Spain Flashcards
What are the 3 sweeping climatic zones of Spain?
Moderate Maritime - north and northwest coasts enjoy Atlantic influence and high rainfall (e.g. Galicia).
Warm Mediterranean - eastern Spain along the Mediterranean coast going south experiences sea influence and altitude variation.
Hot Continental - the center of Spain (Meseta Central) does not have any ocean or sea influence; rainfall is low and summertime heat is high.
What are the main climate challenges that affect viticulture in Spain?
What effects do these challenges have on the vine?
Climate challenges: Hot weather and drought
Effects:
- Water stress
- Slower ripening
- Grapes can shrivel before reaching full and phenolic maturity
What is a viticultural benefit of the lack of rainfall in Spain?
Fungal disease pressure is low.
What is the traditional training system of Spain?
What is the newer one that is being used?
How does this newer pruning system affect vineyards?
- Traditional: Bush trained - low density planting, usually dry farmed;
-
Newer: Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) - higher density planting, irrigation possible.
With VSP winemakers can produce greater yields and use machine harvesting.
What is the hierarchy of wine quality in Spain?
From highest to lowest:
PDO level
1. Vinos de Pago
2. DOCa/DOQ
3. DO
PGI level
1. Vino de la Tierra
What is Vinos de Pagos?
Vinos de Pagos is a category reserved for prestigious single estates whose work exceeds basic DO requirements. These estates can only use their own grapes which must be grown, vinified and aged on their estate.
Estates which have earned the Vinos de Pago classification lie within established DOs – notably, though, they do not exist within Rioja or Ribera del Duero – and they aren’t necessarily superior to DOCa.
What is the most planted red grape in Spain?
Tempranillo
What is the most planted white grape in Spain (it’s also the most planted grape in Spain, period)?
Airén
Airén is generally a low-quality white grape used for bulk wine and is mostly grown in La Mancha DO.
What international grape varieties grow successfully in Spain?
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay
These varieties were mostly planted in the 1980s and 1990s to suit the international market.
Traditionally, what type of oak used in Spain?
American oak
There are several wineries experimenting with French oak today.
The size of the barrel has an important role: usually small new oak barrels are used for shorter aging, where large neutral barrels are used for long, slow maturation.
True or False:
All Spanish white wines are only fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks.
False
Oak fermentation and maturation is common practice in Spain (for both whites and reds), a tradition going back centuries, but most of Spain’s whites are fresh + fruity.
*Many winemakers also stir the lees on their white wines to add texture and depth of flavor.
Which white grape varieties are known to make high quality, dry wines in Spain?
- Viura in Rioja DOCa
- Verdejo in Rueda DO
- Albariño in Rías Baixas DO
What are the 6 geographical regions of Spain?
Upper Ebro (Rioja, Navarra, Cariñena, Calatayud)
North West (Rías Baixas, Bierzo)
Duero Valley (Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rueda)
Catalunya (Penedès, Priorat)
Castilla-La Mancha (La Mancha, Valdepeñas)
The Levante (Valencia, Jumilla, Yecla)
UNDerCCuT by a quarter
Where is Galicia in Spain?
Galicia is in the northwest corner of Spain, just north of Portugal, on the Atlantic Ocean.
What is the most important DO in Galicia?
What style of wine is this DO best known for?
Rías Baixas is the most important DO of Galicia.
It is best known for producing still, dry, unoaked white wines based on Albariño.
Is Albariño resistant to fungal disease?
Yes, Albariño is resistant to fungal disease, thanks to its thick skin.
How is Albariño typically trained in Rías Baixas?
Albariño is trained using the pergola system in Rías Baixas.
Having the grapes situated high off the ground allows for breezes to lower humidity and the threat of rot and mildew.
Some VSP-wired trellised vineyards are also seen, which are easier to maintain.
What white grape variety is planted in Rías Baixas that’s also planted in Vinho Verde?
Albariño, known as Alvarinho in Portugal.
Albariño from Rías Baixas - is it usually aged in oak or stainless steel?
Albariño is usually aged in stainless steel because oxidative aging environments, like oak, reduce aromatic characters.
However, examples of Albariño aged in oak do exist.
What are the two DOCas of Spain?
- Rioja DOCa
- Priorat DOCa
Name all 3 subzones of Rioja DOCa.
- Rioja Alta
- Rioja Alavesa
- Rioja Oriental
* Renamed in 2018, previously called Rioja Baja
What are the climate influencers of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa?
Elevation and Atlantic Ocean breezes
Cantabrian Mountains protect Rioja from the worst weather coming off the Atlantic.
What is the elevation range for vineyards in Rioja?
500-800 meters
Which one of Rioja’s three subregions is on the south bank of the Ebro and is less Maritime than the other two?
Rioja Oriental – it has hotter summers, colder winters, and it’s also east of Logroño (Rioja’s most important city).
What are some specifics of Rioja Oriental that differentiate this subregion from the other Rioja subregions?
- Annual rainfall is low, increasing drought pressure;
- Garnacha grows best here and is the main grape, not Tempranillo.
How many white grape varieties are approved for use in white Rioja?
What is the main white grape of Rioja DOCa?
- 9 (updated from 8 in the WSET 3 Addendum published in August 2021) ;
- Viura is the main white grape of Rioja DOCa.
What is the other name for Viura in Spain?
In which region will you find it as this other name?
Macabeo, found in Catalunya.
What is the minimum aging requirement for white and rosado Crianza?
White and rosado Crianza must be aged for a minimum of 18 months, including at least 6 months in oak (the remainder may be in bottle, oak or stainless steel).
What is the minimum aging requirement for white and rosado Reserva?
White and rosado Reserva must be aged for a minimum of 24 months, including at least 6 months in oak (the remainder must be in bottle or oak).
What is the minimum aging requirement for white and rosado Gran Reserva?
White and rosado Gran Reserva must be aged for a minimum of 48 months, including at least 6 months in oak (the remainder must be in bottle or oak).
Tempranillo is the main grape of Rioja DOCa.
Which grapes are traditionally blended with Tempranillo in Rioja DOCa?
- Garnacha: adds body + alcohol
- Graciano: adds black fruits, tannin + acidity
- Cariñena (aka Mazuelo): adds tannin + acidity
International grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot being blended with Tempranillo are on the rise.
Where is Graciano mainly grown in Spain?
Rioja DOCa
Graciano adds acidity, tannins and black fruit notes.
What is the range of styles, or designations, Tempranillo can be made into?
Joven - 0 / 0
Crianza - 24 / 6
Riserva - 36 / 12
Gran Riserva 60 / 18
With the exception of Rioja and Ribera del Duero (as both have more stringent, longer aging requirements), Crianza on a Spanish red wine label indicates the wine was aged for how long?
24 months total, 6 months in barrel
With the exception of Rioja and Ribera del Duero (as both have more stringent, longer aging requirements), Reserva on a Spanish red wine label indicates the wine was aged for how long?
36 months total, 12 months in barrel
With the exception of Rioja and Ribera del Duero (as both have more stringent, longer aging requirements), Gran Reserva on a Spanish red wine label indicates the wine was aged for how long?
60 months total, 18 months in barrel
Besides Rioja DOCa, what other wine region produces high-quality Tempranillo?
Ribera del Deuro
Where is Ribera del Duero?
Does it have any sea or ocean influence?
Vineyards are planted at sea level or high in elevation?
South of Rioja in Northern Central Spain.
It is cut off by any Maritime influence by a ring of mountains.
Vineyards are planted at elevation, some over 850m above sea level due to the hot dry summers needing to be tempered by the altitude.
What styles of wine are allowed to be produced in Ribera del Duero?
It is a DO for Red, white and Rosé wine
The bulk of the wines are red
Name the most important DOs of Castilla y León.
Vino de la Tierra is the only DO
The Duero River in Spain flows westward and becomes the ______ River in Portugal.
The River Douro
What styles of wine are produced under the Toro DO?
Predominantally Tempranillo based reds - full bodied, high abv with intense fruit flavours.
Joven wines will have a proportion of Garnacha usually
Rosé and White are also made in small quantities
What grape is blended into Toro Joven red wines?
Garnacha is usually blended in Joven wines
What is the main grape in Rueda DO?
White wine producing region
Verdejo - regions traditional grape
Sauvignon Blanc - also important.
Blended whites must be 50% Verdejo
What is Verdejo typically blended with in Rueda DO?
Sauvignon Blanc - Verdejo MUST make up at least 50% of the blend
Where is Navarra DO located?
From the North and East of Rioja up to the foothills of the pyrenees.
Is Navarra cooler or warmer, and drier or wetter, than Rioja?
It is similar to Rioja, but becomes cooler and wetter nearer the mountains.
Fill in the grape for the following:
In Navarra, red wines are based on _______.
Rosés are based on _______ and whites are based on _______.
- Tempranillo
- Garnacha
- Viura, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc
What is the general flavor profile of Garnacha grown in Spain?
Which DOs are best known for their Garnacha?
High ABV, tendancy to age quickly, high tannin, fresh black fruit and toasty oak.
Priorat is well known for low yeilding old vine Garnacha.
Rioja Oriental
Calatayud
Carinena
Navarra
Cariñena DO and Calatayud DO both have a ______, _______ climate.
The principal grape in these regions is ________.
Warm continental with low rainfall.
Garnacha is the main variety grown here - inexpensive = fruity and early drinking.
Premium = Old vine Garnacha and Cariñena with greater flavour intensity and structure
Cariñena is NOT the most planted grape in the Cariñena region
What are some synonyms for Carignan in Spain?
Cariñena
or
Mazuelo (Rioja only)
In which appellations does Carignan perform best in Spain?
Cariñena + Calatayud
Rioja
Priorat
Where is Catalunya?
North East Spain, bordering the Mediterranean to the east and south and the Pyrenees to the North
Name 2 chief DOs in Catalunya producing still wine.
Priorat and Penedes.
Catalunya region is the home of Cava
Name all 3 local white varieties of Catalunya.
Macabeo
Xarel.lo
Parellada
ALL used in Cava
What is the synonym for Tempranillo in Catalunya?
Ulle de Llebre
What is the name of Priorat’s unique soil?
Ilicorella - layers of red slate with small particles of mica that sparkle in the sun.
It is capable of reflecting and preserving the heat of the day, and retains sufficient water throughout the year thanks to its depth
Where is Priorat DOCa located in Spain?
Name the main two red grape varieties that go into Priorat.
Within the hills inland from the city of Tarragona, in South Catalunya
Why do Garnacha and Cariñena grapes do so well in Priorat?
They thrive here thanks to the long, dry, hot summers with low annual rainfall.
This is beacause they are late ripeners and need longer to develop flavour.
What is the traditional style of red Priorat?
Deeply coloured, high tannin, med-high ABV with concentrated black fruit flavour.
Often oaked in new French.
What is the typical vine training in Priorat?
What is the geography generally like in Priorat?
Bush vines
Steep slopes abound
These factors make mechanical harvesting impossible
Are white and rosé wines allowed under the Priorat DOCa?
They can be made, but are very rarely produced
Where is the Penedès DO located in Spain?
Southwest of Barcelno on the Mediterranean Coast
What are the 3 climatic zones of Penedès DO?
How do their climates differ?
Southern Coastal plains = Hottest with mediterranean climate.
Central Inland valleys = Warm, but slightly cooler than the plains.
Northern hills = Moderate thanks to the altitude (some vineyards are 800m)
Why is Monastrell (black) particularly well suited to a warm or Mediterranean climate?
It is drought tolerant and needs hot, sunny climates to ripen fully.
In these conditions it is deep coloured, full bodied, high tannin + ABV, low-med acid and ripe blackberry flavours.
Where in Spain does Monastrell grow best?
In South Eastern DOs like Yecla and Jumilla.
Valencia is known for what styles of wine?
Value for money wines made from:
Monastrell (red)
Merseguera (white)
Also Muscat of Alexandria for sweet fortified wine: Moscatel de Valencia
What is the local white grape of Valencia DO?
Merseguera
What is the largest DO in size in Spain?
What is its most planted grape?
La Mancha
Airen - produces neutral, fresh whites.
Other grape varieties are beig encouraged to be planted by the authorities though
What is the local name of Tempranillo in La Mancha DO?
Cencibel
Which grapes are finding success in La Mancha DO?
Tempranillo/Cencibel
Cab Sauv
Merlot
Syrah
Chardonnay
Sauv Blanc
Where is Valdepeñas DO located?
Immediataly south of La Mancha
Between La Mancha and Valdepeñas, which appellation is better known to make higher quality wines
Valdepeñas
What appellation is situated between Galicia and the Meseta Central?
Bierzo DO
What is the primary grape variety of Bierzo DO?
Mencia - elegant red wines with high acidity and red fruit flavours
Where is the Levante region in Spain?
On the mediterranean Coast South of Catalunya
Trade centres around Valencia
The majority of Vinos de Pago are located in which Spanish DO?
La Mancha
Red Riojas that are made for early consumption may undergo this winemaking technique, while Riojas that are meant to age typically go into this vessel.
- Semi-carbonic maceration to produce vibrant red fruit flavours and low smooth tannins
- Traditionally American oak, but many producers now use French oak
Traditional white Riojas are:
- light in color, super young, fresh + fruity
- gold in color, matured in oak, nutty
Gold in color, matured in oak, nutty
These deliberately oxidised wines have dropped in favour these days
Which region in Spain is designated for the production of Vino de la Tierra?
Castilla y Leon
