Spain & Portugal Flashcards
Name the principal red grape(s) of Priorat.
Grenache, Carinena, Cab, Syrah.
Name the DO for traditional method sparkling wine and the principal grapes.
Cava, traditional method, a non continuous DO with xarel-lo, macabeo, and Parellada. Mostly produces in the Penedes. Cava spends 9 months on lees, Riserva has 15 months on lees, Gran RIserva has 30 months on lees.
Name principal grape(s) of Ribera del Duero.
Tinta del Pais, aka tempranillo. It is in Castilla La Mancha and it is not a DOCa.
Name a synonym for the grape Tinta de Toro.
Tempranillo, always.
State the DO of the producer Vega Sicilia and describe the style and quality of the wine.
Ribera del Duero, the first quality producer that brought attention to the region.
Name the principal grape of Rías Baixas and identify the region it’s located within.
The main grape is albarino, riax baixas is location in Galicia.
State the region and style of wines from Txakolina DO.
Low ABV crisp whites, sometimes lightly petillant, from basque country. Whites are from hondaribbi zuri and reds from hondaribbi beltzo.
Identify a DO within Murcia and describe its typical style of wine.
Grapes are monastrell, syrah, cab, merlot, Viura, malvasia. DOs are Jumilla, Yecla, Bullas.
Identify a DO within Valencia and describe its typical style of wine.
Monastrell, malvasia. DOs are Valencia, Utiel Requena, Alicante.
Name the 5 quality levels of Spanish wine.
Vino, formerly vinos de mesa. Vinos de la tierra (vdit), Vinos de calidad con indicacion geografica (vcig), denominacion de origen (do), with sub category (do pago), and Denominacion de Origen Califada (DOCa).
Name the 2 DOCa regions
DOCa was began in 1988, with Rioja achieving it is 1991, and Priorat in 2000.
Briefly describe the Vinos de Pago (DO Pago) category
15 up until recently, single estates of high quality that dictate their own standards. First was 2003, from Castilla- La Mancha, Dominio de Valdepusa- Marques Grinon.
Name the principal white and red grapes of Rioja
Whites are led with Viura aka Macabeo, Malvasia, and grenache blanc. reds are tempranillo based with grenache, graciano, and mazuelo.
Name the principal white and red grapes of Navarra.
Whites are led with Viura aka Macabeo, malvasia, and chardonnay. reds are grenache led with tempranillo, merlot, and cab.
Identify the best sub region of Rioja and its principal soil(s)
The 3 sub regions of Rioja are Rioja Alta, considered the best for its high iron clay based soil. Rioja Altavesa is great for modern producers, more tempranillo, maritime climates, and chalkier soils. Rioja Baja, clay soils, denser wines.
Aging requirements for Spain’s whites vs. Rioja’s whites
Spain’s, joven is less than Crianza, Crianza is 18, Riserva is 2 yrs, and Gran RIserva is 4 yrs, 6 months in wood all around. For Rioja’s Crianza, it is 2 yrs, 2 yrs, and 4 yrs, 6 months in wood.
Aging requirements for Spain’s reds vs. Rioja’s reds.
Spain’s reds, 2, 3, and 5 yrs, with 6 months, 1 yr, and 18 months in oak. Rioja’s 2, 3, 5 with 1 yr, 1 yr, and 2 yrs in wood.
State the rough geographic location of Sherry.
Southwest Spain in Andalucia.
Describe the climate of Sherry.
Very hot, low rain fall, poniante and levante winds.
Name the principal towns of Sherry.
Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria, San Lucar de Barrameda (home of Manzanilla.)
Name the grapes of Sherry.
Palomino, Pedro Ximinez, Moscatel.
State the character of Albariza soil and the other common soils of jerez.
Very chalky, calcium, and limestone, highly porous. Reforms crust to retain moisture. Barros has high clay content, good for px and moscatel. Arenas has a lot of sand.
