Catalonia (Catalunya)

Question 1

What is the Catalan name for the autonomía of Catalonia?

Answer 1

Catalunya

Question 2

Which neighboring French region shares a common culture and lineage with Catalonia?

Answer 2

Roussillon

Question 3

When did Catalonia and Roussillon split politically, and why?

Answer 3

The regions split in the 17th century when the king of Spain ceded Roussillon to France

Question 4

What historical and cultural symbol do Catalonia and Roussillon share?

Answer 4

They share a flag with red and yellow stripes, symbolizing their intertwined history

Question 5

How have Catalan wines evolved in terms of style preferences?

Answer 5

While there was once a shared interest in heavier, fortified, and sweet red wines, Catalonia has moved towards more modern styles

Question 6

What modern innovations in Spanish winemaking are credited to Catalonia?

Answer 6

Traditional method sparkling winemaking debuted in Catalonia, stainless steel fermentation was introduced by Miguel Torres in the 1960s, and René Barbier planted grapes for a bold new Spanish red wine in Catalonia in 1979

Question 7

What does Catalonia exemplify in the context of Spanish winemaking?

Answer 7

Catalonia exemplifies the modern face of Spanish winemaking and technological innovation

Question 8

How does Catalonia balance modernization with tradition in winemaking?

Answer 8

Amidst modernization, Catalonia maintains a backbone of tradition with older styles of wines produced in the same fashion for generations

Question 9

What is the DOCa (DOQ in Catalan) region in the southwest of Catalonia known for some of Spain’s richest red wines?

Answer 9

Priorat

Question 10

What is the historical origin of the name “Priorat”?

Answer 10

It is named after Priorato de Scala Dei, a Carthusian monastery founded on the site of a boy’s vision of angels ascending to heaven

Question 11

What are the traditional grape varieties of Priorat?

Answer 11

Garnacha and Cariñena

Question 12

What type of soil characterizes the best vineyards in Priorat, and what is it composed of?

Answer 12

Llicorella, composed of black slate and quartzite

Question 13

Who started the project in Priorat in 1979 that led to the region’s rise in prominence?

Answer 13

Rene Barbier

Question 14

In what year did Barbier and his colleagues produce their first cooperative red wine in Priorat, and how was it bottled?

Answer 14

In 1989, bottled under five different labels

Question 15

What are the names of the five original “Clos” wines of Priorat?

Answer 15

Clos Mogador, Clos Dofi, Clos Erasmus, Clos de l’Obac, and Clos Martinet

Question 16

What is the key factor to manage in winemaking in Priorat due to its warm Mediterranean climate?

Answer 16

Managing alcohol levels, as grapes can ripen unchecked to a potential alcohol of 18%

Question 17

What category was established in 2009 in Priorat for estate-grown wines from specific villages?

Answer 17

Village category (Vino de Pueblo or Vi de Vila in Catalan)

Question 18

Which villages in Priorat are included in the Vino de Pueblo category?

Answer 18

12 villages, including Gratallops

Question 19

What DOQ is almost entirely surrounded by the Montsant DO?

Answer 19

Priorat DOQ

Question 20

What region was Montsant DO a subzone of before becoming its own DO in 2002?

Answer 20

Tarragona

Question 21

Which grape varieties dominate both Priorat DOQ and Montsant DO?

Answer 21

Garnacha and Cariñena

Question 22

What is the historical specialty of Tarragona DO wines?

Answer 22

Fortified rancio or mistela, the Spanish version of vin de liqueur

Question 23

What is the modern primary use of much of the vineyard area in Tarragona DO?

Answer 23

White varieties for Cava production

Question 24

What is the most substantial market for Tarragona’s wines today?

Answer 24

Communion wines for Christian churches

Question 25

What are the neighboring DOs to Tarragona?

Answer 25

Terra Alta DO to the southwest and Conca de Barberà DO to the north

Question 26

What does Costers del Segre DO span?

Answer 26

Several noncontiguous subzones between Tarragona and Somontano: Pallars Jussà, Artesa de Segre, Valls del Riucorb, Segrià, Garrigues, Urgell, and Raimat

Question 27

Which estate was integral to the formation of the Raimat subzone in Costers del Segre DO?

Answer 27

The Raïmat estate

Question 28

Who purchased the land for the Raïmat estate in 1914, and what significant transformation did he achieve?

Answer 28

Manuel Raventós purchased the land and transformed it through canal construction and agricultural restoration, leading to the first commercial vintage over sixty years later

Question 29

What are the three distinct altitude zones of the Penedès DO?

Answer 29

Baix-Penedès, Medio-Penedès, and Alt-Penedès

Question 30

Which grape is perfectly suited to cultivation in the Alt-Penedès, one of Europe's highest altitude winegrowing regions?

Answer 30

Parellada grape

Question 31

Where is 95% of Cava produced?

Answer 31

Penedès

Question 32

Which five authorized white grapes are most commonly found in the vineyards of Penedès?

Answer 32

Parellada, Xarel-lo, Macabéo (Macabeu), Malvasía, and Chardonnay

Question 33

Which grape thrives in the Medio-Penedès?

Answer 33

Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo)

Question 34

What type of grapes are planted in the lower vineyards of the Baix-Penedès, and what type of wines do they produce?

Answer 34

Sturdier Mediterranean red grapes like Garnacha (Garnatxa) and Monastrell, producing high-alcohol red and rosado wines

Question 35

What variety is being perpetuated by Vega de Ribes and the Hospital de Sant Joan Baptista in the Baix-Penedès?

Answer 35

The Malvasía de Sitges variety

Question 36

What recent recognition has the sweet fortified wine Malvasía de Sitges received?

Answer 36

It received the coveted Slow Food “presidia” status

Question 37

Where is the birthplace of Cava located?

Answer 37

Sant Sadurní d’Anoia in the Alt-Penedès

Question 38

Who introduced método tradicional sparkling winemaking to Spain, and when?

Answer 38

Jose Raventós of Codorníu in 1872

Question 39

What are the traditional grapes used in the Cava blend?

Answer 39

Parellada, Xarel-lo, and Macabeu

Question 40

What distinguishes Cava DO from other Spanish Denominación de Origen?

Answer 40

Cava DO covers a style of wine rather than a specific region

Question 41

How can you identify a bottle of Cava by its cork?

Answer 41

It has a four-pointed star imprinted on the cork

Question 42

What are the two largest producers of Cava in the world?

Answer 42

Codorníu and Freixenet (the world’s largest producer of sparkling wines)

Question 43

What are the grapes allowed for Cava DO wines?

Answer 43

Parellada, Xarel-lo, Macabeu, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Garnacha Tinta, Monastrell, Trepat, and Malvasia (Subirat)

Question 44

What is the minimum lees aging time for Cava de Guarda?

Answer 44

9 months

Question 45

What is the minimum lees aging time for Cava de Guarda Superior?

Answer 45

18 months for reserva, 30 months for gran reserva

Question 46

What grape variety is known as Pansà Blanca in Alella DO?

Answer 46

Xarel-lo

Question 47

Where is Empordà DO located, and what is its primary focus?

Answer 47

In the northeastern corner of Spain, bordering Banyuls in Roussillon, with a focus on Cariñena rosados

Question 48

What grapes are successful in Empordà DO besides Cariñena?

Answer 48

Garnacha and international varieties

Question 49

What does the Pla de Bages DO name derive from?

Answer 49

Bacchus, the Roman god of wine

Question 50

What type of wines does the Catalunya DO cover?

Answer 50

It covers wineries not included in more specific DO zones and allows more freedom of blending and expression from a range of sites and authorized grapes

Question 51

What are the two DO zones in the Balearic Islands?

Answer 51

Pla i Llevant and Binissalem Mallorca

Question 52

Which indigenous grapes are used in the Balearic Islands DO zones?

Answer 52

Manto Negro and Moll (Prensal Blanc)