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 winter are below freezing. Can be moderated by coool night of altitude sites.
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.
How is Spain managing vines to avoid worst of hot climate ?
- low desnity, bush-trained vinyeards
- Wire training is slowly being introduced to facilitate machine harvesting
- Maximising the amount of water available and shading fruit from excessive heat.
What is the hierarchy of wine quality in Spain?
From lowest to highest
PGI:
Vino de la Tierra
PDO level
Denominación de Origen (DOC)
Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) - Only two, Rioja and Priorat
Priorat use Catalan terminology Denominació d’Origen Qualificada (DOQ)
Vinos de Pago (VP) : small number of single estates, may only use their grape and every steps must be made on their estate
Name de four age categories of Spanish Wines
Joven
Crianza
Reserva
Gran Reserva
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 barrel.
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 barrel.
What is the minimum aging requirement for red Crianza?
Red Crianza must be aged for a minimum of 24 months, including at least 6 months in barrel.
What is the minimum aging requirement for red reserva?
Red Crianza must be aged for a minimum of 36 months, including at least 12 months in bareel.
What is the minimum aging requirement for red Gran Reserva?
Red Crianza must be aged for a minimum of 60 months, including at least 18 months in barrel .
What region require that the wines are aged for longer both in total and barrel ?
Rioja
What other term is used for Jovan in Rioja ?
Genérico
What are the general styles of red wine in Spain ?
Wide range of styles
inexpensive withtout oak, with semi-carbonic maceration
The best wines see oak maturation, with a proportion of new oak
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.
What is the most planted red grape in Spain?
Tempranillo
What are the black grape varieties grown in Spain?
Tempranillo
Garnacha
Monastrell (mourvèdre)
Graciano
Cariñena/Mazuelo
Mencía
What are the characteristics of Trempranillo in spain ?
In Northern and Central Spain
Medium acidity, so need a temperature moderated by sea/altitude
sometimes use of semi-carbonic maceration for Joven wine
Plays a key roles in ageworthy blends with Garnacha, Graciano, Carinena /mazuelo or Cabernet Sauvignon
What are the characteristics of Garnacha Tinta ?
High alcohol,
tendency to age quickly but notable exception
Used for rosados
Important in priorat for intense, complex, full bodied reds
What are the characteristics of Monastrell in spain ?
Thick skinned, drough tolerant
South-eastern DO as Yecla and Jumilla
Deeply coloured, full bodied, high tannin and alcohol, medium acidity
ripe blackberry
Describe the spanish grape varieties
Graciano: mainly in Rijoa, part of blend, concentrated black frutitaromas to structure wine.
Cariñena/Mazuelo: Mainly in Priorat high acidity, tannin and colour. Blend with tempranillo or Garnacha
Mencía: moderate climates, fresh fruit, med-high acidity, herbaceousness
Where is Graciano mainly grown in Spain?
Rioja DOCa
What are the white grape varieties grown in spain ?
Verdejo
Albariño
Airén
Viura
What are the white wine styles of spain ?
Most are fresh and fruity
Som use stell vessels to retain delicate fruit aromas
Some use oak in fermentation and maturation, and lees stirring, to add texture and flavours
What are the characteristics of Verdejo in spain ?
highly susceptible to oxidation
Sherry-like wine
Light-bodeid, medium to high acidity
melon and peach style
Can be made in a richer fuller-bodied styl with lees stirring and barrel ffermentation
What are the characteristics of Albariño in spain ?
North West of Spain,
Fashionable grape variety
Thick skin, resist to fungal disease and grow in damp climate
high acidity, refreshing wines with citrus and stone fruit flavours
Richer fuller-bodied styles also exists
What are the characteristics of Airén in spain ?
Most widely planted variety in Spain
Planted in La mancha
Able to cope with exterme heat of Meseta Centra
Acceptable dry white wine, but most used in Brandy de Jerez.
Name all 3 local white varieties of Catalunya, used in cava .
Parellada
Xarel-lo
Macabeo (aka Viura in Rioja DOCa)
Mainly used in the production of Cava, these grapes are sometimes bottled as still wines under Penedès DO.
What are the characteristics of Viura in spain ?
Unoaked styl with herb and spice
or
traditionally mainstay of heavily oaked white Riojas
What are the international varieties grown in Spain ?
cabernet sauvignon
merlot
Sauvignon Blanc
Chardonnay
In Penedès and Navarra, among the most platned and used in blends
Popularity diminished and local varieties inscreased
What are the 6 geographical regions of Spain?
Upper Ebro (Rioja, Navarra, Cariñena, Calatayud)
Catalunya (Penedès, Priorat)
Duero Valley (Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rueda)
North West (Rías Baixas, Bierzo)
The Levante (Valencia, Jumilla, Yecla)
Castilla-La Mancha (La Mancha, Valdepeñas)
Which region in Spain is designated for the production of Vino de la Tierra?
Castilla y Léon
Name all 3 subzones of Rioja DOCa.
Rioja Alta
Rioja Alavesa
Rioja Oriental
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 asl
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, less maritime. and it’s also east of Logroño (Rioja’s most important city). Drought is an issue
What is the Rioja Region where where Garnacha grows best ?
Rioja Oriental
What is the dominating black grape of Rioja?
Tempranillo
Does best in the cooler-western region
Black grapes dominate plantings
What is the role of tempranillo in a blend?
Red fruit flavours and medium level of tannins
What is the role of garnacha in a blend ?
Body and alcohol
What in the style of wine and winemaking techniques of Rioja?
- early drinking red wines with semi-carbonic maceration
- Ageing red wines are destemmed and crushed and undergo traditional fermentation.
- Some use bigorous cap management and extended maceration to produce heavily extracted wines, deep in colour and fruit flavours
- Some are in elegant styles
Oak is important in rioja Red wines From american or european oak.
How many white grape varieties are approved for use in white Rioja?
What is the main white grape of Rioja DOCa?
9
Viura is the main white grape
What is the white wine style of Rioja DOCa?
tradionally : American oak and oxidised wines
Modern: minimal contact with oxygen to preserve fruit
Some bodegas are producing barrel-fermented whie wines but less oxidative than traditionally
Where is Navarra DO located?
Navarra is adjacent to and northeast of Rioja DOCa, between Rioja and the Pyrenées.
Is Navarra cooler or warmer, and drier or wetter, than Rioja?
It is generally cooler than Rioja (because it is about 300ft/90m higher in altitude) and wetter.
What is the dominating wines and most widely planted variety in Navarra?
red wine
Tempranillo
What is the wine styles of Navarra ?
- Blend : Tempranillo with other Rioja varieties to make wine in similar style, or with cabernet sauvignon and merlot
- From Joven wines to top quality Gran Reservas
- refreshing, fruit, Rosé wine with Garnacha
- White wines from Viura , Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc
Fill in the grape for the following:
In Navarra, red wines are based on _______.
Rosés are based on _______ and whites are based on _______.
Reds: Tempranillo
Rosés: Garnacha
Whites: Viura, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
Cariñena DO and Calatayud DO both have a ______, _______ climate.
The principal grape in these regions is ________.
Warm, continental climate and low rainfall
Garnacha
What is the style of wine of Calatayud and Cariñena?
Inexepsnive wines - fruit early drinking style
Higher quality wine from old fine Garnacha and Carinena, for flavour intensity and structure
What are some synonyms for Carignan in Spain?
Mazuelo (used in Rioja DOCa)
Cariñena (used in Cariñena DO)
Is Cariñena the most planted vine in Cariñena ?
No, it is Garnacha
Where is Catalunya?
Northeast corner of Spain
What is specific of Catalunya labelling ?
Has a generic DO for still wines that covers the entire region
To allow blending of wines from the various regions and create large volumes of branded wines
What is the region where mostly all Cava is produced ?
Catalunya
Name 2 chief DOs in Catalunya producing still wine.
Penedès DO
Priorat DOCa (DOQ in Catalan)
Describe the Penedés DO
In Catlunya
3 distinct climatic zones :
- Hottest plain
- Valleys (cooler but still warm)
- into the hills (800 metres asl) moderate
Most planted varieties used for Cava
wide variety of wines, and lots of international varieties
What is the synonym for Tempranillo in Catalunya?
Ull de Llebre
What is the name of Priorat’s unique soil?
Llicorella: made of slate and mica
Llicorella is a low-fertile soil but it has good water retention.
It reflect and conserve heat
Most vineyards planted in this soil are also on steep slopes which must be hand harvested.
What are the grape varieties grown in Priorat ?
Garnacha and Carinena
What it the climate of Priorat?
hot dry , low annual rainfall
Cool night termperatures provide some relief
Why are priorat wines so expensive?
Bush vines, steep slopes make mechanisation almost impossible
Low nutrient soil and old vine produce small yield and contribue to the complexity and intensity of the wine
Describe the style of wine of priorat
deeply coloured, high tannins, medium to high alcohol and concentrated black fruit
Often with toasty aromas from new french oak
Mostly red wines, sometimes blended also with cabernet sauvignon
White rosé are rarely seen.
Where is located the duero valley?
The river duero starts in the moutain south of Rioja and flows through spain into portugal
What are the regions of the Duero Valley?
Ribera del Duero
Toro
Rueda
What is the climate of Ribera del Duero
Cut off from maritime influence by a ring of moutains
short, hot and dry summers and very cold winter
Where are located the vineyards of ribera del duero ?
On the highest part of the Meseta Centra, at over 850m
cool night-time helps retain acidity and fresh fruit flavours
What are the grapes grown in Ribera del Duero DO ?
Tempranillo (dominant)
Cabernet sauvignon malbec and merlot
Garnacha for Rosé
Can produce whites
What is the style of of red wines in Ribera del Duero DO ?
Drak in colour, high tannin, concentrated fruit flavours
Long macerations
Short ageing in new oak barrels (more french than american
What grape is blended into Toro Joven red wines?
Garnacha
What styles of wine are produced under the Toro DO?
Toro DO is best known for its rich, concentrated, full-throttle reds based on Tempranillo, quite similar to the wines of neighboring Ribera del Duero DO.
Toro Reserva and Gran Reserva reds are deeply colored, tannic, and age worthy.
Toro DO also makes a little rosé and white wines.
What is the main grape in Rueda DO?
Verdejo
What is Verdejo typically blended with in Rueda DO?
Sauvignon Blanc
When the two are blended, Verdejo must comprise at least 50% of the blend.
Where is located Rueda and how does it differ from Duero Valley regions ?
Located between Tor and ribera del Duero
Focus on white wines
Why is Rueda best for white wines?
Continental climate, cool summer nights
What are the style ranges in Rueda ?
Verdejo and Sauvignon blanc can be labelled as single varieta
or blend with at least 50% of Verdejo
Simple and fruity
richer barrel-fermented versions
Where is Rías Baixas DO and what is its climate like?
Antlantic coast, Northwestern Spain;
Moderate, damp climate (cool and wet).
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.
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 style of wine and grape is Rías Baixas DO best known for?
Still, dry, unoaked white wines based on Albariño
What appellation is situated between Galicia and the Meseta Central?
Bierzo DO
What wine variety and style is predominant in Bierzo ?
Red wine
Mencía
Mencía makes medium-bodied, high acid, red-fruited wines that are supple
Where is the Levante region in Spain?
On the Mediterranean coast, south of Catalunya
Valencia is known for what styles of wine?
Valencia is best known for two kinds of wine:
cheap-and-cheerful, everyday wines made from Monastrell and international varieties;
Moscatel de Valencia, a sweet fortified wine made from Muscat of Alexandria.
What is the dominant grape variety in Jumilla DO and Yecla DO.
Monastrell
Both DOs have hot, arid climates. and wines are youthful and fruity
What is the largest DO in size in Spain?
What is its most planted grape?
La Mancha DO
Airén (white)
What is the local name of Tempranillo in La Mancha DO?
Cencibel
What is the style of wine of La mancha
inexpensive well-made reds for export
top-quality pagos wine
Where is the home of the majority of the estates awarded the appellation Vinos de Pago ?
La Mancha
Where is Valdepeñas DO located?
South of La Mancha DO
What are the grape varieties and style of Valdepenas?
Airén and Trempranillo (cencibel)
Wines are fruit or concentrated and oak matured
What is the category that applies to small number of estates with high reputation.
What are the requirements.
Vinos de pago ( VP)
Only use their grapes, must be vinified and matured on their estate
