General

Question 1

Rest of Spain Aging Requirements

Answer 1

• Crianza
  
  • ​red: 2 yrs, 6 mo cask
  • white/rosé: 18 mo, 6 mo cask
• Reserva
  
  • ​red: 3 yrs, 1 yr in cask
  • white/rosé: 2 yrs, 6 mo cask
• Gran Reserva
  
  • red: 5 yrs, 18 mo cask
  • white/rosé: 4 yrs, 6 mo cask

Question 2

If a wine is labeled Noble, what does that mean?

Answer 2

• vino joven, young wine (no aging requirement)
• Noble: 18 mo, in a cask of less than 600 L or bottle
• Añejo: 24 mo, in a cask of less than 600 L or bottle
• Viejo: 36 mo, demonstrates marked oxidative character

Question 3

When was Spain under rule of dictator Francisco Franco?

Answer 3

• From late 1930s - following a bloody civil war, fascism took hold
• Spain remained the only fascist country in Western Europe after World War II - dark period for wine
• Until dicator’s death in 1975

Question 4

Who brought stainless steel and temperature-controlled fermentations to Catalonia in the 1960s?

Answer 4

Miguel Torres

Question 5

In what year were the Denominación de Origen regulations approved?

Answer 5

1970

Question 6

What is the lowest quality of wine?

Answer 6

Vino de la Tierra (VdIT)

• Falls within the EU’s Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) scheme

Question 7

What does a DO Pago (Vinos de Pago) estate represent?

Answer 7

DO Pago

• Theoretically superior appellation to the basic DO
• An estate within an existing DO must surpass the basic DO requirements in DO Pago legislation, typically through lowered yields and other measures suggestive of quality wine-making
• In order to apply for DO Pago status, an estate should show international critical praise and a decade’s worth of quality production, although some young Pagos have sped through some official channels with astonishing speed.
• Interest in Pagos is notably absent in Spain’s top quality appellations, such as Rioja and Ribera del Duero, where producers have nothing to gain from distancing themselves from a well-known brand

Question 8

What was the first region of Spain to be christened as Denominación de Origen Calificada?

Answer 8

Rioja DOCa, in 1991

• Viable wine-producing area for over 2000 years

Question 9

When was the Consejos Reguladores established?

Answer 9

1930s

• For major regions of Rioja, Jerez and Malaga

Question 10

Who produces Unico?

Answer 10

Vega Sicilia

Question 12

Where is the town of Haro?

Answer 12

Rioja Alta

Question 13

What is the latin name for American Oak?

Answer 13

Quercus Alba