What are the min Cava aging requirements?
Cava- 9 months aging in bottle on lees
Reserva- 15 months on lees in bottle
Gran Reserva- 30 months aging in bottle on lees
Name the 3 main DO’s of the Duero Valley (aka Castilla-Leon)
- Toro DO- mostly reds (Tempranillo)
- Rueda DO- mostle whites for Verdejo and Sauv Blanc
- Cigales- mostly red and rose (tempranillo)
Ribera del Duero DO (also part of Castilla-Leon 2 of 3 DO’s) rivals Rioja for big reds
- hot region but frost risk
- wines are Tempranillo mixed with Bordeaux grapes
- ** most famous producer is Vega-Sicilia “Unico”- aged over 10 years
jj
Catalonia is the largest production region for DO level wine
y
Priorat DOCa- one of 2 DOCa
- Rugged mountain region
-licorice- big , age worthy reds
Mainly Garnacha, Cariena, Cab, Merlot, Syrah
Rioja DOCa 1 of only 2 DOCa
Tempranillo and Garnacha
white grape mainly Viola or Macabeo
What is the most widely planted white and red grape in Spain?
tempranillo and airen
Sherry- fortification happened after fermentation
Palomino is the main grape
main styles fino (dry and with flor yeast) and oloroso( no flor yeast, and higher alcohol- uses oxidation
y
Port- fortification happens in the middle of fermentation creating a sweeter wine.
Comes from Portugal
y
Madeira- comes of coast of Portugal- can be both dry and sweet- uses “estufa method) or heating /oxidation of wine
y
What is the Solera System?
A system of blending different years of sherry
What is the sherry triangle?
North of Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María mark the three corners of the famous ‘sherry triangle’
