Spain Flashcards
Spain - Regional Wine Law
- Wines without geographic indication
- Vino
- Wines with geographic indication
- IGP Wines: nothing a specific location yet with few requirements in terms of grape variety, yields or aging.
- DOP Wines
- VCIG
- DO
- DOCa
- Vinos de Pagos: a single estate wine that is noted as a great estate of Spain and can be situatd outside of the DO system.
Spain - Northwest Spain - Rias Baixas DO
- Climate: due to proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the numerous rivers, the climate is humid and maritime.
- Soil: Granite, alluvial and slate
- Grape Varieties
- White: Albarino 90% of plantiings
- Vinification
- Stainless steel fermentations
- Crisp, dry, aromatic white wine
Spain - North Central Spain - Rioja DOCa
- Climate: Continental
- Mt creates a rain shadow from harsh Atlantic weather.
- 3 sub-regions with slightly different climates
- Grape Varieties
- White: Viura
- Red: Tempranillo, Garnacha
- Vinification
- Rioja DOCa aging quality levels for red wines
- Crianza: 2 years of aging
- Reserva: 3 years of aging with 1 year in oak.
- Gran Reserva: at least 2 years in oak and 3 years in bottle.
- Rioja DOCa aging quality levels for red wines
Spain - The Duero River Valley - Ribera del Duero DO
- Climate: Continental with a challenging climate of very hot summers and cold winters and extreme diurnal shifts.
- Grape Varieties
- Red: Tempranillo (known locally as “Tinto Fino”
- Viticulture: high elevation and intense diurnal shifts
*Unico, Pingus
Spain - The Duero River Valley - Toro DO
- Climate: Continental, with extremely hot, dry summers
- Grape Varieties
- Red: Tempranillo (known locally as “Tinto de Toro”)
- Vinification: Toro is known for rich, intense red wines
Spain - The Duero River Valley - Rueda DO
- Climate: Continental
- Grape Varieties
- White: Verdejo, Sauvingnon Blanc
- Vinification: Rueda is best knwn for crispl dry white wines
Spain - Northeastern Spain (Catalonia) - Penedes DO / Cava DO
- Climate: Mediterranean
- Grape Varieeties
- White: Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada
- Vinification: Sparkling wines made by the traditional method
Spain - Northeastern Spain (Catalonia) - Priorat DOCa
- Geography: A very rugged area just a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea but Completely Isolated and surrounded by mountains
- Climate: Hot and Dry
- Soil: Stony schist soils, with the best vineyards situated on “llicorealla” (mix of back slate and quartzite)
- Grape Varieties
- Red: Garnacha (Grenache), Carinena (Carignan)
- Viticulture: low yields due to the climate and vines must dig deeply for water due to the nature of the soil.
- Vinification: intense, concentrated, dry red wines
Spain - In which DO will you find wines made from the Albarino grape?
- Rias Baixas DO
- Penedes DO
- Rueda DO
- Cava DO
Spain - What are the two DOCa regions of Spain?
- Rioja and Priorat
Spain - Priorat DOQ produces which of the following styles of wine?
- Powerful, dry red wines
Spain - Which aspect of topography affects the climate of Ribera del Duero?
- All of the above
- Strong diurnal difference
- Warm to hot summer
- High elevation of the Meseta
Spain - The main white grape variety of Rueda is?
- Verdejo
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Xarel-lo
Spain - Which combination of region and grape variety is not correct?
- Priorat and Tempranillo
- Rioja and Tempranillo
- Ribera del Duero and Tempranillo
- Toro and Tempranillo
Spain - What does “Gran Reserva” on a label of Rioja refers to?
- Aging requirements for time in barrel and bottle
- Sweetness level
- Location
- Estate bottled
