SPAIN-

1. Moderate Maritime - north and northwest coasts enjoy Atlantic influence and high
rainfall likely throughout the growing season.
2. Warm Mediterranean - eastern Spain along the Mediterranean coast going south
experiences sea influence and altitude variation. Moderated by sea and altitude.
3. Hot Continental - the center of Spain (Meseta Central) does not have any ocean or sea
influence; rainfall is low and summertime heat is high. Winter temperatures can fall
bellow freezing summer can be very hot

Climate challenges: Hot weather and drought

 Effects:
o Water stress:
 Can use Low density planting: to manage to lack of water availability,
grape growers can use low density planting. When vines are widely
spaced within a given area, there will be less competition between the
vines for scarce water.
 Low density planting: To manage to lack of water availability, grape
growers can use low density planting. When vines are widely spaced
within a given area, there will be less competition between the vines for
scarce water.
o Slower ripening
o Grapes can shrivel before reaching full and phenolic maturity
o Lack of rainfall: Fungal disease pressure is low.

Wine quality
From highest to lowest:
 PDO level
o Vinos de Pago
o DOCa/DOQ
o DO
 PGI level
o Vino de la Tierra

Vinos de Pagos: is a category reserved for prestigious single estates whose work exceeds basic
DO requirements. These estates can only use their own grapes which must be grown, vinified
and aged on their estate. Estates which have earned the Vinos de Pago classification lie within
established DOs – notably, though, they do not exist within Rioja or Ribera del Duero – and they
aren’t necessarily superior to DOCa. majority of Vinos de Pago are located in La Mancha DO
Training system
 Traditional: Bush trained - low density planting, usually dry farmed;
 Newer: Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) - higher density planting, irrigation possible.
With VSP winemakers can produce greater yields and use machine harvesting.

Type of oak : American oak

 There are several wineries experimenting with French oak today.
 The size of the barrel has an important role: usually small new oak barrels are used for
shorter aging, where large neutral barrels are used for long, slow maturation.

Grape:
Red: Tempranillo
White: Airén most planted. low-quality white grape used for bulk wine and is mostly grown in La
Mancha DO. Used for the production of Brandy de Jerez
International grapes: These varieties were mostly planted in the 1980s and 1990s to suit the
international market.
 Cabernet Sauvignon
 Merlot
 Sauvignon Blanc
 Chardonnay
white grape - high quality, dry wines
 Viura in Rioja DOCa
 Verdejo in Rueda DO
 Albariño in Rías Baixas DO

6 geographical regions
1. North West (Rías Baixas, Bierzo)
2. Duero Valley (Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rueda)
3. Upper Ebro (Rioja, Navarra, Cariñena, Calatayud)
4. Catalunya (Penedès, Priorat)
5. The Levante (Valencia, Jumilla, Yecla)
6. Castilla-La Mancha (La Mancha, Valdepeñas)

Galicia is in the northwest corner of Spain, just north of Portugal, on the Atlantic Ocean.
Rías Baixas is the most important DO of Galicia: It is best known for producing still, dry,
unoaked white wines based on Albariño.
Albariño is resistant to fungal disease, thanks to its thick skin.
 Albariño is trained using the pergola system in Rías Baixas.
 Having the grapes situated high off the ground allows for breezes to lower humidity
and the threat of rot and mildew.
 Some VSP-wired trellised vineyards are also seen, which are easier to maintain.
 Albariño, known as Alvarinho in Portugal is planted in Portugal.
  Albariño is usually aged in stainless steel because oxidative aging environments, like
oak, reduce aromatic characters. However, examples of Albariño aged in oak do exist.

DOCa
Rioja DOCa
Priorat DOCa

Rioja DOCa.
 Rioja Alta
 Rioja Alavesa
 Rioja Oriental: Renamed in 2018, previously called Rioja Baja

Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa Climate influencers:

 Elevation and Atlantic Ocean breezes
 Cantabrian Mountains protect Rioja from the worst weather
coming off the Atlantic.
Rioja Oriental – it has hotter summers, colder winters, and it’s also
east of Logroño (Rioja’s most important city).
 Annual rainfall is low, increasing drought pressure;
 Garnacha grows best here and is the main grape, not
Tempranillo.

Rioja vineyards elevation 500-800 meters asl

Early consumption: semi-carbonic maceration
Age: oak, traditionally American

White grape of Rioja DOCa

9. Viura is the main white grape of Rioja DOCa. It is also call Macabeo, found in Catalunya.
Traditional whites are Gold in color, matured in oak, nutty (deliberately oxidized).

Tempranillo is the main grape of Rioja DOCa. Is blend with:

 Garnacha: adds body + alcohol
 Graciano: adds black fruits, tannin + acidity
 Cariñena (aka Mazuelo): adds tannin + acidity
International grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot being blended with Tempranillo are on
the rise.

Tempranillo
 Joven*: made for early consumption (1-2 years of age) displaying punchy fruit; no oak
treatments, no aging requirements, and occasional semi-carbonic maceration is used
to soften tannin and texture. *In Rioja, instead of Joven the term Genérico is used
 Crianza: lightly oaked and fresh with primary fruit flavors, sessional.
  Reserva and Gran Reserva: highly complex wines due to a long maturation process and
controlled oxidation.

With the exception of Rioja and Ribera del Duero

 Crianza: Wines must age a minimum of 24 months, with at least 6 months in cask
 Reserva: Wines must age a minimum of 36 months, with at least 12 months in cask
 Gran Reserva: Wines must age a minimum of 60 months, with at least 18 months in
cask

White and rosado

 Crianza must be aged for a minimum of 18 months, including at least 6 months in oak
(the remainder may be in bottle, oak or stainless steel).
 Reserva must be aged for a minimum of 24 months, including at least 6 months in oak
(the remainder must be in bottle or oak).
 Gran Reserva must be aged for a minimum of 48 months, including at least 6 months in
oak (the remainder must be in bottle or oak).

Ribera del Duero: is north of Madrid and south of Rioja; it is located on the northern edge for
the Meseta plateau. No maritime influence due to a ring of surrounding mountains; Vines are
planted at fairly high altitudes, which can reach up to 850 meters high (wide diurnal shift).
 Red, white, and rosé are allowed. The majority of production is still red wines made
from Tempranillo. The former law only allowed red and rosé wines, no white wines.

Castilla y León.
 Ribera del Duero DO
 Toro DO
 Rueda DO

Toro DO
 best known for its rich, concentrated, full-throttle reds
based on Tempranillo, quite similar to the wines of
neighboring Ribera del Duero DO.
 Toro Reserva and Gran Reserva reds are deeply colored, tannic, and age worthy.
 Toro DO also makes a little rosé and white wines.
 Garnacha is blend into toro

DO
 Verdejo main grape. It is typical blend with Sauvignon Blanc
When the two are blended, Verdejo must comprise at least 50% of the blend.
Navarra DO:
Navarra is adjacent to and northeast of Rioja DOCa, between Rioja and the Pyrenées. It is
generally cooler than Rioja (because it is about 300ft/90m higher in altitude) and wetter.
 red wines are based on tempranillo
 Rosés: Garnacha
 Whites: Viura, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc

Garnacha from spain: Bright red fruits, high alcohol, moderate acidity DOs best known for
Garnacha are Priorat DOCa (red wine), Navarra DO (rosé)

Cariñena DO and Calatayud DO both have a warm continental climate.

The principal grape in these regions is Garnacha.

Carignan in Spain. Red grape from spain

 Mazuelo (used in Rioja DOCa)
 Cariñena (used in Cariñena DO)
 Best appellation for it:
o Priorat DOCa: bottled as monovarietal or blended with Garnacha;
o Rioja DOCa: blended with Tempranillo

Catalunya: Northeast corner of Spain

 Penedès DO
 Priorat DOCa (DOQ in Catalan)
 Whites Grapes:
o Parellada: española de maduración tardía. blanca
o Xarel-lo: española, blanca
o Macabeo: también muy conocida como viura, blanca. Región de La Rioja,
Aragón, Cataluña, región francesa Languedoc-Rosellón.
 Mainly used in the production of Cava, these grapes are sometimes bottled as still wines
under Penedès DO.

Priorat’s unique soil is call Llicorella: made small particles of mica and quartzite that reflect
and conserve the heat. Llicorella is a low-fertile soil but it has good water retention.
Most vineyards planted in this soil are also on steep slopes which must be hand harvested.
 Priorat DOCa is in Catalunya, roughly 2 hours south of Barcelona.
 Carignan and Garnacha are the traditional, recommended red grape varieties of
Priorat. Some international grapes, such as Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet
Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are allowed to be included in the blend.
 Garnacha and Cariñena grapes do so well in Priorat Because it has long, hot, dry
summers and both grapes are late ripeners that love/need lots of sunshine.
Red Priorat: Deeply colored, rich, textural, highly complex wines that are full bodied with high
alcohol, high tannins, concentrated black fruits that are age-worthy. Most have French oak
influence. These wines often need time in the cellar and need to be decanted upon opening, no
matter what their age.

Priorat is hilly and most vineyards are planted on steep slopes. Between the bush vines and
steep slopes, Priorat for the most part is hand harvested. It is Bush training

Penedès DO is a large, regional appellation of Catalunya south of Barcelona, stretching from the
Mediterranean sea coast up into the inland hills.
climatic zones of Penedès DO
 Coastal plain: hottest, lowest in altitude, Mediterranean climate;
 Slightly inland: has mountain and sea influence, a little cooler than the coast;
 In the hills: highest altitude, up to 800m asl, moderate climates (this is where most Cava
is produced).

Monastrell: Mourvedre. well suited to a warm or Mediterranean climate because it has thick
skins and needs a hot, sunny climate to ripen. It is also well adapted to drought conditions.
Monastrell grows best in Jumilla DO and Yecla DO. Both DOs have hot, arid climates.

Valencia is best known for two kinds of wine:

 cheap-and-cheerful, everyday wines made from Monastrell and international varieties;
 Moscatel de Valencia, a sweet fortified wine made from Muscat of Alexandria.

Valencia DO: local white grape Merseguera, a dry aromatic white grape.

La Mancha DO is the largest DO in the Spain and its most planted grape is Airén. Tempranillo in
La Mancha DO is call Cencibel.
Success grapes: International grape varieties, including:
 Cabernet Sauvignon
 Merlot
 Syrah
 Chardonnay
 Sauvignon Blanc

Valdepeñas DO located South of La Mancha DO is known for making better quality wine. This
region focuses on quality rather than quantity.

Bierzo DO is situated btw Galicia and the Meseta Central. Its primary grape in Mencía which
makes medium-bodied, high acid, red-fruited wines that are supple in texture that can be
unoaked or oaked.
Levante region: On the Mediterranean coast, south of Catalunya

Castilla y Léon is the región for the production of Vino de la Tierra