Spain - Castilla y Leon Flashcards
What is the largest autonomía in Spain?
Castilla y León - “ The land of Castles”
What is the climate of Castilla y León?
Continental
- slightly moderate by its proximity to the Atlantic and Mediterranean but still subject to extreme highs and lows
The Duero River run through the western part of what autonomía?
Castilla y León
What DO is surrounded by the towns of Aranda de Duero and Peñafiel in the Duero Valley?
Ribera del Duero
Tinto del Pais and Tinto Fino are the alternate names for this classical grape in Ríbera del Duero?
Tempranillo
Abillo in Ribera del Duero is used to make what type of wine?
Rosado (rosè)
What is the flagship bodega of Ribera del Duero
Vega Sicilia
Who founded the bodega Vega Sicilia and in what year
Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves in 1864
What type of grape varietals were planted at Vega Sicilia
Bordeaux varietals:
🔴 Cabernet Sauvignon
🔴 Merlot
🔴 Pinot Noir
🔴 Tinto del Pais ( Tempranillo)
What is the benchmark wine of Vega Sicilla and who created it
Unico by winemaker Domingo Txomin in 1917
The Vega Sicilla Unico is a blend of what grapes
🔴 Tinto del Pais
🔴 Cabernet Sauvignon
🔴 Merlot
- aged for a decade or more in American and French Oak
Ribera del Duero received DO status in what year
1982
True or False: You can’t produce white wines in Ribera del Duero
True: only Vinto Tinto and Rosado wines are allowed in Ribera del Duero
What is the premier grape of Ribera Del Duero?
Tinto del Pais / Tinto Fino (Tempranillo)
What are some classical grape varietals that grow in Ribera del Duero
🔴 Granacha
🔴 Cabernet Sauvignon
🔴 Merlot
They only white grape that is permitted to grow in Ribera Del Duero is what and why?
Albillo and it is used for freshness in Rosados
What aging requirements do vinto Tinto follow in Ribero del Duero
Rioja
If a Rosado and vinto Tinto don’t follow the minimum aging requirements for a Crianza what are they considered
Vino Joven
Most commerical rosados are Vino Joven
When did Rueda gain its DO status
1980
What is the main grape of Rueda
⚪ Verdejo
- very aromatic, rather than oxidative
If a wine is labeled Rueda what is the requirements
Minimum 50% Verdejo grape and often is blended with Viura (Macabeo)
What other variety label might you find on Rueda wines
Verdejo or Sauvignon Blanc
If labeled this way grapes must make up minimum 85% if stated on label
What is Espumoso
Spanish for sparking wines
In Toro DO what type of wines do they make
Vinto Tinto 🔴
Blanco ⚪
Rosado 🔴⚪️
What is the grape requirement for vinto tinto in Toro DO?
75% Tinta de Toro ( Tempranillo) 🔴
What are the white wines of Toro DO?
Verdejo ⚪️
Malvasia ⚪
What method is used to make Rosado wines in Toro DO and what grapes are used
Saignèe blend of Tinto de Toro and Granacha
Fariña and Numanthia - Termes are top producers from what DO
Toro DO
Pingus - P. Sissec
Peaquera - Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez
Unico - Vega Sicilia
What do these three wines have in common
They are 3 of the top wines produced from Ribera del Duero
What makes Tinta Fino from Ribera del Duero different from Tempranillo from Rioja
Ribera del Duero has a harsher, dramatic climate and the berries are smaller with tougher skin which makes the wines more powerful than Rioja.
Where did Ribera del Duero get its name
From the Duero river which is the 3rd largest river in the Iberian peninsula
- it flows through the Meseta Central of north central Spain, flowing into Portugal where it becomes the Douro River
How many hours of sunlight to most Vines get in Ribera del Duero
2400 hours per year
How many acres of Vines are in Ribera del Duero
52,000 acres (21,000 hectares)
What is the soil type of Ribera del Duero
Close to the Duero River - sandy sediments, Marl and ancient riverbed stones
Laderas (slopes) - above the riverbed - limestone and clay
What does Tinta del país mean
Red wine of the land
What does Tinto fino mean
Fine Red
Who grows most if not all the Cabernet Sauvignon in Ribera del Duero?
Vega Silica
What are the notes of a Crianza from Ribera del Duero
Easy drinking
Cherry pie
Spice
Earth
Vanilla flavor and aromas
What are some dishes Ribera del Duero
Lechazo - baby lamp - seasoned with only salt and pepper then roasted over a hardwood fire in a brick oven til crisp on outside and melts on the inside falling off the bone
Setas - stuffed mushrooms
Morcilla - blood sausage stuffed with rice
The Duero River flows westward through the center of the region and passes the DOs of
Ribera del Duero
Rueda
Toro
Tierra del Vino de Zamora
Arribes on its path toward Portugal
Burgos - North
Segovia - South
Valladolid - West
Soria - East
These are the four districts for what DO
Ribera del Duero
What is Saffron
Considered one of the most expensive spices in the world
- a flower ( saffron crocus)
- takes fifty thousand to seventy thousand flowers to make one pound
The founder of Pesquera name is
Alejandro Fernández
What is Alejandro Fernández theory on filtering wines
Doesn’t believe in it, after he presses his grapes, he places them in barrels to ferment and aging.
Believes that filtering damages the overall body of the wine
Peter Sisseck is the owner of what famous Spanish winery
Dominio de Pingus
• founded in 1995
What is the wine that is called the “little sister” of Pingus
Flor de Pingus
When did the Moors invade Spain
711 AD
When did the Catholic monarchs regain control of Spain
15th Century by the Habsburg Spain (house of Habsburg)
• Charles V was the king
Why is N 22 highway so important in Ribera del Duero
Cause 5 of the most iconic estates in the DO ( Vega Sicilia, Pingus, Abadia Retuerta, Alion, and Mauro) set off this highway
N22 Highway is known as what
Milla de Oro ( golden mile)
What is the lone white grape variety in Ribera del Duero
⚪️ Albillo Mayor
What are the characteristics of Reserva wines from Ribera del Duero
Fuller, fleshier texture and greater overall depth, concentration, and intensity
What are the age requirements for Crianza wines from Ribera del Duero
- minimum two years, at least one of which be in oak barrels; the year starts October 1
What are the aging requirements of Reserva from Ribera Del Duero
Agingva minimum of three years, at least one of which must be in oak barrels, the year starts December 1
What are the aging requirements of Grand Reserva in Ribera del Duero
A minimum 5 years, at least 2 of which must be in oak barrels; the year starts December 1
What are some of the physical features of Castilla y León
- Meseta Central - a huge plateau in the center of Spain
- Duero River - flows from west to east through the heart of the regions
