Omar KhayyamNishapur, ca. 1050-1123

They say drinking wine is a sin.

If those who love wine and love go to hell, paradise must be empty

Is this wine taste serious?

Not much, but let us try to chat in a not too chaotic way.

Languages? English, Italian?

Pedo-climatic conditions in Spain (1)

Most of the country is a plateau with

• Low organic matter content in the soil and low water capacity.

• Low rainfall

• High number of sunny hours

• High difference of temperature day-night

Pedo-climatic conditions in Spain (2)

Consequences:

• Generally good a priori conditions for wine making– But does this mean that Spanish wine is

always good?

• Slope and orientation is less important than in France or most of Italy.

• Difference of quality between years is smaller (but there is a difference)

Wine production in different countries (average 10 years)

Superficie* 1000 ha

produzione(Mhl)

resamediahl/ha

Francia 880 56 64Italia 877 59 67Germania 102 12 117Grecia 78 5 62Spagna 1225 31 25Portogallo 240 9 37

Which is the percentage of good wine?

The D.O.C. in Spain

• Relatively few: 54?. (Italy >250)

• Very few sub-denominations (Italy > 1200)

• No sub-denominations defined by the grape variety.

• They are all “D.O.C.G.” (controlled by INDO)

Some standard regulationsKeywords for ageing

Reds minimum age

minimum in oak barrel

Crianza: 24 months 6 months

Reserva 36 months 12 months

Gran Reserva

60 months 24 months

Recently: “Roble”, often to indicate less than 6 months in wood

DOC Spagnole

The tongue and the basic tastes

Glasses• General rules:

– Transparent, no carvings, slightly closed, leaving space to develop the smell, high enough to avoid the smell of your hand

• Two main types: – Large– Small – A lot of shapes: tulip, AFNOR, “ballon”, Cognac

• When to use a large glass? – Powerful wines not beyond the optimal age – Hint: pour a bit in a standard glass; if it improves after

a while, decant and use a large glass

Smoothness, balance

A wine is balanced if

Sweet substances, alcohol (<14%), sugar = acid substances (fixed acidity) + bitter substances (polyphenoles)

Luca Maroni, Guida dei vini italiani, No specification of units

“Indice de souplesse”: Alcohol (%vol)-[Fixed acidity(grammes/litre)+tanins (grammes/litre)]

< 5 : thin wines

5 to 6-7 : “souples” (balanced?)

>6-7: Thick, fatEmile Peynaud, Connaissance et travail du vin

Very simplified: what about effects of ageing, for example?

In general • Spanish reds are better than whites• Very few whites improve several years in the bottle • High alcohol content, full-bodied, “impegnativi”.

– Some labels lie in the “opposite sense” (declaring less alcohol)

• The smell of oak is often dominant• Reds are marketed rather late, when they start to be

ready (tendency )– Examples: Vega Sicilia often sells the best wines when they

are 20-25 years old.– Sweet wines, “olorosos”

Production structure

• Big producers are dominant (tendency irregular)

• Relatively few producers use 100% grapes from the own vineyards (tendency )

• North generally better than south, • Often good quality-price ratio in the south for

producers that have upgraded their technique.

Cultivation style

• Most often stand-alone without trellis • Low density: 1000-1500 plants/ha (tendency )

The traditional n.1 D.O.C.: Rioja

• Traditionally smooth and strongly wooded (American oak)

• “Modern” style: more concentration and less wood• Rioja de cosechero: semi-carbonic fermentation

The traditional n.1 D.O.C.: Rioja

• Three sub-D.O.C.: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa (Basque country), Rioja Baja

• Some white, traditionally very oaked. Also some fruity white.

The most fashionable D.O.C.:Ribera del Duero and Priorato

• Full bodied reds• Much smaller production • Sometimes non justified prices

Ribera del Duero

Priorato

Ribera del Duero

Protos: The pioneer of Ribera del Duero

Tapas: The Iberic pork (Pata negra)

• De bellota: It should have eaten only oak acorns• De recebo: fed with soja and acorn the last months• Cruzado: hybrid race

Tapas

• Chorizo: • Specific spice: “pimentón” (most often mild)• Best if “pata negra”

• Lomo: Similar but a single piece of meat (=“lonza”)• Cheese: most Spanish cheese is Manchego-like

(Zamorano, Esgueva, Roncal, etc.)• Keywords: curado, semi, mezcla• Idiazabal: sheep, smoked. • Some mild cow cheese along the northwest coast • Cabrales: “blue”. How to distinguish craft and industrial.

• Cecina: similar to Bresaola

The glass and the wine

• Maximum level of filling: about 1/3 for the AFNOR glass.

• Much less for larger glasses• Need of space to concentrate

aromas• More than that makes oxygenation

difficult

Why Spanish wine is not at the level of its potential quality?

• Technical knowledge of producers. • Studies in oenology too recent• Too many people still saying “the good wine is the one

from the farmer, without chemistry”• Grape varieties

Grape varieties: the ones to keep

• Tempranillo = tinto fino (Ribera Duero) = Cencibel (Mancha) = Ull de llebre

(Catalonia) ~ Tinta de Toro: Best results among national varieties. Medium-high body and a variety of aromas.

• Good potential for reds: Garnacha (more fruity), Monastrell (Mourvèdre), Mazuelo, Graciano, Prieto picudo.

• Interesting for whites: Albariño, Loureiro, Treixadura, Macabeo, Xarel.lo, Perellada, Verdejo (Verdicchio), Viura

• Specific for sweet wines: Pedro Ximenez, Moscatel• French varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon.

Not much but growing. Interesting the coupage Tempranillo + Cabernet Sauvignon (+ Merlot).

Grape varieties: the ones to forget

They occupy most of the vineyard area in Spain

Often cultivated because they are resistant to draught • Airén: the largest area worldwide• Bobal, Pardillo, Zalema, Jaén

To avoid for table wine: • Palomino (good for Sherry)• Blanca Cayetana (good for brandy)

Sparkling wine: “cava”, a special D.O.C.

• Most sparkling wine is “Método clásico” (Méthode Champenoise)

• Cava: Mainly from Cataluña with a few exceptions

Jerez (Sherry)• Crianza en soleras• Velo de flor (mould)• Fino, manzanilla: relatively long aging in cask, but they

should not be kept longtime

Jerez (2)• Fino, manzanilla: relatively long aging in cask, but they

should not be kept longtime• Main difference: influence of the sea

• Amontillado, oloroso: oxidative ageing