The Islands Flashcards
Where is DO Pla i Llevant located?
On the Island of Mallorca
Describe “Embat”
A soft humid sea breeze particular to the island of Mallorca; blows over land during the sunniest part of the day and tapers off when the sun goes down; imparts some saline notes to many of the wines produced on the island
What is a localized thermal wind that affects Mallorca?
Embat
This salt laden breeze imparts some saline notes to many of the wines produced in the island
For DO Binissalem Vinos Tintos, what is the minimum percentage required for Manto Negro and what is the maximum percentage ofr Gorgollassa?
- Min 30% Manto Negro
- Max 30% Gorgollassa
Which island DO Tacoronte-Acentejo is located?
Island of Tenerife
Which grape variety is particularly suited to the volcanic soils of Lanzarote where it accounts for more than three quarters of the total plantings?
Malvasia Volcanica (aka Malvasia de Lanzarote)
A large number of. these vines exceed 100 year olds
Which DO pioneered Cordon Trenzado method to allow the cordons to be moved to the side to accomodate the plantings of other agricultural products?
DO Valle de la Orotova
Which grape variety occupies 90% of vineyards in DO Tacoronte-Acentejo?
Listan Negro (red)
What grape variety is championed in Fromentera?
Monastrell
True or False
Vino Tinto produced via carbonic Maceratin requires 100% red grapes in DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora
True
What are wine styles of DO Islas Canarias that includes all the islands in the arechipelago?
- Blanco - 66%
- Tinto - 29%
- Rosado - 5%
- Espumoso < 1%
- Other < 1%
What is the prime soil type of DO Lanzarote?
Lapilli/Picon atop sand/clay
What protects DO Binissalem vineyards from brutal northerly Tramontana winds?
Serra de Tramuntana mountains
Which grape variety is native to Castilla-La Mancha and is touted as the original Mission grape of New World fame and is grown in the Canaries in small quantities?
Listan Prieto
Describe Lapilli
A layer of small, porous, volcanic pebbles which blankets the top soil on the parts of Lanzarote and La Palma
Lapilli fliters rain water and pulls moisture from passing winds
Helps prevent the evaporation of water from teh soil beneath
True or False
International varieties are most planted in DO Pla i Llevant
True
What soil type of Lanzarote produces saline, tropical fruit and mineral driven Vinos Blancos?
Lapilli
What is traditional and modern training methods used in the islands?
- En vaso
- Espaldera
True or False
The archipelago of Canary Islands is most densely populated in Spain
False
Third most
What is the most planted white variety in DO Binissalem?
Prensal Blanc/Moll (56%)
What is DO Ycode-Daute-Isora neighboring?
Conveniently neighboring Puerto de la Orotava (Puerto de la Cruz)
What is the unique training method in DOs Valle de la Orotava and Tacoronte-Acentejo unseen anywhere else in the world?
Cordon Trenzado
Horizontal cordons to be turned to the side to accomodate alternate crops
What is the cold dry wind whistles between Pirineos and Massif Central in southern Freance that affects Menorca especially?
Tramontana wind
Mallorca is shielded from most of wrath by the Serra de Tramuntana Mountrain range
What are prime soil types of DO Binissalem?
- Limestone
- Large limestone gravel
After phylloxera, what plant replaced most vines?
Almond Trees
Name one white indigenous grape variety in the Islands
- Prenasal Blan (aka Moll)
What is the minimum percentage required for Vinos Rosados and Vinos Tintos in DO Yconda-Daute-Isora?
- Vinos Rosados: Min 50% Red varieties
- Vinos Tinotos: Min 75% Red varieties
What is the third largest volcano on earth and as well as the highest point in Spain?
PIco del Teide located on Tenerife (3,718 m)
What are the prime white and red grape varieties of DO Binissalem?
- White: Prensal Blanc/Moll
- Red: Manto Negro
Name three indigenous red grapes in the islands
- Manto Negro
- Callet
- Fogoneu
True or False
Listan Negro is genetically linked to Listan Blanco and Listan Prieto
False
Not related to neither Listan Blanco nor Listan Prieto
What is the primary red grape of the Canary Islands?
Listan Negro (aka Almuneco)
indigenous to the Canary Islands
may be produced with carbonic maceration as well
Which island DO Valle de la Orotava is located?
Island of Tenerife
What is “abrigo”?
Volcanic rock which is used to build a semi circular wall on the windward side to protect the vines from the aggressive trade winds
When has DO Binissalem been awarded its designation?
1990
Name three most planted red varieties in order and two most planted white varieties
- Cabernet Sauvginon / Merlot / Callet
- Chardonnay / Prensal Blanc - Moll
True or False
DO Pla i Llevant is mostly flat
True
In the warmer, drier side of the island
Which grape variety crafts Vino Rosado and Vino Tinto in Do Lanzarote?
Listan Negro/Almufieco
Many red wines undergo carbonic maceration with minimal oak aging with reductive onion like character due to high sulfer levels present in the volcanic soils
Which grape variety is almost exclusively used to make Vino Tinto in DO Tacoronte-Acentejo?
Listan Negro
Why has Las Islas Canarias some of Spain’s oldest vines?
Phylloxera never reached the islands
Which island DO Ycode-Daute-Isora is located?
Island of Tenerife
True or False
The Canary Islands are much closer to Morocco than to Spain
True
100 km to Morocco
1,000 km from the mainland Spain
in the Atlantic Ocean
Where are vineyards of DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora located?
On the steep and trecherous slopes of Mt. Teide at elevation of 1,400 m, making mechanization impossible
Describe “Lapilli”
A layer of small, porous volcanic pebbles that blankets that topsoil in certain areas of the Canary Islands;
Also called Picon
What is DO that includes all the islands in the archipelago?
DO Islas Canarias
Includes all wine styles as well as Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva designations
True or False
DO Tacoronte-Acentejo is red wine county
True
What is the wine styles of DO Binissalem?
- Tinto - 64%
- Rosado - 18%
- Blanco - 16%
- Espumoso - 2%
What is the unique soil type found in parts of Lanzarote and La Palma?
Lapilli (AKA PIcon)
What is the minimum requirement of Prensal Blanc/Moll or Moscatel for DO Binissalem Vinos Blancos?
50%
Is there more rainfall or less rainfallin the islands compared to the rest of Spain mainland?
Much less
Which grape variety produce the famed unfortified sweet white Malmsey of historical note?
Malvasia Aromatica
What is the original “Canary wine” known as?
Malmsey
Sweet white unfortified wine produced from Malvasia
Name the primary wine style of the following DOs:
* DO Lanzarote
* DO Tacoronte-Acentejo
* DO Valle de la Orotava
* DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora
- DO Lanzarote - Blanco (80%)
- DO Tacoronte-Acentejo - Tinto (83%)
- DO Valle de la Orotava - Tinto (60% / Blanco 34%)
- DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora - Blanco (78%)
Name one prime white grape variety and three prime red grape varieties
- White: Prensal Blanc/Moll
- Red: Callet, Cabernet Sauvginon, Merlot
What is the climate of Las Islas Baleares?
Mediterranean
What are the prime soil types of DO Pla i Llevant?
- Limestone
- Call Vermell (Red clay topsoil)
What is the prime white and red varieties of DO Valle de la Orotova?
- White: Listan Blanco de Canarias
- Red: Listan Negro/Almuneco
What are the two most planted red varieties in DO Binissalem?
- Manto Negro (37%)
- Cabernet Sauvginon (26%)
What did two events devasted the wine industry in the Canary Islands?
- Powdery mildew - 1852
- Downy mildew - 1878
Which two indigenous grapes can produce high quality age worthy Vinos Tintos and enjoyning considerable success?
- Manto Negro
- Callet
Describe the vineyard landescape of DO Lanzarote
- Covers the entire island of Lanzarote
- Lapilli soils vital to successful viticulture as rainfall is scarce and the ash is water retentive
- Vineyards planted on “Hoyos (holes)” with. a surrounding “Abrigo” to serve as a windbreak
- Vine roots work their way through the lapilli to reach more fertile strata of clay or sand which sit atop a bed of limestone
Which grape variety occupies more than 75% of the vineyard land in DO Lanzarote?
Malvasia Volcanica
What is the training method of the Canary Islands?
En Vaso
What two red grape varieties are favorred in Menorca?
- Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon
What is the largest and oldest DO in Las Islas Canarias?
Do Tacoronte-Acentejo
Account for 40% of cultivated land in Tenerife and represent 20% of the total area under vine for all the islands as a whole
True or False
The majority of vineyards on most of the islands are some of the highest in the world and are planted on hillside terraces.
True
Where was nearly two-thirds of the Canary wine exported to by the end of 17th century?
London
True or False
Phylloxera neve arrived in the Canary Islands
True
Due to Powdery and Downy Mildews early in the 19th century there were no vines to feed Phylloxera
What is the climate of Canary Islands?
Sub tropical
Where is DO Binissalem located?
On the Island of Mallorca
near the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana Mountains
Serra de Tramuntana Mountains on the northwestern coast of Mallorca is an extension of sistema Betico
True
What soil type cominate the Canary Islands?
Volcanic soils
Water retentive / nutrient rich
What is “Hoyo”?
Meaning “hole”
A funnel shaped “hoyo” is dug approximately 3 m in diameterand 2.5 m deep. The vine is planted at the bottom in order for the roots to find fertile soil. The large ash funnerl also serves to collect precious rainwater as welll as to protect the vines from wind
In many vineyards, a semi circular wall of volcanic rock (called n “abrigo”) is built on the windward side to further protect the vinews from the aggressive trade winds
Describe Cordon Trenzado
Only in DOs Valle de la Orotava and Tacoronte-Acentejo
For culivating multiple crops (usually potatoes) with minimal space.
The vines are literally braided as they grow, allowing the horizontal cordons to be turned to the side to accomodate alternative crops.
What is the prime grape variety of DO Lanzarote?
Malvasia Volcanica (Malvasia de Lanzarote)
True or False
Some vineyards in DO Tacoronte-Acentejo are over 200 years old
True
What does temper the climate of DO Pla i Llevant?
Embat sea breezes which bring moisture during the warmer months and gifts the wines with a hint of saline
What is “Call Vermell”?
A unique topsoil, a reddish clay often mixed with limestone gravels or stones and is free-draining.
DO Pla i Lelvant in central and eastern Mallorca is its home.
What does “Pla i Llevant” mean in Catalan?
Plain and East Coast
What the two capitals of the Canary Islands?
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Which white grape variety enjoys extended lees aging as well
As barrel aging in the Islands today?
Prenatal Blanc
Which white variety has particularly adapted well to the Canary Islands?
Listan Blanco (Palomino Fino)
What is the prime wine style of DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora?
Vinos Blancos
80% of vineyards are planted with Listan Blanco and Listan Negro