Fundamentals: Winemaking, Wine Law Flashcards
Who is Arnald de Villonova (Arnaud de Villeneuve)?
This physician/alchemist resided in Montpellier in 1285 when he discovered the art of “mutage.”
This discovery launched a huge trade in vins doux naturels some 400 years before this winemaking technique was employed in the Douro Valley of Portugal to make port.
What is mutage?
This is the process of adding spirit to must to obtain a stable sweet wine.
It was first employed to make vins doux naturels in France. It was later used to make port.
How did Spain benefit from phylloxera?
French winemakers emigrated & settled in areas throughout northern Spain (Rioja, Navarra, Ribera del Duero, Cataluna) and brought with them their grape varieties and new winemaking machinery & methods (including 225L oak barrels).
What are tinajas?
These are clay jars that were historically used for the fermentation of grape must.
They were also used for wine storage.
There is a resurgence with these clay jars among natural winemakers who believe the vessel helps wines express their true character.
What are the various storage vessels for wine in Spain?
- tinajas
- wooden barrels
- pigskin bags lined with resin
- stainless steel tanks
What type of barrels are commonly used for aging wines in Spain?
- American oak: most popular from 1970s to the 1990s; was favored for imparting strong flavors into the wine (vanilla) and for being cheaper; works especially well with Tempranillo
- French oak: now in favor
- Hungarian oak: now in favor
What is vino tinto?
Red wine
Name the aging designations commonly used in Spain, as well as the traditional aging terms rarely in use.
Common aging terms:
* Crianza
* Reserva
* Gran Reserva
Traditional aging terms:
* Noble
* Anejo
* Viejo
What are the aging requirements for wines that undergo the traditional aging designations: Noble, Anejo & Viejo.
- Noble: min. 18 months in wooden cask
- Anejo (Mature): min. 24 months in wooden cask
- Viejo (Old): min. 36 months in wooden cask
What are the aging requirements for vino tinto under each specific designation?
Time in Barrel:
* Joven: None
* Crianza: 6 months
* Reserva: 12 months
* Gran Reserva: 18 months
Time Before Release:
* Joven: 1st year following harvest
* Crianza: 24 months
* Reserva: 36 months
* Gran Reserva: 60 months
What are the aging requirements for vino blanco under each specific designation?
Time in Barrel:
* Joven: None
* Crianza: 6 months
* Reserva: 6 months
* Gran Reserva: 6 months
Time Before Release:
* Joven: 1st year following harvest
* Crianza: 18 months
* Reserva: 24 months
* Gran Reserva: 48 months
Errata 2022
Tradionally, how did Spain’s warmer climates balance red wines with very high alcohol content?
The solution was to add white grapes to balance acidity.
Today, temperature-controlled tanks & modern equipment alleviate the need to blend white grapes w/ red.
What is vino blanco?
White wine
Why was Verdejo used to craft rancio-styled wines?
This variety is prone to oxidation.
But advancements in wine production methods allows winemakers to make fresh, fruit-forward wines with this grape.
What is vino rosado?
Rose wine
What rose wine producing methods are used in Spain?
- direct press: This process is popular in northern & northwestern Spain.
- saignee
How does direct press work?
In this process of making rosado wines, grapes are stacked on top of each other & gravity expresses the juice.
The resulting wines are both fresh & fragrant.
How does saignee work?
In this rose producing method (“bleeding” the tank), red grapes are crushed & placed in stainless steel tanks; the skins & juices macerate until the desired color has been achieved (usually 2-24 hours dependnig on the grape).
Name the primary grape varieties used in the production of vino rosado.
Primary:
* Garnacha/Garnatxa
* Tempranillo
Others being used:
* Bobal
* Mencia
* Monastrell
* Prieto Picudo
* Trepat
What is vino espumoso?
Sparkling wine
What method is used to produce cava wines?
metodo tradicional
Name the grapes used to produce cava.
Cava blanco:
* Macabeo
* Xarel-lo
* Parellada
Cava rosado:
* Garnacha Tinta
* Trepat
How are vino espumoso produced outside the official DO Cava boundaries labeled?
Vinos Espumosos de Calidad (Quality Sparkling Wines)
Describe the metodo tradicional process.
Still wines are blended into a cuvee which is bottled with the licor de tiraje (a mixture of yeast & sugar) to initiate a second fermentation. After fermentation is complete, the bottles are ages for a minimum of 9 months by law, although in practice, many spend even more time on the lees.
Subsequently the bottles are shaken, turned, and slowly shifted into a vertical position in order to collect the dead yeast cells into the neck of the bottle in a process called remuage/riddling.
Many small wineries in Spain still perform this task by hand due to cost considerations or tradition, but mechanization has become mainstream for larger-sized producers.
What is the Spanish girasol?
This was the first functional gyropalette created and used in Spain in the 1970s.
This machine consisted of a palete holding 504 bottles that sat within a hexagonal frame. Workers manually worked levers to shake & shift the machine in order to riddle the bottles within.
The French gyropalette was developed later and was fully computer-automated.
