1. Fundamentals Flashcards by VInce Truong

The Christian victory over the Moors in the town of _____ marked the beginning of the ______, a series of campaigns whereby Christian states began to recapture territory from the Moors .

Covadonga, Reconquista

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Who were the “Catholic Monarchs”?

Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile

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Before the Marques de Murrieta popularized aging in small oak barrels, this young priest pioneered the method in Rioja after studying in Bordeaux.

Don Manuel Quintano

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What region in Green Spain was ravaged by powdery mildew in the 1850s and why was it vulnerable to this fungal disease?

Galicia due to its humid maritime climate

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Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves founded this iconic Ribera del Duero bodega in 1864

Vega Sicilia

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What was the solution to the phylloxera crisis that arrived in Spain in the late 19th century?

Grafting rootstock from American vines (V. labrusca) onto European V. vinifera

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Approximately 45% of Spain is covered by this topographical feature

The Meseta, a high elevation plateau

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Name the dominant mountain range in Green Spain

Cordillera Cantabrica

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This mountain range separates Pais Vasco, Navarra, Aragon and Catalunya from France

Pyranees or Pirineos

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The Ebro Valley is separated from the Meseta by this mountain range

Sistema Iberico

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The Meseta is split into two parts by this topographical feature.

Sistema Central, a mountain range which runs along the southern border of Castilla y Leon and the northern border of Extremadura

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The two primary mountain ranges found within the Sistema Central mountain range are…

The Sierra de Guadarrama and the Sierra de Gredos

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In the Meseta, this mountain range separates the Tajo and Guadiana rivers in Extremadura and forms the northern border of La Mancha within Castilla-La Mancha

Montes de Toledo

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This mountain range separates Andalucia from the plains of Extremadura and the Meseta

Sierra Morena

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Which mountain range in southeast Spain dips below the sea and resurfaces in the Islas Baleares?

Sistema Betico

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The highest peak in Spain is found on the Islas Canarias and is called…

Pico del Teide/ Mount Teide

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The two major lowland areas are the _____ and the _______

the Ebro Basin and the Andalusian Plain

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1/5th of Spain’s landmass is covered by the _______

Ebro Basis

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Name the five primary rivers in Spain

Tajo/Tagus
Ebro
Duero
Guadiana
Guadalquivir

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The longest river in the Iberian Peninsula but not in Spain is ________

The Tajo

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The longest river within the borders of Spain is _______

the Ebro

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Many of Spain and Portugal’s greatest wines originate along this river.

Duero

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Which two rivers empty into the Gulf of Cadiz?

Guadiana and Guadalquivir

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Llicorella, a soil found predominantly in _______ is a type of _________ soil

Priorat, metamorphic

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Volcanic soils and active volcanos are found in __________

The Islas Canarias

Granite is an igneous rock formed under the earth's crust. Name the DO dominated by this type of soil.

Rias Baixas

The climate with the lowest variance of diurnals and seasonal temperatures is ________ and it is found in ______ _______

Maritime, Green Spain

The climate with the widest diurnal and season temperature variations is _______

Continental

You are most likely to find a continental climate in the ______ part of Spain.

Central

The Mediterranean climatic zone is found in which part of Spain?

East and Southeast coast, from the Andalusian Plain up to the Pireneos

Name the hot, dry, dust laden southwest wind coming from North Africa

Leveche

The Levante is a hot, easterly wind across the ________ Plain. It is also known as the _______

Andalusian, Solano

The humid, westerly wind that helps in the production of Sherry is known as the ______

Poniente

True or False? The Balearic Islands have a subtropical climate.

False. It has a Mediterranean climate. The Canary Islands have a subtropical climate

As per this version of the SWS manual, the most planted grape in Spain is _____

Airen

This grape is thought to be indigenous to the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula

Albarino

Forastera Blanca is a grape also known as _______

Doradilla

Dona Blanca is a grape also known as ______

Siria

This grape found in Pais Vasco is most likely not a grape at all

Hondarribi Zuri. Most likely it refers to one of three white varietals

Palamino Fino is a synonym for ______

Listan Blanco

Lairen is a synonym for ______

Malvar

Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains is also known as ______

Moscatel del Grano Menudo

Xarel.lo is also known as _______

Pansa Blanca

Cayetana Blanca is a synonym for ______

Pardina

In Catalunya this grape is known as ________ but in Rioja it is called Viura

Macabeo

Name the grape believed to be native to Penedes, Catalunya

Xarel.lo

In Rioja this grape is called Mazuelo but in Priorat it is known as Samso

Carinena

This variant of Garnacha Tinta is known for its downy, furry underside

Garnacha Peluda or Hairy Grenache

A tinturier is a grape with red flesh producing deeply pigmented wines. In Spain, an example would be Alicante Henri Bouschet, aka _________

Garnacha Tintorera

T or F? Hondarribi Beltza is a mutation of Hondarribi Zuri.

False. They are unrelated

Why is the parral/pergola vine training method popular in northwest Spain?

This elevated wire trellising system allows for air circulation, reducing disease pressure from the wet, humid weather.

The dominant vine training system in Continental Spain and the Islands is _______

En Vaso or Gobelet, a head-pruned vine trunk shaped like a bush

In the warmest parts of Spain, the _____ ______ planting method is used and the vines are often trained ___ ________, where the head of the vine is trained downward so that the leaves protect the fruit from sunburn.

Marco Real, En Cabeza

Vertical Shoot Positioning is a spur pruned wire trellising system typically with one or two permanent arms or cordons. It is also known as ______

Espaldera

A crossing of two old Basque country grapes produced this Bordeaux varietal

Cabernet Franc, the genetic crossing of Morenoa and Hondarribi Beltza. Cab Franc crossed with Sauvignon Blanc to produce Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Franc crossed with this Spanish grape to produce Carmenere

Gros Cabernet

T or F? Tinajas is the traditional name for wooden barrels

False. They are earthenware clay jars historically used for wine storage

The three traditional wine aging terms are ...

Noble, Anejo (Mature) and Viejo (Old)

Explain the difference between direct press and saignee/sagrado winemaking when it comes to making rose/rosado wines

Direct press starts with the intent of making a rose. Saignee starts with the intent of making a red wine. Direct press typically allows the grapes to macerate for only a few hours as gravity presses the grapes. It is popular in Provence. It produces paler, fresh wines. Saignee/Sangrado is a "bleeding of the tank" because you drain juice that has been sitting on the skins for a longer period of time, achieving a grape of darker pigmentation. The pigmented juice is drained or bled from tank, leaving a darker colored must used for making red wines.

What is a licor de tiraje and how is it used in metodo tradicional (traditional method) sparkling wine?

This is the liqueur de tirage in France, a mixture of yeast and sugar added to a base wine to initiate a second fermentation in a bottle.

The first mechanized riddling machine to be used (in the 1970s) in sparkling wine production.

Girasol, this manually worked hexagonal palette expedited the riddling of the lees, gradually rotating the bottles and turning them into a vertical position so that the dead lees could be disgorged. The French gyropalette was a fully computer-automated Champenoise development that came later

Sherry is fortified using ________, a distilled wine usually made from Airen

Destilado

Which DO is exclusively dedicated to making vino dulce?

DO Malaga, using Moscatel

An overripe Monastrell based vino dulce from Alicante aged for a minimum of 10 years in solera

Fondillon

In 1902, a Royal Decree defined the origin of wines from _______

Rioja

T or F? In 1932, a Consejo Regulador was created in Rioja

False, 1926. 1932 was the year the Wine Statute was established, creating the DO system

Which superior quality level was established by Royal Decree in 1988?

Denominaciones de Origen Calificada (DOCa)

Which DO became a DOCa in 2009?

Priorat

As of the publication of the 2019 second edition of SWS, there were how many DO's in Spain?

What category created in 2003 bridged the gap between Vino de la Tierra and Denominacion de Origen?

Vino de Calidad con Indicacion Geografica or VC

Which classification allows a winery to establish its own rules for authorized grapes, viticulture, vinification and aging?

Vino de Pago. As of 2019 there were 19 VPs.

From the perspective of the bodegas, what was the rational for creating a Vino de Pago classification in 2003?

These single estate wines allowed highly esteemed estates with a unique terroir to differentiate their wines from bulk wines, especially in Castilla La Mancha.

Why would a quality producer create a Vino de la Tierra "country wine"?

It allows for greater flexibility and creativity in the production of a wine that falls outside a particular DO's rules.

What type of wine must list its sugar content on the label?

Sparkling