Spain: Atlantic: Rias Baixas, Basque Flashcards
List the DO in Galicia
Rias Baixas
Ribeiro
Valdeorras
Ribeira Sacra
Monterrei
List the subzones of Rias Baixas DO, north to south
Ribeira do Ulla
Val do Salnes - most planted
Soutomaior (middle) - smallest
Condado do Tea (inland)
O Rosal (on coast)
Main white grapes in Rias Baixas?
Albarino
Loureiro
Treixadura
Caino Blanco
Red grapes in Rias Baixas?
reds only account for around 4% of plantings, but:
Caino, Espadeiro, Mencia
What river flows through southern Galicia, separating Spain from Portugal?
Miño
What are the subzones of Ribeira Sacra?
(in Galicia, Spain)
Amandi- center of DO, on northern slopes of the Sil. best.
Chantada
Quiroga-Bibei
Riberas do Sil
Riberas do Miño
What are the main grapes in Ribeira Sacra DO?
(Galicia, Spain)
Mencia, Treixadura, Godello
Main grape in Valdeorras?
(Galicia, Spain)
Godello
pazo
name for a local estate in Galicia
Rias Baixas
climate, soils, rivers
1200-1800 mm rainfall annually (47-70 inches) - VERY humid
Much of the region is planted on decomposed granite, called xabre, with low water retention that serves the rainy environment well.
Val do Salnes- coolest, wettest, and most planted
Condado do Tea- warmest, driest
Miño River to south
Ulla River in north
Verdugo River- just above Soutomaior
DO est 1988
how much rain in Rias Baixas?
47-70 inches per year
average 30 inches from April - October
Rias Baixas soil by subzone
Val do Salnes, O Rosal, Soutomaior: alluvial over granite
Condado do Tea: both granite and slate
Ribeira do Ulla: alluvial
minifundia
small vineyard plot (spain). In Galicia - rather than the eldest male child getting everything, as was the case in much of Europe, in Galicia property was divided up equally among the living heirs, regardless of gender, so a plot that was tiny to begin with would be divided up many times over the years.
only 178 wineries and just over 4,000 hectares, Rías Baixas has 4,990 growers who farm a whopping 23,382 different plots between them
Rias Baixas vine training
historically trained to a parral, or “pergola,” system. Granite posts hold up the pergolas, and the overhead canopy provides grapes with shelter from the region’s marginal weather and the opportunity to cultivate other crops between vines
allows for more airflow, combats mildew and rot, encourages greater photosynthesis and ripening by maximizing leaf surface, and protects grapes from sunburn.
Rias Baixas - grapes by subzone
Val do Salnés/Ribeira do Ulla: min. 70% recommended white grapes
O Rosal: min. 70% combined Albariño and Loureira
Condado do Tea: min. 70% combined Albariño and Treixadura
recommended: Albariño, Loureira, Treixadura, Caiño Blanco
Authorized: Torrontés, Godello
Rias Baixas DO
grapes
styles
min abv
whitee, red, sparkling
- varietally labeled Albarino (must be 100%)
- recommended white: Albariño, Loureira, Treixadura, Caiño Blanco
- authorized: Torrontés, Godello
- recommended red: Caiño Tinto, Espadeiro, Loureira Tinta, Sousón
- authorized: Mencía, Brancellao
Blanco Barrica: min. 3 months in wood (max. 600 liter capacity)
Albariño: 11.3%
Blanco Barrica: 11.5%
All Other Blanco Wines: 11%
Tinto: 10%
viño tostado
vino tostado is a dried grape wine. Red or white grapes are left to dry for a minimum of three months following harvest in covered rooms with consistent ventilation to avoid rot.
They must be dried to a minimum must weight of 350 grams per liter. Drying can be performed using various tactics, from hanging the clusters to resting them on shelves or in plastic bins.
The wines are then fermented and aged in oak or cherry casks for at minimum six months, followed by a minimum three in bottle before release.
(Ribeiro DO, Valdeorras, Galicia)
Ribeiro DO
styles
grapes
in Galicia, Atlantic Spain. mostly white production, but also sparkling white & rose, red, viño tosdado
white rec: Treixadura, Torrontés, Godello, Lado, Loureira, Albariño, Caiño
red rec: Caiño Tinto (also known as Caiño Bravo or Caiño Longo), Ferrón, Sousón, Brancellao, Mencía. auth: Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), Tempranillo
Blanco: 9.5%
Blanco Castes: 11%
Tinto: 9.5%
Tinto Castes: 11%
Barrica: 12% (Tinto and Blanco)
Tostado: min. 20.6% potential, 13% acquired
first DO in Galicia- 1976
“barrica” Ribeiro DO
spends some of it’s aging time in cask of 600 L or less
“castes” Ribeiro DO
indicates a wine with higher min alcohol
base white 9.5%
base red 9.5%
Ribeiro DO
soil
climate
rivers
- soils: decomposed granite, mica & schist further devolving into sand
- very humid, lots of rain
- rivers Avia, Miño, Arnoia
sheltered from Atlantic influence by Sierra de Suido
rivers in Ribeira Sacra DO
Min and Sil. “sacred riverbanks” name an allusion to monasteries that were once here
Bibei, Navea, and Quiroga.
Ribeira Sacra DO
where?
styles
grapes
at nexus of the Sil and Miño rivers, in Galicia. mostly red. Mencia most important
red principal: Mencía, Merenzao, Brancellao, Sousón, Caiño Tinto. auth: Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón, Tempranillo
white principal: Albariño, Godello, Treixadura, Loureira, Torrontés, Dona Branca
Tinto: min. 70% Mencia
Rosado: Min 85% Principal red Grapes
Súmmum: 85% principal grapes
subzones: Amandi, Chantada, Ribeiras do Miño, Ribeiras do Sil, and Quiroga-Bibei
“barrica” = time in wood
“garda” = time in large tank
was VDlT in 1993, 1995 DO was provisionally established, officially recognized in 1996