Spain COPY COPY Flashcards
What region does Marqués de Murrieta produce wine?
What is their top bottling?
Rioja DOCa
Castilla Ygay Gran Reserva Especial
Jumilla DO grapegrowing
25,000ha – and only 2,000 growers (and only 40 wineries !)
80% is MONASTRELL – then Cencibel (Tempranillo), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot
DO since 1966
1980s arrival of Phylloxera > replantings with new varieties.
½ of vineyards in La Mancha & ½ in Murcía
Utiel Requena. Summarise what you know about this DO.
A large workmanlike region
Known for sturdy reds and roses
Directly EAST of La Mancha DO,
borders northern part of Valencia DO to the West
Average altitude is 750mRL
Mediterranean climate, continental with high diurnal range
Low rainfall 450mm/yr.
The coolest of the five regions of the Levante
34,000ha
Planted to 95% black grapes – >70% is BOBAL
Other black varieties :
- Tempranillo
- Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
RED WINES :
BOBAL
- Mid to late budding, avoids spring frost
- Very drought tolerant, retains acidity
- Can be vigorous and high yielding with uneven ripening
- Gives high levels of colour with good fruit flvour - used in blends to give colour and concentration
- Can be made in two different styles :
o Light bodied, medium tannin, semi carbonic maceration
o OR
o Concentrated, medium+ tannins, medium+ to full bodied, blackberry, black cherry flavours, often notes of chocolate – matured in oak
What are the two winemaking philosophies used in Priorat DOCa for making their red wines and how do the wines differ?
- Traditional Priorat:
- Low yielding Garnacha & Carinena
- aged for long periods in oak,
- developing rancio aromas of game & mushroom.
- They are deep colour, intenese, concentrated, highly tannic and hi in alcohol
- Modern wines
- from both local & international varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Syrah)
- aged in French oak, smaller formats
- intense bramble fruit, powerful tannins & oak characters,
- long ageing potential.
Ribeiro DO? details please
Ribeiro DO
o Just east of southern Rias Baixas on the river Mino
o Maritime climate with temperate conditions and high rainfall
o Mainly white wines
o Treixadura – most planted white variety
Bodega Torres - what are some details?
Bodegas Torres
- 25m btls
- Family company created in 1870
- Most extensive vineyards in Penedes (1,500ha)
- Largest winery in Spain
- Made famous by Miguel Torres Carbó in the 40-50s when he toured the world to promote his wines extensively and started estate bottling before his son introduced new viticulture (e.g. trellis systems) winemaking techniques incl. stainless steel and temperature control in the 60s
- Owns estates and joint ventures in Curico, Sonoma and China
What are the 4 recommended red grapes of Rias Baixas?
Caiño Tinto, Espadeiro, Loureira Tinta, Sousón
Give all the Rioja business details, such as % export, how many growers, vineyard sizes, importance of cooperatives, winery sizes, etc.
Grapegrowers :
- 15,000 grapegrowers, 64,000 Ha.
- Mostly small vineyard plots
- 50% of the vineyards are less than 1 Ha. ! and 75% less than 2 Ha.
- Almost 50% of all growers sell to a cooperative – who then sell to merchants or own brand
Wineries :
- Handful of large wineries – top 13 wineries sell 50% of entire Rioja production
- Bottom 80% of wineries sell just 11% of entire Rioja production
Rioja Consejo Regulador:
- Based in Logrono. Vine-growers + wine producers + merchants set the rules.
- Won a case to get bottling made mandatory within the region in 2000.
- Supports modernisation of Rioja wine marketing
o Focuses on pushing the quality of Rioja wines
o And highlights the diversity of Rioja wines
Sales
- A much average price per bottle than other Spanish DO wines
- 40% of production is exported with strong growth of 25% since 2007
- Primary markets are : UK, Germany and USA
What are the main varietals of Valencia DO?
REDS: Monastrell, Alicante Bouschet, Bobal and Internationals making rather coarse wines
WHITES: Merseguera, Moscatel, Macabeo, Airen
Why would you use some Graciano making Rioja?
Use a small % in the finest wines to add concentrated black fruit flavours, acidity and tannins.
deep red color, strong aroma and ageability.
What are the ageing requirements for Rioja red wines?
Generic (used to be Joven) - none
from 1st October of year of harvest
Crianza - total 24 months - 12 months in barrel
Reserva - total 36 months - 12 months in barrel plus 6 months bottle
Gran Reserva - total 60 months - 24 months barrel plus 24 mths bottle
Climate of Ribera del Duero?
Continental climate tempered by altitude > high diurnal range.
Relatively short growing season with hot summers (up to 40C) and harsh winters.
Low rainfall (400-600mm)
2,400h of annual sunlight.
Spain’s best known wine family, Torres, is based in which wine region?
Penedes
Valentino, sub zone of Valencia DO, give details?
Valentino
- 200-650m – and closer to the sea than Alto Turia
- Warmer than Alto Turia
- Adequate quality and inexpensive
- Alicante Bouschet, Tempranillo, Cabernet and Monastrell for reds
- Merseguera and Macabeo for whites
Name some of the largest producers in Spain?
Freixenet
Cordorniu
Miguel Torres
Grupo Domecq Bodegas
Felix Solis Avantis
Climate of Penedes DO?
Mostly Mediterranean climate but a wide variety of micro-climates due to the proximity to the coast and the varied terrain rising up to 800m high
Coastal areas very hot & dry
some areas inland 900mm rainfall and prone to frost
Identify the correct autonomía for the following DOs:
A. Montilla-Moriles
B. Ribeira Sacra
C. Rueda
D. Arabako Txakolina
E. Costers del Segre
A. Montilla-Moriles
B. Galicia
C. Castilla y León
D. Pais Vasco
E. Catalunya
Name of cooling north wind in Aragon regions?
Cierzo
Wine production in Valencia DO - which type of producer dominates this DO?
What styles of wine are made?
5 producers dominate the production.
Vast majority of wines made by Cooperatives
- Wines are made in a fruit style – ready to drink
- Makes large amounts of inexpensive bulk wines
- Adequate to good quality – inexpensive in price
A number of small individual wineries
- Making good to very good quality wines, mid-priced
- Some working with local varieties as a point of difference
The Consejo Regulador of Priorat DOCa has four classifications - name and explain them.
What is the definition of ‘old vine’ in Priorat DOCa?
Consejo Regulador has set up four classifications :
- Vi de Vila – comes from a Priorat sub region and name of subzone is on the label
- Vi de Paratge – the grapes come from a named site or Paratge – there are 459 of them
- Vinya Classificada – wine from a single vineyard of merit within a Paratge – a Cru
- Gran Vinya Classificada – wine from an exceptional single vineyard – equivalent to a Grand cru wine
To qualify :
- Producer must own vineyard or have leased for a min of 7 years
- Each classification has its own rules on min proportion of Carinena or Garnacha, blend, vine age, and maximum yields
- For Vinya Classificada or Gran Vinya Classificada must have critical recognition min 5 years
The term ‘Old Vine’ – must be more than 75 years old or before 1945!
What were the 5 original Clos wines of Priorat?
How were they originally classified?
René Barbier’s Clos Mogador
Alvaro Palacios’ Clos Dofi,
Clos Erasmus,
Clos de l’Obac,
Clos Martinet,
Graciano?
Graciano
- part of the last 10% of Rioja blend – only 2% of total plantings of black grapes
- late ripening, drought resistant, with small yields, susceptible to fungal diseases
- adds high acidity and tannin as well as fresh black fruit to the blend
Name the 5 subzones of Rias Baixas?
5 sub-zones, non-contiguous, each w their terroir & climate.
- Ribeira do Ulla
- Newest sub zone
- Makes inexpensive mid-priced wines
- Oldest Val do Salnés,
- around Cambados
- w low rolling hills w rocky & alluvial soils is best.
- Highest concentration of plantings and wineries
- On the coast so generally has the coolest environ, & highest acidity
- Soutomaior
- Smallest subzone
- Condado do Tea
- Inland from O Rosal
- Warmer, with riper flavour profile – more peach, melon and lower acidity
- O Rosal
- On north bank of Minho river, against Portuguese border
- Makes blends with Albarino plus Loureira, Treixadura, Caino Blanco
- Warmer sites than Val do Salnes
Costers del Segre is defined as being …….
how many sub zones in Costers del Segre
Generally defined as being in the river Segre valley, with a dry continental climate, from 200m to 700m
there are 7 sub-zones