Spain - Introduction Flashcards
How has the Spanish wine industry evolved since the 1970s?
- 1986: EU bringing investment
- 1996: irrigation was allowed
- Greater research, investment, education and experience from other countries
- New regions and styles are explored
- Interest in indigenous varieties and traditional approaches
On what latitude is Spain located and what is the resulting general climate?
- 36-43°N
- Warm
What is the size of vineyard plantings in Spain and production compared to other countries?
- Largest in the world
- 969,000 ha
- Behind France and Italy in terms of production (volume)
How come that vineyard plantings are highest, while production is lower than in other countries?
- A lot of bush vines at low density because of low rainfall (as little as 300mm)
- Often old vines with lower yields
Is irrigation allowed? If yes, how is it controlled?
- Yes
- Controlled by Consejo Regulador
- Permitted depending on region and circumstances (e.g., drought or young vines)
What are general hazards and diseases and how are they managed?
- Heavy storm with rising temps afterwards -> risk of mildew
- Spring frost (in continental areas)
- European grapevine moth -> pheromone tags
Is organic winemaking practiced?
Yes, but often not certified as consumers are not willing to pay for it
What are the avg. vineyard holdings and what does that mean for mechanization?
- 66% of plots are < 0.5 ha
- 22% of plots are 0.5-3 ha
- ->Low level of mechanization
What are by far the two most planted varieties and how many ha are roughly planted to them?
- Airén and Tempranillo
- 200,000 ha each
What are the top 6 varieties? (descending order in ha planted)
- Airén (white)
- Tempranillo (black)
- Garnacha Tinta (Grenache Noir) (black)
- Bobal (black)
- Macabeo (white)
- Monastrell (Mourvèdre) (black)
Airén
Where is it mainly planted, what wine is produced from it and what is it mainly used for?
- Castilla-La Mancha
- Inexpensive white wines for early consumption
- Distilled into Brandy de Jerez
Tempranillo
What wines is the variety able to produce?
- Inexpensive, fruity red wines
- But also a leading component in some of Spain’s most prestigious and expensive wines
Tempranillo
What is the ripening time and how much yields is it able to produce?
- Early ripening -> best in warm climate with cooling influences
- Medium to high yields -> popularity with growers
Bobal
Where is it mainly grown and used for what types of wines?
- East coast
- Red and rosé
Garnacha Tinta
Where is it mainly grown and used for what types of wines?
- Central north and north east
- Red and rosé
Macabeo
Where is it mainly grown?
- Catalunya (still wine and Cava)
- Rioja (under the name “Viura”)
Macabeo
What two types of still wines is it mainly used for?
- Inexpensive, neutral white wines
- Leading component in premium-priced wines, fermented and matured in oak
Monastrell
What is another name for it?
Mourvèdre
Monastrell
Where is it mainly grown and in what climate does it thrive (why)?
- Valencia and Murcia
- Warm Mediterranean climate (as it is late ripening)
Winemaking
How has winemaking evolved regarding inexpensive, fruity wines?
- Protective winemaking
- Temperature-controlled stainless steel vats
- Use of inert gases
- Cultured yeasts
- Fining and/or filtration
- Carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration maybe used
Winemaking
What is the max capacity for oak barrels to classify for ageing categories?
Max 330 L
Winemaking
RED WINE: State the min ageing and min barrel times for the three ageing categories
- Crianza: 24; 6
- Reserva: 36; 12
- Gran Reserva: 60; 18
Winemaking
WHITE and ROSÉ WINE: State the min ageing and min barrel times for the three ageing categories
- Crianza: 18; 6
- Reserva: 24; 6
- Gran Reserva: 48; 6
Winemaking
What are critiques about the ageing categories?
- Purely specifies minimum ageing periods
- Suggests a hierarchy of excellence, BUT no quality requirements are specified
- No age or origin of oak prescribed
- -> VERY little indication regarding style, quality, or value of wines
Winemaking
What is special about the ageing categories?
- They set the minimum
- Individual DOs can set stricter regulations
Winemaking
What are reasons for producers not to follow and use the ageing categories?
- Choose not to meet the criteria of the labelling terms
- Believe the terms will not benefit the selling potential of their wine
Winemaking
Describe the term “roble”
- Spanish for “oak”
- Used for red wines that have been matured in oak for an unspecified time
Winemaking
Describe the term “joven”
- Used for wines that are released young
- Often with no or minimal oak ageing
Winemaking
What type of oak is used and where?
- Mostly American oak
- French oak increasingly used in DOs, such as Penedès, Priorat, Ribera del Duero
Winemaking
What range of rosé wines is produced?
- Inexpensive, bulk wines
- Very good quality rosé through improvements in vineard and winemaking
Winemaking
What styles of rosé wines are mostly produced?
- Mostly deep colored, fruity rosé (longer skin contact)
- Pale rosé increased (Provence style)
- Some produce traditional style rosé (oak, maturation, secondary and tertiary flavors)
Wine Law
How many DOs exist in Spain? How much of the vineyard plantings do they make up?
- 70
- Majority of plantings
Wine Law
What two regions have the status DOCa/DOQ?
- Rioja (DOCa)
- Priorat (DOQ -> Catalan)
Wine Law
What are the requirements to qualify for DOCa/DOQ status?
- DO established for min 10 years
- Wines bottled at producer
- Various quality regulations, incl. tasting assessment, a process to audit extra restrictions and regulations
Wine Law
What is Vino de Pago (VP) and what are the requirements?
- Small number of single estates with high reputations
- Majority are in Castilla-La Mancha, others in Navarra, Valencia and Aragon
- Use of own grapes and vinification and maturation on the estate
Wine Law
What is Vino de la Tierra (VT)? How many are there and what is the largest?
- PGI wines
- 40
- Castilla (largest)
Wine Law
What is the term “Vino” used for?
Wines without geographical indication
Wine Business
What businesses are involved?
- Co-ops (important role)
- Negociants
- Estates
Wine Business
Name some of the largest wine businesses for still, unfortified wines
- J. García Carrión
- Félix Solís Avantis
- Pernod Ricard Groupe
- Miguel Torres SA
- Bodegas Martín Códax SA
Wine Business
How does domestic consumption compare to other wine producing countries and what is the trend?
- Low (10.2 mn hL p.a.)
- Trend towards higher quality wines with DO status
Wine Business
* How much wine does Spain export?
* What is the avg. price per liter compared to other exporting countries?
* How much is exported in bulk?
- World’s largest exporter (21 mn hL)
- Lowest price per liter
- More than half is exported in bulk
Wine Business
How does Spain compare to France and Italy regarding super-premium wines?
- Only few super-premium wines
- Still lower prices than those from France and Italy
- Spain not very fashionable on the investment market despite the quality of the top wines
Wine Business
What are the main export markets?
- France (24%, inexpensive)
- Germany (17%, inexpensive)
- UK (higher priced wines)
- USA (higher priced wines)
- China (higher priced wines)
Wine Business
What is the promotional body for the entire country?
Foods and Wines from Spain
