SPAIN Flashcards
SPAIN-IN GENERAL
3 BROAD CLIMATIC ZONES:
1) NORTH&NORTHWEST COAST SPAIN:MODERATE MARITIME/DOM. BY ATLANTIC WEATHER SYTEMS=RAINFALL W ASSOCIATED RISKS IS H
2) EAST COAST FROM CATALUNYA IN THE NORTH TO THE LEVANTE FURTHER SOUTH:WARM MEDITERRANEAN/MANY VINS MOD BY INF OF SEA OR ALTITUDE DEPENDING ON LOC/ CLIMATE BEC INCR HOT FURTHER SOUTH
3) MESETA CENTRAL, A LARGE PLATAEU IN THE CENTRE OF SPAIN:HOT CONTINENTAL CLIMATE/ MOSTLY CUT OFF FROM THE SEA INF BY ENCIRCLING MOUNTAINS/IN WINTER:TEMP FALL BELOW FREESING/ IN SUMMER:TEMP. VERY H & RAINFALL IS VERY LIMITED-SUMMER TEMP CAN BE MOD BY COOL NIGHTS & H ALTITUDE SITES
SPAIN-GRAPE GROWING
- NOTABLE EXCEPTION OF NORTH-WEST SPAIN, HEAT & LACK OF WATER ARE BIGGEST CHALLANGES
- FUNGAL DISEASES LOW=BUT HEAVY STRESS ON THE VINE
- LOW DENSITY, BUSH-TRAINED VINS=BEST WAY OG MANAGING THIS SITUATION BY MAX THE AMOUNT OF WATER AVAILABLE EACH VINE & SHADING THE FRUIT FROM EXCESSIVE HEAT
- WHERE ITS PRACTICAL=AFFORDABLE WIRE TRAINING IS SLOWLY INTRODUCED TO FACILITATE MACHINE HARVESTING
RIOJA-UPPER EBRO
SPLIT INTO 3 DISTINCT SUB-REGIONS:
1) RIOJA ALAVESE:WEST OF LOGRONO, NORTH BANK OF THE EBRO IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE CANTABRIAN MOUNTAINS
- WINES:LIGHTEST IN RIOJA/MOST FINESSE
2) LARGER RIOJA ALTA:WEST OF LOGRONO, BUT MAINLY LIES TO THE SOUTH OF EBRO
*VINS OF BOTH SUB-REGS: P AT A RANGE OF ALTITUDES FROM 500 TO 800 METRES&CLIMATES MOD BY ATLANTIC OCEAN, CANTABRIAN MOUNT. SHIELD RIOJA FROM WORST ATLANTIC W.
3)RIOJA BAJA:SITUATED TO THE EAST OF LOGRONO, MAINLY ON THE SOUTH BANK
CLIMATE:LESS MARITIME/HOT SUMMERS/MORE SEVERE WINTERS/ANNUAL RAINFALL:LOW=DROUGHT AN ISSUE FOR GROWERS
RIOJA-UPPER EBRO
RIOJA ALAVESE/RIOJA ALTA/RIOJA BAJA
- PLANT.DOM BY BLACK GR:TEMPRANILLO M.W.P./ DOES BEST IN COOLER SITES
- TEMPRANILLO: MAIN COMP. OF MOST BLENDS=GIVES RED FRUIT FLAV/M TANNINS/BENEFITS FROM BODY & ALCOHOL OF ADDITIONAL GARNACHA
- GARNACHA:GROWS BEST IN RIOJA BAJA
- MAZUELO&GRACIANO: LESS W.P./ PROVIDE SUPPORTING ROLE IN BLENDS
RIOJA/RED WINEMAKING-UPPER EBRO
RED WINEMAKING:
- RANGE OF DIFFERENT WAYS DEPENDS ON WINEMAKER WISHES
- EARLY-DRINKING:SEMI-CARBONIC MACERATION TO PROD W HAVE VIBRANT RED F FLAV& L, SMOOTH TANNINS
- LONG-TERM MATURATION:DESTEMMED, CRUSHED & UNDERGO TRAD. FERM. TO PROD HEAVILY EXTRACTED W DEEP IN C, FULL OF FRUIT FLAV
- MANY ARE MAKING MORE SUBTLE, ELEGANT STYLES
OAK MAT DEFINING ROLE IN RIOJA:
- TRAD. W THAT AGED IN AMERICAN OAK= HAVE PRON. VANILLA
- MANY PRO USE OAK FROM FRANCE OR OTHER EU COUNT. FOR AT LEAST SOME OF THEIR W=MORE SUBTLE SPICY AR.
RIOJA/WHITE WINEMAKING-UPPER EBRO
WHITE WINEMAKING: 8 VAR APPROVED FOR USE IN WHITE RIOJA
-VIURA: M.W.P
TRAD:WHITE W WERE AGED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS IN AMERICAN OAK & DEV A DEEP GOLDEN COLOUR & NUTTY FLAV=THESE DELIBERATELY OXIDISED W HAVE FALLEN OUT W MODERN CONS
MODERN WHITE RIOJAS:MIN. CONTACT W OXYGEN TO PRESERVE MAX AMOUNT OF FRUIT
-SOME BODEGAS ARE NOW ALSO PROD BARREL-FERMENTED WHITE W:BUT LESS OXIDATIVE STYLE THAN TRAD. WHITE RIOJAS
NAVARRA-UPPER EBRO
- VINS:STRECHES FROM NORTHERN & EASTERN BORDERS OF RIOJA INTO THE FOOTHILLS OF PYRENNES
- CLIMATE:SIMILAR TO RIOJA/ COOLER & WETTER NEARER MOUNTAINS
RED WINES: TEMPRANILLO M.W.P.G.V
- EITHER BLENDED W OTHER RIOJA VAR OR MERLOT & CAB SAUV
- WINE STYLES: GOOD VALUE JOVEN TO TOP Q PREMIUM GRAN RESERVAS
- PROD FOCUS ON RED WINES
WHITE WINES:ACCOUNTS VERY SMALL PROP OF THE TOTAL REGION
GRAPES:VIURA, CHARDONNAY, S.BLANC
ROSE WINES:GARNACHA
- PICKED EARLY WHEN ACID L H & SUGAR L LOW
- HANDLED PROTECTIVELY=CREATE REFRESHING, FRUITY W W/MED ALCOHOL
CARINENA & CALATAYUD-UPPER EBRO
CARINENA & CALATAYUD
- NEIGHBOURING DOs/ LOC TO THE SOUTH OF EBRO
- WARM CONTINENTAL CLIMATES/ LOW RAINFALL
- MAIN VAR: GARNACHA
- INEXPENSIVE W: FRUITY/ EARLY-DRINKING STYLE
- HIGHER-Q W:MADE F OLD VINE GARNACHA & CARINENA=DISPLAY GREATER FLAV INTENSITY & STRUCTURE
NOTE! CARINENA (CARIGNAN, MAZUELO) IS NOT THE MOST P.V IN THE DO W SAME NAME
PENEDES-CATALUNYA
-VINS:IMMEDIATELY TO THE SOUTH-WEST OF BARCELONA/ STRECH FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST UP TO THE HILLS
3 DISTINCT CLIMATIC ZONES;
1) HOTTEST:ON THE COASTEL PLAIN WHERE CLIMATE IS MEDITERRANEAN
2) INLAND:IN THE VALLEYS THE CLIMATE=SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN THE PLAIN, STILL WARM
3) FURTHER INLAND INTO THE HILLS:VINES GROWN UP TO 800 METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL, CLIMATE: MODERATE
AS RESULT: VARIETY OF W STYLES & RANGE OF GR VAR
- MOST PLANT. VAR: THOSE FOR CAVA PROD
- SIGNIFICANT PLANT: CHARDONNAY, S.BLANC, GEWURZTRAMINER, MERLOT, CAB.SAUV
- M.P.RED VAR: TEMPRANILLO (HERE CALLED UII DE LIebre) & PINOT NOIR
PRIORAT-CATALUNYA
- VINS: LIE WITHIN THE HILLS INLAND FROM THE CITY OF TARRAGONA
- CLIMATE: SUMMERS ARE LONG, HOT, DRY/ ANNUAL RAINFALL: VERY LOW
- IDEAL FOR: OLD GARNACHA & CARINENA VINES=BOTH LATE RIP/
- BEST SOILS: KNOWN LOCALLY AS LLCORELLA:CONSIST OF LAYERS OF RED SLATE W SMALL PARTICLES OF MICA THAT SPARKLE IN THE SUN=HELP RIPENING BY REFLECTING & CONSERVING HEAT & BECAUSE OF THE DEPTH=ABLE TO RETAIN SUFFICIENT WATER THROUGHOUT THE GR SEASON
- COOL NIGHT TIME TEMP: PROV RELIEF FROM HEAT OF THE DAY
- BUSH VINES & STEEP SLOPES=MECHANISATION ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE=VINS ARE EXPENSIVE & TIME CONSUMING TO MANAGE
- LOW NUTRIENT SOILS & AGE OF THE VINES PRO= V SMALL YIELDS OF GR CONTRIBUTE TO COMPLEXITY, INTENSITY OF PRIORAT
- ALL THESE FACTORS=PRIORAT NEVER CHEAP
RED PRIORAT:DEEPLY C/ H TANNINS/ M TO H ALCOHOL/ CONCENT BLACK F OFTEN W TOASTY AR FROM NEW FRENCH OAK
-GARNACHA & CARINENA: CORE OF THE MANY BLENDS/ SOME PRO ADD SOME INT. VAR. ESPECIALLY CAB. SAUV
WHITE & ROSE PRIORAT:RARELY SEEN
RIBERA DEL DUERO-DUERO VALLEY
- CUT OFF FROM ANY MARITIME INF BY MOUNTAINS
- CLIMATE:SHORT, HOT, DRY SUMMERS & VERY COLD WINTERS
- VINS: ON HIGHEST PART OF THE MESETA CENTRAL W SOME VINS P OVER 850 METERS/ THIS ALTITUDE=REG EXP COOL-NIGHT TIME TEMP THROUGHOUT THE YEAR=HELPS RETAIN ACIDITY & FRESH F FLAV IN GR
- THIS DO ONLY FOR RED & ROSE W (MAJ RED PRO)
TEMPRANILLO: DOM.GR=ONLY VAR IN MOST OF THE BEST RED W ARE TYPICALLY DARK IN C W H TANNINS
- CAB SAUV, MALBEC, MERLOT: ALSO PERMITTED/RARELY USED
- GARNACHA:MOSTLY MADE INTO DRY ROSE
WINEMAKING:
TODAY MANY WM CHOOSE:ACCENTUATE THE CONCENT FRUIT FLAV & TANNINS IN THEIR GR BY UNDERTAKING LONG MACERATIONS
-AGEING THE W FOR RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME IN NEW OAK BARRELS:INCREASINGLY FRENCH RATHER THAN AMERICAN OAK
TORO-DUERO VALLEY
- CLIMATE: SIMILAR TO RIBERA DEL DUERO( SHORT, DRY, HOT SUMMERS & VERY COLD WINTERS)
- TEMPRANILLO:PREDOM. W MADE FROM
- REDS: F BODIED/ INTENSE FRUIT FLAV/ H ALCOHOL=RESULT OF H DAY TIME TEMP, SUNNY COND, OFTEN LOW-YIELDING BUSH VINES
- JOVEN W: A PROP OF GARNACHA
- RESERVAS & GRAN RESERVAS:DEEPLY C/TANNIC WHEN YOUNG/ABILITY TO AGE WELL
- ROSE & WHITE:MADE IN SMALL QUANTITIES
RUEDA-DUERO VALLEY
- SITUATED BETWEEN TORO & RIBERA DEL DUERO
- FOCUSES ON WHITE W PROD
- CLIMATE:CONTINENTAL W COOL SUMMER NIGHTS IDEAL FOR THE RUEDA’S TRAD GR VAR VERDEJO GR
- RUEDA’S TRAD GRAPE: VERDEJO
- SAUV.BLANC: ANOTHER IMP VAR
- BOTH SAUV. BLANC & VERDEJO: CAN BE MADE & LABELLED AS SINGLE VAR W
- BLENDED WHITES: MUST CONTAIN ET LEAST 50% VERDEJO
STYLES:RANGE FROM SIMPLE FRUITY TO RICHER BARREL-FERM VERSIONS
RIAS BAIXAS-NORTH WEST
- SITUATED ON THE ATLANTIC COAST
- CLIMATE:MODERATE, DAMP
- HUMID COND=VINE DISEASES AS MILDEW & ROT ARE COMMON PROB
- FOR THIS REASON=VINES ARE TRAINED ON PERGOLAS TO ENCOURAGE AIR CIRCULATION/ SOME PRO USE OTHER TRELLISING SYSTEMS THAT ARE EASIER TO MAINTAIN
- ALBARINO: REFRESHING, UNOAKED STYLE/GR NATURALLY H IN ACIDITY/ RIPE STONE FLAV-SOME W RICHER STYLE, TOUCH OF OAK OR LEES STIRRING
- RED WINES: PERMITTED/ MINORITY CONCERN
