Spain - Rioja Flashcards
What is the region’s size (ha and km) and what river is running through it?
- 65,000 ha
- 100km long, 40km wide
- Along the river Ebro
What is the avg. production in hL?
3 mn hL
What influences the region’s climate?
- Sierra de Cantabria to the north -> protection from Atlantic weather
- Sierra de la Demanda to the south, protection from the warmer center
- The eastern side of Rioja gets some Mediterranean influence
What are the three zones in Rioja? (incl. relative size)
- Rioja Alta (largest)
- Rioja Alavesa (smallest)
- Rioja Oriental (Slightly smaller than Alta)
Rioja Alta
What is the general climate?
Continental with maritime influences
Rioja Alta
Describe the climate of the three different areas within Alta
- Area around Ebro: low altitudes, relatively warm, with alluvial soils
- North west: cooler and wetter, calcareous clay
- South: 700m altitude, relatively cool and wet, with ferrous clay
Rioja Alavesa
What is the climate, altitude, and soil?
- Similar to North west of Rioja Alta
- Relatively cool and wet
- 700m altitude
- Calcareous clay
Rioja Oriental
Describe the climate of the two different areas
- Northern part: relatively low altitude, warmest and driest area in Rioja
- South: 500-1000m altitude, can be as cool as Alta and Alavesa, calcareous clay and ferrous clay.
What area suffers the most from climate change?
- Low altitude vineyards in Rioja Oriental
- Already warm and suffering from drought
Describe the two main influences for vintage variation and how producers react to it
- Atlantic (bringing cooler, wetter weather)
- Mediterranean (bringing warmer, drier weather)
- Some aim to produce consistent products through blending
- Others look to represent the vintage
How are vines typically trained?
- New vineyards: trellised with VSP
- Old: Bush vines (> 100 years old)
What is the plantings ratio of black vs. white grapes?
- 90% black
- 10% white
Name the six black varieties (in descending order, incl. % of ALL plantings)
- Tempranillo (80%)
- Garnacha (7%)
- Graciano (2%)
- Mazuelo (2%)
- Maturana Tinta
- Cabernet Sauvignon
The describe how plantings of Tempranillo and Garnacha developed over the last 50 years
- 50 years ago: similar plantings of both
- Garnacha was replanted with Tempranillo because of it ability to reliably produce larger yields (esp. in Rioja Oriental)
- As irrigation was permitted, the trend increased -> Garnacha’s drought resistant not as important
- Nowadays, Garnacha replanted as better suited to the warm, dry conditions
- Tempranillo better stuited to Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa -> cooler, high altitude sites with cool clay soils
What does Tempranillo contribute to the blend? (aromas, acidity, tannin)
- Dominant component in most Rioja
- Raspberry, black plum
- Medium to medium(+) acidity
- Medium to medium(+) tannins
What does Garnacha contribute to the blend? (where does it thrive, aromas, tannin, body)
- Well suited to the warm, dry conditions of Rioja Oriental
- Strawberry
- Lower tannins and fuller body than many of the other grape varieties
What are the characteristics of Graciano? (ripening time, water need, yields, diseases)
- Late ripening
- Drought resistant
- Small yields
- Susceptible to fungal diseases
What does Graciano contribute to the blend? (aromas, acidity, tannin)
- Fresh black fruit
- High acidity
- High tannin
Under what names is Mazuelo elsewhere known and what does it contribute to the blend?
- Cariñena and Carignan (outside of Spain)
- High acidity
Under what name is Maturana Tinta elsewhere known and what does it contribute to the blend? (color, aromas, acidity)
- Trousseau (Jura)
- Deep purple
- Fresh cranberry and blackberry
- High acidity
Name the six white varieties (in descending order, incl. % of ALL plantings)
- Viura (7%)
- Tempranillo Blanco (1%)
- Malvasía
- Garnacha Blanca
- Verdejo
- Sauvignon Blanc
Under what name is Viura elsewhere known?
- Macabeo (other areas in Spain)
- Macabeu (Roussillon)
Viura
What is the budding, ripening time and what climate it is most suited to?
- Late-budding
- Late-ripening
- Warm, dry sites
Viura
How aromatic is it and what types of wines can it produce?
- Relatively neutral grape variety
- Simple early drinking: high yields and stainless steel
- Concentrated, complex wines with ageing potential: lower yields and matured in oak
What does Tempranillo Blanco contribute to the blend? (aromas, acidity)
- Lemon, grapefruit and pineapple
- High acidity
How and for what are Malvasía and Garnacha Blanca mostly used?
- As blending components in oak-matured mid-priced and premium wines
- To add a greater diversity of flavours
How and for what are Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc mostly used?
- Single varietal
- Blends with Viura, typically in inexpensive unoaked styles
Red Winemaking
Describe the impact of ageing regulations
- Led to standard branding hierarchy with young wines at the bottom and the oldest wines at the top
- However, practices in the vineyard and winery are not classified
- Strong variation of style, quality and price between Gran Reserva
Red Winemaking
In general, what are the two extreme stilistics in Rioja
- Modern: Ripe-fruit, concentrated and structured wines aged in French oak
- Traditional: Not as much focus on concentration and extraction, but long ageing in American oak -> dried fruit, mushroom, cured meats, vanilla, coconut
Red Winemaking
What is the current trend and how is it achieved?
- Trend: highlight characteristics and quality of the variety
- Selection of harvest dates
- More gentle extraction
- Use of older and/ or larger oak vessels or other vessels
- Shorter maturation
- French oak is now more common (often blended with American oak)
Red Winemaking
Are there more single varietal wines or more blends? Why?
- Both often practiced
- Many small growers
- Blending of grapes or wine from different zones is desirable to create a certain style and quality
- Garnacha is best suited to Rioja Oriental whereas Tempranillo to Rioja Alta and Alavesa -> often blended
White Winemaking
What are the three different styles of white wines?
- Simple, unoaked
- Modern: Oaked but fresh and balanced
- Traditional: Oxidative and oak-styled
White Winemaking
Describe the two types of simple, unoaked wines (winemaking, varieties, quality, price)
- Protective winemaking, cool temps
- High yields of Viura -> neutral with medium acidity
- Verdejo, Tempranillo Blanco and Sauvignon Blanc -> more flavor intensity and acidity
- Acceptable to good quality
- Inexpensive
White Winemaking
Describe the more modern, oaked style (varieties, aromas, acidity, body, quality, price)
- Viura at lower yields: main grape variety
- Malvasía and Garnacha as blending components
- Citrus fruit and smoky, nutty notes
- Medium(+) acidity
- Medium(+) body
- Good to very good quality
- Mid- to premium priced
White Winemaking
Describe the classic oxidative style (name & producer, aromas, acidity, quality, price)
- Castillo Ygay from Marqués de Murrieta
- Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva from López de Heredia
- Tertiary notes of nuts, honey and dried fruits
- High acidity
- Outstanding quality
- Super-premium prices
Rosé Winemaking
How much Rosé is produced and what is the variety, method and quality?
- Small volume
- Tempranillo or Garnacha
- All methods (more/less skin contact and oak/no oak)
- Highest quality and most expensive in Spain
Wine Law and Regulations
What did change recently?
- Before 2018: not allowed to label wines with sub-zones or villages/vineyards
- Since 2018: new legislation for labling sub-zone, village, and vineyard
Wine Law and Regulations
What are the three newly (in 2018) introduced geographical categories?
- Vino de Zona
- Vino de Municipio
- Viñedo Singular
Wine Law and Regulations
Describe the specifications for “Vino de Zona”
- All grapes sourced from one of the 3 sub-zones
- Exception: 15% may come from outside, but bordering the zone + already 10 consecutive years of sourcing grapes from there
- Vinification, ageing and bottling must take place within the zone
Wine Law and Regulations
Describe the specifications for “Vino de Municipio”
- All grapes sourced from a municipality
- Exception: similar to Vino de Zona
- Vinification, ageing and bottling must take place within the municipality (different to, e.g., Burgundy)
Wine Law and Regulations
Describe the specifications for “Viñedo Singular”
- All grapes sourced from particular vineyards or estates
- Vinification, ageing, storage and bottling must take place within the same winery
- Producer must have owned the vineyard for min 10 years
- Vineyard must be min 35 years old
- Hand harvest
- Treated in a sustainable way
- Further restrictions on pruning
- Checks on traceability
- Authorised by tasting panel
Wine Law and Regulations
What are the min total/barrel/bottle ageing times in months for the three ageing categories for red wines?
- Crianza: 24/12/-
- Reserva: 36/12/6
- Gran Reserva: 60/24/24
Wine Law and Regulations
What are the min total/barrel ageing times in months for the three ageing categories for white and rosé wines?
- Crianza: 24 (from 1st of Oct) /6
- Reserva: 24/6
- Gran Reserva: 48/6
Wine Business
What is the avg. size of vineyard plots?
- 50% < 1 ha
- 75% < 2 ha
Wine Business
How many growers are there and what role to co-ops and merchants play?
- 15,000 growers (sell to co-ops)
- Co-ops sell typically do merchants
Wine Business
What are the sizes of producers?
- Top 10 produce 40% of sales
- Besides that, many small producers
- Many producers are also merchants
Wine Business
How much is exported, what is the trend and what are the top export markets?
- 37%
- Increasing
- UK, Germany, USA
Wine Business
What is the general trend regarding ageing categories, and types of wines?
- Crianza mostly in Spain
- Reserva and Gran Reserva popular in export markets
- Rapid growth in white and rosé
Wine Business
What is the region known for regarding prices?
- Very good value for money
- Small investment market
Wine Business
How are wines promoted?
- Consejo Regulador
- Producer groups (e.g., Bodegas Familiares de Rioja or Rioja ’n’ Roll)
