The Islands Flashcards
Which are the two sets of Spanish Islands - and their seas
Balearic islands - Mediterranean
Canary Islands - Atlantic
Wines from the islands are widely exported. T or F
False
What did the Greeks call the Balearic islands
Greeks (Lycrophon) named them the 2 main islands ‘Naked Islands’ and the minor ones ‘Pine Islands’
Who first brought vines to the B Is
Phoenicians
How were the BIs named
Roman General who conquered Mallorca given the name Balearicus
Pliny mentioned as good wine
Who ruled BIs between 5-8c
Vandals, Byzantines, Moors
What happened when the Swedes arrived in 9c
Set up a pirate base - which was then levelled by Emirate of Cordoba. Set up Independent Taifa of Mallorca
When did the Moor rule end
1229 King James of Aragon. Then passed between Cataluna and Arargon
Population of which island was wiped out in 14c
Formentora - bubonic plague
400 years before
Which treaty in 1713 gave control of Menorca and Gibraltar to Britain
Treaty of Utrecht
What was planted in BI after phylloxera
Almond trees
How did the BI stand in the Civil War
Divided
Why is there a via Roma in Mallorca
Italian Fascist troops established air base during the civil war
What happened in 1983 to BI
Autonomous region
What is the location of BI
Western med, 300 km off Spain
What is the name for the small western group of BI inc Ibiza and Formentera
Pityusas
Climate
Med… western islands warmer
Rainfall of BIs
Some of lowest in Spain 650mm (higher in Mtns). Can have violent downpours
What is the Tramontana
Cold dry wind in Mallorca and Minorca from southern france
What is the Embat
Soft humid sea breeze in Mallorca. Noon until sunset. Gives saline notes
Which mountain range is the BI an extension of
Sistema Betico
What is the mountain range of Mallorca
Tramuntana Mountains
What is the highest peak in the BI
Puig Major 1445m
The islands have an abundance of rivers T or F
False - only one small on Ibiza 17km Santa Eulalia. Mostly water from freshwater lakes
What is the main soil of BIs
Clay on limestone
Mallorca - limestone
Menorca - marl on limestone
Ibiza - clay/loam
Formentera - limestone
What is call vermell
Unique soil in DO PLa i Llevant
Mallorca
Reddish clay
What are the main red grapes of BI
Mallorca:
Manto Negro, Callet and Fogoneu
Menorca: Merlot and Cab
Ibiza/Form- Monastrell
What are the main white grapes of BI
Mallorca - Presnal Blanc = Moll, Malvasia, Chardonnay
Other islands mostly red only
VTS of BI
En vaso - but switching over to espadera (trellis) for mechanisation
What are the characteristics of DO Binissalem
1990
Tinto 64%, Rosado 18%, Blanco 16%, Espumoso 2%
Mallorca
Med 550mm Low!
140m
White- Presnel Blanc=Moll
Red - Manto Negro 75% planting
Thrived until phylloxera, investment and tourism
Sheilded by Mtns from Tramontana wind
Tinto >30% Manto Negro, <30% Gorgollassa - aged
Pale with berry notes
Blanco and Espumosos >50% Presnel Blanc
What are the characteristics of DO Pla y Llevant
1999
Tinto 43%, Blanco 39%, Rosado 18%
Mallorca - east coast plain
Limestone
CALL VERMELL red clay top soil
Med 450m V low!
100m
439ha
White- Presnel Blanc=Moll
Red - Callet, Cab Sauv, Merlot
EMBAT breezes
Mostly international planted - just a few more red
Mostly blends
Who first lived in Canaries
Indigenous Guanches - then possibly Greeks? or Phonecians?
When was the first conquest of CIs
15c King Henry III of Castille
Which Treaty granted Castille control of CIs in 1479
Treaty of Alcacovas
Portugal control of Madeira, Cape Verde and Azores
Fully Spanish from 1495
Name the 7 islands that make up the CIs
Santa Cruz da Tenerife=
La Palma
La Gomera
El Hierro
Tenerife
Las Palmas =
Gran Canaria
Fuerteventura
Lanzarote
What was Canary Wine or Malmsey
15/16c Wine from Canaries
From Malvasia
Known as Malmsey
Made in Madeira also
Sweet, white, unfortified
Popular in UK, France, Netherlands
Shakespeare mentions - Duke in Richard III
What was the main trading port of CIs in the 16c
Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife
What were the two diseases of the 19c
Powdery Mildew 1852
Downy Mildew 1878
NO PHYLLOXERA - no vines left!
When did the CI become an Autonomous region
1982
Fifth smallest, 3 most populated 2.1m!