Spain Flashcards
Name the six geographical regions in Spain
Uncle DC
or
Lend CC
Upper Ebro
North West
Catalunya
Levant
Duero Valley
Castilla-La Mancha
Name the river flowing through
Rioja, Navarra, Calatayud and Cariñena
The Ebro
The upper part of the Ebro to be precise.
Spain. How does Tempranillo benefit from the addition of Garnacha?
Tempranillo has red fruit flavours and medium tannins.
Garnacha adds body with its alcohol
The Cariñena DO does not have many Cariñena grapevines planted.
🤔
What is planted?
Do not be fooled!
Garnacha is the biggie
Catalunya has a single DO for all still wines in the region.
True or False
True dis.
Enabled blending from the entire area.
Catalunya makes most of which Spanish wine?
Cava
Spain.
Penedès has three climatic zones… which are
- Coastal : Hot Mediterranean
- Valleys and Plain : Warm Mediterranean
- Hills (800m) : Moderate Mediterranean
Spain.
What is Ilicoella and where is it found?
It is layers of red slate with bits of mica which sparkle in the sun that both stores and reflects heat.
Deep enough to retain water for the growing season.
And it’s in Priorat.
Priorat colour, tannins, alcohol and fruit
Deep in colour High tannin Med to high alcohol Concentrated black fruit Toasty French oak aroma
The adjacent Spanish DO’s of Toro and Rueda along the Duero produce predominantly red and white wines.
Which does red and which does white?
Red : Toro (Bull. Blood. Red)
Rueda : 5 characters like White. Not red.
Rias Baixas, a moderate damp and humid climate, uses what vine training method to address this?
The pergola.
Vines are trained high to encourage air circulation
Hierarchy of appellation quality in Spain
PGI, aka Vino de la Tierra (VdlT) PDO, aka DOP DO DOCa (or DOQ in Catalunya) VP - Vinos de Pago
Where the most VP classified wines from in Spain
La Mancha
La Mancha does decent wine, which sub-region does better?
That depends…
Valdepeñas (That depends)
Spanish ageing / oaking law
Joven wines… how much time and how much of that in oak?
None
Spanish red wines: Age and how much of that in oak?
Crianza wines…
24 months in total, 6 months in oak
Spanish red wines: Age and how much of that in oak?
Reserva wines…
36 months total, 12 in oak
Spanish red wines: Age and how much of that in oak?
Gran Reserva wines…
60 months age and 18 in oak
How to remember the Spanish red age (not oak) table
Start at Crian24 (crianza)
Add 12 for Reserva (36)
Add Crianza and Reserva to get
60 for Gran Reserva
How to remember the oak age table for Spanish reds.
Start at 6rianza (Crianza)…
Then add 6 for Reserva (12)
Add 6 again for Gran Reserva (18)
How to remember the Spanish white ageing (not oak) table
Start at Cr1an8a (Crianza) and…
Add 6 for Reserva (24)
Double it for Gran Reserva (48)
How to remember the Spanish White oak ageing table?
The same for red 6rianza (Crianza)…
… and it’s 6 months for all white designations
Spanish Tempranillo
Skin, acidity
Thick
High
Spanish Graciano
Added to which regions wine
Fruit, acidity, tannin?
Rioja
Concentrated black fruit, acidity, tannin (this will age)
Spanish Verdejo
Colour, body, acidity, flavour
White
Light body, high acid, melon and peach
Spanish Alboriño
Skin, acidity, flavours
Thick (good for fungus)
High acidity
Citrus and stone fruit
The Ribera del Duero in Spain, climate…
Cool continental
Short hot dry summers
Very cold winters
High diurnals
Ribera del Duero
Red, white or both?
Just red.
Mainly tempronillo
Rioja is often blended. Tempranillo and which 2 other grapes?
Grenach (Garnacha)
Graciano
What do Graciano and Grenache add to a Rioja?
Graciano - to add concentrated black fruit, acidity and tannin
Grenache - body and alcohol
Easy drinking Rioja has brighter fruit and lower tannins… how?
Semi-Carbonic Maceration
