceration is sometiems used for Joven Rioja wine
true
what levels of sweetness are allowed re: Vino Espumoso de Calidad (Rioja)
brut, extra brut, nature
“calidad”
quality
What is Ribeira Sacra named for?
“sacred bank” - a lot of churches
What are the wines of Pais Vasco like?
low abv, high acidity, light effervescence
“y”
and
“de”
of
What DO does Bierzo border?
Valdeorras DO
When did RdD really start to take off?
1980s
Besides Chard and SB, what other grapes may be blended in Rueda?
Viognier + Chardonnay
What is clarete wine and where are you most likely to find it?
red grapes + white grapes co-fermented together. primarily RdD and Cigales
world’s largest producer of sparkling wine
freixenet
Valencia DO focuses primarily on (white/red/rose) wine based on this grape
white - merseguera
This DO is known for producing Fondillon
Alicante DO
sherry vs fondillon
fondillon is not fortified and does not carry the flavor of wood
castilla la-mancha DO Pagos producers all produce this style of wine
international blends
“condado”
county
what is an archipelago
a group of islands
t/f: phylloxera has never reached the canary islands
true
Name a couple other grapes allowed in white Rioja
Garnacha Blanca, Malvasia, SB, Verdejo, Chard
white wine of Priorat is typically based on …
garnacha blanca
typical use(s) for Airen
blending, bulk, brandy
t/f: vineyards in RdD are some of the highest in Spain
true
traditional aging vessels used in Rioja
225-L American Oak
define “soleo”
process of drying grapes in the sun
“Anada” Sherry
single vintage sherry
