Spain

Question 1

Who founded Vega Secilia and when?

Answer 1

Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves
Brought cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and planted next to tempranillo.

Question 2

What is the blend of Unico?

Answer 2

Tinto del Pais (tempranillo), Cab Sauv, Merlot
from low-yielding, 60- to 65-year-old vines
Often aged over 10 yrs
American and French Oak
2013 current vintage
Retails about $400/bottle

Question 3

What is Valbuena 5°?

Answer 3

Primarily Tempranillo, with some Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
A younger wine released in every vintage, with grapes from 25- to 35-year-old vines.
Fermented in stainless steel and aged for three years in oak followed by two in bottle.

Question 4

Where is Tinto Pesquera?

Answer 4

Ribera del Duero

Question 5

What is Tinto Pesquera Millenium Gran Reserva?

Answer 5

100% Tempranillo
Aged 30 months in French oak barrels, then 10 months in bottle. Inaugural vintage 2008.

Question 6

What is Pesquera Janus Gran Reserva?

Answer 6

100% Tempranillo from some of the highest vineyard parcels in the region. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats, followed by three years of aging in a combination of American and French oak barrels, then three years maturing in bottle. Inaugural vintage 1975. (No longer produced.)

Question 7

What is the blend of Pingus?

Answer 7

100% Tempranillo.
Aged in a mix of old and new barrique for 18 months. Inaugural vintage 1995.
2006 = $3620

Question 8

What makes Pingus Special?

Answer 8

100% tempranillo
2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) in Barrosso with vines older than 65 years
1.5 hectares in San Cristobal with vines older than 70 years
yields of 12 hl/ha
less than 500 cases made each year
not made in poor vintages
biodynamic

Question 9

What is the blend of Flor di Pingus?

Answer 9

2nd wine of Pingus
100% Tempranillo.
Aged in a mix of old and new barrique for about 14 months. Inaugural vintage 1996.

Question 10

What is special about Amelia? Who makes it?

Answer 10

Dominio de Pingus makes it.
100% Tempranillo from over 100-year-old vines.
Single barrel cuvée aged 18 months in one Darnajou barrique.
Inaugural vintage 2003.

Question 11

Where is AALTO Bodegas y Viñedos?

Answer 11

Ribero del Duero

Question 12

What is the blend of AALTO PS? Current release?

Answer 12

100% Tempranillo from select clones. The fruit comes from 60- to 100-year-old vines from a parcel in Burgos. The wine ages for two years before it is clarified and fined with egg whites. Only produced in the best vintages.
2020
Retails about $110
Pagos Seleccionados

Question 13

What is Vega Sicilia’s project in Toro DO?

Answer 13

Bodegas Pintia

Question 14

What is the sister bodega of Vega Secilia in Ribera del Duero?

Answer 14

Alion
-aged for a shorter time in new French oak

Question 15

What is the “PSI” project in RdD?

Answer 15

Pingus project
joint project based on fruit produced by local grape growers from old tempranillo vines. The goal is to help grape producers and save old vines
Grape growers are encouraged to employ biodynamic or organic vineyard management practices.

Question 16

Aging of Ribera del Duero Red

Answer 16

Tinto: 2 years plus one year in oak
Reserva: 3 years plus one year in oak
Gran Reserva: 5 years plus 2 years in oak

Question 17

Lopez de Heredia. Traditional or Modern?

Answer 17

Traditional

Question 18

Top wine of Lopez de Heredia?

Answer 18

Viña Tondonia
older vines - 100 yr old
Fruit character and stucture
only released in the best vintages, only 20 vintages since 1890

Question 19

Lopez de Heredia Viña Bosconia.

Answer 19

Purchased 100 years ago
Typically spend a year less in wood and are made from a higher percentage of Tempranillo.
Bosconias tend to be bigger, softer and earthier than Tondonias.

Question 20

Rioja Alta. Traditional or Modern?

Answer 20

Traditional
Destem, extended maceration, American oak

Question 21

Top wines of Rioja Alta.

Answer 21

Gran Reserva 890: Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo, new and used American oak
Gran Reserva 904: Commemorates 1904 acquisition of the Ardanza Winery. Mostly Tempranillo with some Graciano. Aged in used American oak for four years.
Viña Ardanza: 70-80% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Rioja Oriental, 3 years in used American oak

Question 22

Bodegas Muga: Traditional or Modern?

Answer 22

Mix, uses both American and French

Question 23

Tope wines of Bodegas Muga

Answer 23

Prado Enea: 80% Tempranillo, the rest a blend of Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano. Fermentation in wooden vats of varying sizes. transferred to smaller vats and aged for three years, with an additional three years in bottle.
Torre Muga: 75% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo, 10% Graciano. aged for six months in large wooden vats before aging in new barriques for 18 months, followed by a year in bottle.

Question 24

Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta: Traditional or modern?

Answer 24

Both, uses both American and French oak.

Question 25

What is Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta’s bottling called Dalmau?

Answer 25

Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with Tempranillo. This wine undergoes extraction and is aged in new French barrique.

Question 26

What is Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial?

Answer 26

Bottling of Marqués de Murrieta.
85% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo, from the La Plana vineyard, planted in 1950. The grapes are destemmed and undergo fermentation separately in stainless steel vats. The Tempranillo is aged in American oak and the Mazuelo in French barrique for 28 months before being blended, bottled, and aged for about three years before release.

Question 27

What is Capellanía Reserva?

Answer 27

100% Viura from Capellanía Vineyard, planted in 1945. Prior to fermentation, the juice undergoes brief skin contact. The wine is aged in new French barrique for about a year and a half, with an additional year in bottle.

Question 28

CVNE: Traditional or Modern

Answer 28

Traditional although employing some modern techniques like using cement and employing gravity techniques in the cellar.

Question 29

Viña Real Gran Reserva

Answer 29

CVNE
95% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano, from the best plots in the Rioja Alavesa subregion.
Grapes are hand-harvested and fermented in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation occurs in a combination of French and American oak. The wine ages in cask for 24 months, then spends an additional three years in bottle.

Question 30

Contino Gran Reserva

Answer 30

CVNE
85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo and Garnacha, from estate vineyards
The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed after sorting, and undergo maceration for almost three weeks. The wine is aged in barrel for two years and bottle for three years.

Question 31

Imperial Gran Reserva

Answer 31

85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo, from low-yielding vines about 20 years old. The grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed, then undergo a long maceration to extract color and tannin. The wine is aged in American oak barrels for three years and in bottle for four years.

Question 32

Monopole

Answer 32

CVNE
100% Viura. The grapes are pressed gently, then fermented in stainless steel at controlled temperatures. This is the oldest white wine brand in Spain. Inaugural vintage 1915.

Question 33

Bodegas Marqués de Riscal: Modern or Traditional

Answer 33

Modern - one of the most modern in Rioja.
He was the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in Rioja and employed Bordeaux techniques in his winemaking, aging his wines in French barrique for extended periods of time.

Question 34

Barón de Chirel

Answer 34

Primarily Tempranillo with Cabernet Sauvignon, from 80- to 110-year-old vines. Aged in French barrique for about 20 months. Only produced in exceptional vintages. Inaugural vintage 1986.

Question 35

Name the 5 OG Clos of Priorat

Answer 35

Clos Banfi
Clos Erasmus
Clos Martinet
Clos Magador
Clos l’Obac

Question 36

Name 3 Cava producers.

Answer 36

Condoniu
2008 Equipo Navazos ‘Colet Navazos’ Reserva Extra Brut Cava, Penedes, Spain