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North East Spain
Duero Valley Castilla/Leon Do Bierzo Do Cigales Do Ribera/Del Duero Do Rueda Do Toro
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CASTILLA - LEON Castile, to use its English name, is the Hollywood set-designer's idea of what Spain looks like: ancient walled cities, noble castles, tiny villages surrounded by sheep and goats, and monuments of the days when Castile was the Catholic heartland of the re conquest. The Autonomy encompasses nine provinces: Avila, Burgos, Leon, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora; most of which have an individual and unique claim to a slice of Spanish history. Avila was one ofthe bases from which the Caballeros of Alfonso VI recaptured eastern and southern Spain from the Moors, and by the fifteenth century was a bustling regional capital. However, in the 16th century Charles V made his headquarters at Toledo, and the Avila nobility migrated in that direction. The remaining Moors were expelled in 1609, with the irony that it was Moorish merchants and craftsmen who had underpinned the economy of the city, and when they went, the economy went with them. The city sank into obscurity and didn't expand beyond its mediaeval boundaries until the twentieth century. The reverse irony is that, as a result, it is one ofthe most perfectly-preserved walled cities in the world. Burgos was the city of El Cid - Ruy Diaz de Bivar (1026- 1099) - whose fabulous treasure is still supposedly buried somewhere on the outskirts of the city. It was the capital of Castile from 951 to 1492 and was also the city where, in the late 1930s, General France rose to power at the head ofthe Movimiento Nacional. Leon was the capital of Asturias (the heir-apparent to the Spanish throne is always styled "Prince of the Asturias" to this day) in the tenth century, and another ofthe Christian strongholds in the re conquest. Leon united with Castile in the twelfth century and today, of course, Asturias is a separate principality. Leon's cathedral is reckoned amongst the most magnificent in Spain. Palencia was the site of Spain's first university, founded by Alfonso V111 in
the early thirteenth century. However, the academic community decamped shortly
afterwards for... Valladolid was also once the capital of Castile, and is reputedly the place where the purest form of Castellano is spoke as It was the cathedral city where Ferdinand and Isabella married, and at least two kings of Spain were born. Zamora was the capital chosen by Juana, the dispossessed daughter of Henry 1V, after Isabella was proclaimed Queen of Castile. At that time, this was another heavily fortified, walled city. Today, most ofthe walls have gone, but the old quarter remains a maze of narrow streets leading up to the old ducal palace at the top ofthe hill, which is now a Parador. Castile as an independent country really came into being in the mid 11th century under Ferdinand I, and under his son (Alfonso VI) united with the kingdom of Leon. With the accession of Isabella to the throne in 1474 union was forged with ARAGON through her husband, Ferdinand. At that time Spain as we know it today consisted of Castile and Leon., ARAGON and the Moorish lands governed from Granada With the union ofthe north (albeit rather shaky in parts, as many Castellano Grandees didn't like deferring their authority to an Aragones monarch) the fight against the Moors became more focused, with the eventual result of their expulsion from what had become a unified Spain. GASTRONOMY Game in season is plentiful, including perdiz partridge), codorniz (quail), conejo (rabbit), liebre (hare) and (jabali wild boar; and the river Duero is excellent for trout (trucha) and even fresh-water crayfish (cangrejos), but the local speciality is congrio (conger eel), usually served with salsa verde and a touch of saffron. Favourite desserts of the region include pastas de manteca (a type of shortbread), arroz con leche (rice pudding), leche frita or natilla (egg custard) and bunuelos (doughnuts). Local cheeses include the ewes' milk (and rather paradoxically-named) Manchego del Ribera de Duero and other specialities such as Babia y Laciana, Valdeteja (goats' milk), La Armada(cows' and goats' milk) and Leon. SUMMARY Castilla-Leon (south)- DOs Cigales, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Toro. Climatic factors: Continental climate - partly on the highest ground
where grapes will grow (up to 800m) b~ firmly in the valley ofthe Duero. Much
more dependent on the river and high altitude for microclimates. Cultural
factors: Castilian traditions with some Moorish influences; proximity of old
universities (e.g. Salamanca) and major cities (e.g. Valladolid) - demand for
higher quality wines·by people with the money to pay for them. Gastronomic
factors: Meat eating country which demands ripe, powerful big red wines (e.g.
Toro); fish eating largely river-oriented so originally wines evolved to suit
coarse fish which could only be preserved by drying - a heavier, mom powerful
style (e.g. Rueda). UP DO BIERZO The region is "El Bierzo" but the DO is simply "Bierzo": centred on the town of Ponferrada and, at one point, contiguous with the DO Valdeorras, Bieno marks a transitional style of wine from the lightweights of Galicia to the heavyweights of the Duero valley. The area is sandwiched between the Cordillera Cantabrica and the Montes de Leon, which shelters it from the excesses of both continental and temperate climate, and if you're approaching from Orense along the N-120, the scenery on the border between Galicia and Castilla-Leon is some of the most breathtaking in Spain, culminating in a series of short mountain tunnels and viaducts, the last of which spans a thousand-foot-deep river valley of quite stunning beauty. Bierzo itself is a collection of small towns, dominated by Ponferrada (pop. 52,500) which is the only major population centre. It's a pleasant town, though rather spoiled by unsightly new development and strip-mining on the outskirts. Villa Franca del Bierzo, is perhaps the most attractive (pop. 4,700) of the towns, with a splendidly preserved castle, a magnificent Jesuit collegium and a sixteenth-century miniature palace which is now a Bodega Cacabelos (pop 4,000) is the other important winemaking centre: a neat and pretty town, albeit without the monumental architecture of Villa Franca. The local population obviously take great pride in keeping it that way, and one of its interesting features is the beach. Cacabelos is a hundred and fifty miles fiom the sea, even as the crow flies, but the locals wanted a beach. So they dammed the river, dumped a few hundred tonnes of sand, and now they've got a beach. Passing pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago often pause here to cool down in the crystal-clear water. Bierzo got its DE in 1985, at a time when its wines tended to be made from a combination of locally-grown grapes and wines from elsewhere. Obviously, the 'elsewhere' wines had to go, and when it achieved the DOp in June 1988 the winemakers had already discovered the virtues of modern equipment. It still took a further eighteen months for promotion to full DO status and the co-ops are taking it very seriously indeed, as well they might: the local grapes lend themselves to some excellent quality wines, and with good winemaking techniques Bierzo could quite possibly become one of northern Spain's new generation of high- profile wine regions by the end of the century. GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY CLIMATE GRAPES AND YIELD Maximum yields are as follows: VITICULTURE Insect Pests, Natural Disasters VINICULTURE THE WINES VINTAGES SUMMARY DO CIGALES The normal timespan between DE and DO is about three years, assuming that everyone plays their part properly, but Cigales has taken six to achieve it. There bas been a good deal of argument behind the scenes over the direction that the region should be taking, and this and other political considerations served to delay the award ofthe Denominacion de Origen. However, awarded it was, in March 1991, and some ofthe winemakers of Cigales see themselves as the natural fourth-party in the Duero valley. "Ribera del Duero and Toro make the reds" the story goes, "and Rueda makes the whites. We make the rosados''. It's true that the four DOs form a lozenge-shape on the map of Castilla-Leon, but not quite as simple as they'd have you believe. After all, Ribera del Duero makes some outstanding rosados, and the word on the calle is that Rueda will win the DO for red wines before very long. In the meantime, Cigales, although famous for its pinks, actually makes some thumping good red wines as well, from the Tempranillo and the Garnacha: perhaps they just don't want to upset anybody. The town of Cigales is reached down a partly-made road off the dual-carriageway N-VI towards Burgos out of Valladolid. It is snail and sleepy as only a Spanish country town can be, dominated by a magnificent church in a small, leafy square and surrounded by arid fields covered in peculiar humps with weird chimneys rising out of them. The chimneys are ventilators for catacomb-like cellars ten metres underground, where the temperature never varies and epoxy-concrete vats nurture the wine until the bodeguero decides it's ready for bottling. The cellars date back a century or more and are used for entertaining as well as storage, especially in the 40"C midday heat of midsummer when an almuerzo, of pan Castellano, chorizo, lomo, jamon serrano and the local queso washes down splendidly with wine straight from the vats. From a quality point of view, the wines of Cigales have many ofthe strengths of their neighbours in Ribera del Duero and Tom. However, it is for their rosados they wish to be known in the first instance, and these are heavily sold on the north coast of Spain: the Basques, Asturians and Cantabrians seem to have an unquenchable thirst for them. From an export point of view, however, the wines are, as yet, virtually unknown, although a certain amount goes to Canada and Belgium. GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY CLIMATE GRAPES AND YIELD VITICULTURE VINICULTURE THE WINES However, the leading producers are sanguine about market forces, and are hedging their bets with serious research into red wines in case the market decides that reds are what it wants. Certainly soil, climate and grapes are well-tuned for the kind of beefy reds that hold sway in this sector of the Duero valley. On the other hand, the rosados of Cigales are excellent wines, full of fruit, weighty, meaty and powerful: the Crianza might even start a new fashion of its own, and the DO has recently introduced a Rosado Cigales Nuevo with at least 60% Tinto del Pais and at least 20% of white varieties, to try and- quite literally- rejuvenate the market. In the meantime Cigales is producing 80% rosados, mostly in the Joven style and pressed from a mixture of red and white grapes, with the remaining 20% of production red. Crianza red is still a fairly small part of production, though forward-looking bodegas are experimenting with it to a greater extent. Certainly, Cigales is to be taken as a serious contender in the quality wine market in northern Spain, given time. VINTAGES SUMMARY Grapes(Red): Tinto del Pais/tempranillo (50%), Garnacha (30%). White):
Verdejo, Viura, Palomino, Albillo (20% jointly). Experimental plantations of
Cabernet-Sauvignon Soil: Light-brown with some limestone; large stones in topsoil. Climate: Continental with residual Atlantic influences. Wines: Reds Cloven and crianza - minimum 75% UP DO RIBERA, DEL DUERO At approximately the same time as the Marquis de Riscal was establishing his Bordeaux vines alongside the Tempranillo grape variety in Elciego ( DOC Rioja), another man of vision was doing the same thing with the same vines, quite independently, 200 km away in Valbuena Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves set up a Bodega in 1864 at a place known as the Page de la Vega Santa Cecilia y Carrascal, a name subsequently shortened to 'Vega Sicilia'. For the next 118 years, the wine produced by the estate - possibly the finest in all Spain, and certainly the most expensive - was simply classified as Vine de Mesa, until the DO Ribera del Duero was created in 1982. In many ways, the Ribera del Duero is ideally placed to make some of Spain's best wines. The altitude is high, the growing season is short, and some limestone in the soil means that growers have to pick reasonably early, so they are forced to keep a very strict eye on the grapes, which usually have a good balance of ripeness and acidity. Certainly a number of new names have recently come to the fore in the region with prices to match their new-found fame. One of the biggest advantages of the region is that sagging fortunes in the recent past meant that a good deal of vineyard land was not actually planted with vines, and some lucky families suddenly discovered in the mid- to late 1980s that uncle Jose's ten hectares of cabbages were actually planted on prime vineyard sites with plenty of active chalk and a good south-eastern aspect. As recently as 1988, much of Ribera del Duero was still sleepy giant co-operatives and snail family producers, with a few 'stars' in amongst them beavering away to advance the region's name. Five years on, the giants have awoken, the snail family producers have become bigger family producers and the stars, some of them have become international names. A new generation of Bodegas has been formed by the children of vineyard owners who grew and sold their grapes for generations. New, tiny wineries are springing up on every 25-hectare patch, funded by savings, mortgages and inheritances, often run almost two-handed by husband-and-wife or father-and-son teams, and the results are very promising indeed. The Consejo Regulador has invested heavily in research and development, and there has been a great deal of new planting, particularly in the chalky-soiled western half ofthe region. Inward investment has been forthcoming with some considerable enthusiasm, and new bodegas funded by institutional and stock-exchange investors have been founded by taking over creaking co-operatives and 'privatising' them, or setting up new Bodegas from scratch. What's the secret of Ribera del Duero? Three things: one, the altitude (up to 850m) means that the growing season is short, frost-free time is precious, and nights are cool to help 'rest' the vines during ripening. Second, the Tempranillo grape at this altitude grows thin-skinned and refreshingly acid, even when fully ripe. And third the soil is a vinegrower's textbook cocktail of chalk, slate, alluvium, quartz and trace elements. Add to this some of Europe's most modern winemaking kit and kith and the formula dazzles with its splendour. But all is not won yet. Bodegas who leapt into the market with their new wines at top prices were disappointed to discover that the European wine trade was rather more pragmatic than the readership of certain American magazines, and wanted to see track-record, consistency and commitment (as well as lower prices) before getting involved This is, however, starting to happen, and it is entirely probable that given another five years for the new vineyards to mature, Ribera del Duero will emerge to sit alongside Rioja as one ofthe truly great fine-wine areas ofthe world Before moving on, we really need to address this question of a relationship between Ribera del Duero, and Rioja Nobody in either zone really wants to talk about is but everybody outside the zones is asking the same questions: is Ribera del Duero going to challenge Rioja for the crown as Spain's Guest red-wine area? Is if or does it have the potential to be - to put it bluntly- better than Rioja? What are the answers? Answers notwithstanding, these are the wrong questions. Nobody suggests that Bordeaux and Burgundy rival each other for a similar 'crown' in France, or asks whether Barolo rivals Vin Nobile de Montepulciano in Italy, or if the Doktor rivals Vollrads in Germany. These are all simply manifestations ofthe different kinds of excellence which those countries can muster. Such it may turn out to be, given time, in Spain, and if the international spotlight should one day be turned on two star performers where formerly it was turned on only one, then so much the better for all concerned Spain, the growers and winemakers ofthe region, the wine trade and the wine drinker will all be the richer for it and, as an added bonus, think of the encouragement it will give to other winemaking regions who are, now, where Ribera del Duero was a decade ago, and may, themselves, have much more to give. GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY If we divide the Ribera Del Duero lands into 'east' and 'west', perhaps centring an the town of Roa de Duero, then we find that the soils are as follows: In the east, the river valleys of the Duero and its tributary the Gumiel have soils which are alluvial with sand and clay at the campina level, moving up to lower ladera clay and marl, upper laderas with limestone and marl, and paramo with limestone and chalk. In the west, the river valley is again a mixture of alluvial clay and sand, moving up to lower laderas of sand over clay, lower cuestas of marl with some gypsum, upper laderas with limestone, marl and gypsum, upper cuestas with marry limestone, and paramos with chalk. The guiding Factor in the quality of Ribera Del Duero wines is, of course the limestone and chalk, which makes up 33% ofthe soil (9% active: chalk) in the west and over 50% (18% active chalk) in the east. The vineyards follow the course of the river Duero from the boundaries of Soria, through the southern part of Burgos (with a small exclusion south into Segovia), and into Valladolid. The oldest part of the wineland here is that in the west, in the province of Valladolid, but the centre of the region is Aranda de Duero, in Burgos. We are still on Spain's central meseta, at a height of 700-900 metres, tilting downwards east to west, and some vineyards have chalky soils which are almost as white as Sherry-country albarizas. CLIMATE GRAPES AND YIELD Vines used to be planted in a grape-mix formula so that they could be vinified together, but this has now been banned, and they must all be vinified separately. The maximum number of fruiting buds per hectare is 40,000, which represents 2,500 vines at 16 buds per vine (see below), and the maximum yield is 7,000 kg/ha at a rendimiento of 70 litres/100kg - which grosses up to 49hl/ha VITICULTURE All vines are grafted on to American rootstocks, and the most popular in Ribera Del Duero is Rupestris de Lot for soils which are soft gravely or poor, where a vigorous vine is needed; Riparia stocks do better in higher quality and fresher soils; and for intermediate and other low quality soils the most favoured is an Aramon x Rupestris cross. The traditional pruning method was 'en vase' with three or four branches carrying about 20 fruiting buds. However, some new plantations (from 1988) are trained on wires in one ofthe 'espaldera' methods, to help [p78 spraying and treatment systems. The most popular form of this is 'doble cordon', in which two arms carry four 'pulgares' on each arm, each of which will produce two fruiting buds, and a harvest total of 16 bunches of quality grapes per vine. Cryptogamic Diseases Insect Pests Natural Disasters VINICULTURE It is now commonplace in Ribera del Duero to ferment after destalking and before pressing. Indeed, some ofthe most modem Bodegas now scarcely handle the grapes before the wine is made, and all transfers are effected by gravity. In a typical ultra-modern plant the process will be on this wise. The Bodega will be built into a hillside, and grapes will be delivered at the upper end ofthe hill into a hopper, fiom where they will be passed to a destalker. Having been destalked, they will then fall by gravity into a stainless steel tank of, perhaps, 150 hi capacity.The tank will then be picked up by an overhead crane and carried up to a fermentation vessel, where the contents will be transferred, again by gravity. Alcoholic fermentation takes place on the skins for as many days as the winemaker sees fit and, once it is complete, the resulting new wine is run off(by gravity) into another tank, which the overhead crane will carry to a larger tank for malo-lactic fermentation to take place. It is often so cold in late autumn in Ribera del Duero that the water- jacket on this tank is filled with warm water, to help the malo-lactic take place. Meanwhile, the grape pulp in the original tank has been transferred to a press, where the remaining juice is extracted. Some wineries will use this juice, gently-pressed, to make a second-string wine; others will squeeze out what they can and sell it off, as Vine de Mesa or for distilling. The free-run wine-, having undergone its malo-lactic fermentation, is allowed to decant and then passes to holding tanks (if it's going to be Joven) or to oak casks (if it's going to be Crianza Reserva, or Gran Reserva). Again, all these transfers will take place by gravity: no pumps are used Indeed, there is a strong movement against the use of any mechanical impediment to the wine, especially micropore and millipore filters. One winemaker remarked in the summer of 1993 'people will just have to get used to the idea that good red wine may have a bit of a sediment in the bottom of the bottle...' Now, there's a new idea for you! Crianza regulations are the same as for Rioja: a minimum of one year in oak for Crianza wines, with everything else matching the Spanish national regulations (section A2.1) Rosado wines are usually made by giving the must 6-24 hours maceration before a controlled cool, fermentation. In thin years, Many bodegas make light reds rather than full reds and rosados. THE WINES In practice, the new generation of Ribera del Duero reds might be described as follows: the Jovenes have a tremendous, fresh, raspberry-like fruit and drink splendidly even eight months after the vintage. Crianzas have a subtle elegance and dark, spiciness which is excellent at four years old but promises more for those with the will-power to keep them. In fact, many of the Crianzas released in Ribera del Duero are technically Reservas, but the Bodegas are anxious to maintain quality and as one said, 'would rather produce the best Crianzas in the business than an average Reserva'. There are rather fewer of the 'new-generation' Reservas about, mainly because the new philosophy is a creature of the late 1980s and the great wines are still in their pre- release period. We may look forward with some pleasure anticipation to what they may have in store for us. VINTAGES SUMMARY Grapes: principal): Tinto Fine. (Authorised): Cabernet-Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Garnacha, Albillo Mar. Yield: 7,000 kgma @ 70 litres/100kg = 49 hl/ha Soil: Light and sandy with stones over clay, some limestone and chalky outcrops. Climate: Continental: temperature range 400C to -10"C, average 1 10C. Rainfall 430-580 mm, sunshine 2,200 hours. Wines: Reds from Joven through Crianza to Gran Reserva (and beyond!);
Rosados with (rarely) and without Crianza.
UP DO RUEDA This is the southernmost DO zone of Old Castile, and the evidence is everywhere that it used to be the frontier between Christian and Muslim Spain It's not just the castles which seem to adorn every major hilltop, but it's part of the history. North and south of neighbouring Ribera del Duero you'll find the 'Tierra del Pan' and the 'Tierra del Vine' - respectively the bread-country and the wine country, because one grows cereals and one vines. But, in the ninth century, the area we now know as Rueda was called the 'Tierra de Nadie' - the land of nothing. Constant battles and a scorched-earth policy by the retreating Moors meant that land and farms, villages and settlements throughout the area were burnt, razed to the ground or otherwise destroyed. In the tenth century, the area was a wasteland. A few of the original settlers - who had fled during the battles - returned to the area to try and rebuild its agriculture, but there was no money and precious little in the way of food, and reconstruction was painfully slow. Things started to improve under King Alfonso VI (1040-1109) who decreed that anyone prepared to replant and work the vineyard land would be given that land as a freehold And quite a few people suddenly discovered an interest in viticulture, particularly monastic orders, which needed a supply of wine for their devotions and were very happy to build new monasteries on this gifted land. A major factor in the area's early success was, of course, the proximity of the court. Valladolid, Leon and Zamora all took their turn at hosting Royal residents, and Palencia and, later, Salamanca saw the foundation of Spain's first university, so there was no shortage of good business to be done - and with people who wanted quality and had the money to pay for it. By the late 1500s the most highly-prized wines were those from the areas of Madrigal, Medina and Alaejos, and in 1599 total production exceeded 600,000 cantaros (100,000 litres). In the next century Medina del Campo became the most important centre of wine-production, and in 1600 the merchants tried to crank the price up to cover losses due to host in the vineyards and increasing transport costs - some things never change. Meanwhile, Felipe 111 was resident in Valladolid, and requisitioned half the wine produced in Medina for the use of the court. Even when it decamped permanently for Madrid, the wine of Rueda was highly-respected, fetched high prices, and was shipped regularly to the capital. The vineyard continued to expand and the prosperity of the region with it throughout the next three centuries, and everyone thought it would continue. However, Phylloxera arrived in the province of Valladolid in 1897 and reached Rueda in 1909, at which time there were 45,541 ha of vineyards. By 1922 there were only 13,676 ha- less than a third of the original total. Rueda painstakingly rebuilt its industry, but with the main market gone or fragmented and prosperity a distant memory, farmers particularly those of La Mancha and Valdepenas - immediately leapt into the breach, helped by the growing railway network, and by the time Rueda had been replanted with grafted vines, much of its market had disappeared They resorted to growing grapes for distilling, and the Palomino was widely planted because of its heavy- cropping nature: growers were paid simply by the litre. Quality was not an issue. This state of affairs continued throughout the civil war - indeed, the vineyard declined even more, and only after the war in Europe had finished in 1945 did anyone start to look at ways in which the vineyard might be restored to its former glory. Thirty years of work was rewarded in 1972 when Rueda won the DO, but by this time it was producing a bewildering array of wines, fiom Sherry-type generosos to jovenes-afrutados made with Palomino, Viura, Verdejo, et al. The town of Rueda itself is little more than a settlement at a cross-roads on the old N-VI between Madrid and the north-west coast at Ferrol. Today, the heavy traffic thunders by on the Autovia and the town provides a welcome 'service area' for travellers as well as being able to return to its own, unhurried business. There's a single main street with shops, bars and an impossibly rococo church... And a quiet air of prosperity which has, at last, returned. Rueda the DO zone is rather larger, but the towns that make it up are little bigger, even, than Rueda itself. The biggest is Medina del Campo - a smart market-town - and the most picturesque is probably Nava del Rey: with narrow streets, whitewashed walls and pantiled roofs it looks a bit like a film-set. Most of the people here either work in the wine industry or commute into Valladolid, and the whole area has a kind of sleepy, out-in-the-sticks feeling which is rather appealing. Rueda the wine (white only - for the moment!) is a rather different matter. A generation ago, Rueda was still making the same wines it had been making for centuries. The major grape was the Palomino and, because of this, Rueda' s wines were heavy, heady stuff, from Rancios made in half-full carboys half-buried in the sandy soil to sub- Sherry types, lightly fortified and sometimes surprisingly pleasant. A few die-hards persevered with the Verdejo, but although it made good wine, it simply didn't make enough. Then, in the 1970s, some of the mate experimental bodegas replaced their old winemaking equipment with stainless steel, and discovered that the Verdejo actually had the capability to be not just a good but an excellent grape. Matters were brought to a head in 1972 by a famous name in innovative Spanish winemaking: the Marques de RiscaL Almost uniquely amongst the great houses of Rioja, Riscal didn't make a white wine. They had always seen the market, but had decided that the white wine they made should occupy the same place in the hierarchy of Spanish wine as their red. The company examined soils, grapes and microclimates in Galicia and Penedes, amongst others, before settling on Rueda. The clincher had been the native grape - the Verdejo. Perfectly adapted to the soils and micro-climate of the region, under careful vinification it yielded a wine of delicious fruit, good acidity and worthwhile keeping qualities. Further research revealed that the soils and climate were right for the Sauvignon grape, too. Riscal had, by the early 1980s, grown and harvested experimental vineyards of just about every white grape you can imagine, including Chardonnay), and the Consejo Regulador admitted the Sauvignon as a permitted variety in 1985, promoting it to 'authorised' as part ofthe new 'reglamento' (04FEB92). The DO regulations of 1980 demanded a year's Crianza for all wines, of which six months should be in oak. This was fine for the Palidos, of course, but hopeless for those bodegas which were trying to make light fresh wines for the export market. They started to ignore the recommendation, and the Consejo Regulador offered a temporary derogation to see what happened. The Bodegas were proved right, and the regulation was dropped. However, just to add the final twist, in the past six or seven years, some of the more advanced Bodegas have reintroduced Crianza wines - particularly made with the Sauvignon - and these have cornered a niche market all of their own. GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY The soil is reasonably rich in iron, and generally loose, and easy to work, with good drainage. The northern half (beside the river Duero) has some alluvial soils, fading to a light topsoil with 1-2% limestone, and limestone/clay subsoil, with a maximum limestone content of 24%. pH is a neutral 7-8. In the south, topsoil is brown and sandy with a subsoil of sandstone and clay to a depth of 25cm. pH here is a slightly more acid ~7. CLIMATE The height, however, brings frost and fog, and bitterly cold winter temperatures are quite common: down to -70C. In summer it can reach 35.70C and the yearly average is 120C. Annual average sunshine is 2,700 hours and annual average rainfall is 407 mm. GRAPES AND YIELD Sauvignon Blanc (219 ha) is an authorised variety whose plantation seems to be expanding. Riscal brought in the first vines and were allowed an initial plantation of 10 hectares, now extended to 60 hectares. It was admitted as an authorised variety in 1992. P·lomino Fino (1,875 ha) is declining, and not recommended for replanting. However, a remains a maim variety in the Rueda Palido wines, though these, too am seeing a decline. Viura (1,207 ha) has been in Rueda for a good long time, and its survival seems assured since it blends very well with the Verdejo, whilst helping out in the oxidation stakes (set above). Experimental varieties: Tempranillo. There are 550 ha of this variety, in spite of the fact that there is no DO for red wines in Rueda Yet. there are various red Vines de Mesa made here. Chardonnay. 5 hectares of this experimental plantation survive. Riscal tried it out and rejected it as inadequate far the company's immediate purpose, but work is still continuing. Cabernet-Sauvignon. 150 hectares of Cabernet are being tested in Rueda's soils, possibly as an adjunct to the Tempranillo. Temp/Cab mixes are all the rage in parts of north-central Spain. The maximum permitted yields are as follows: Verdejo and Sauvignon trained 'en rastra' - 7,000 kgma Verdejo and Sauvignon trained 'espaldera', and Viura and Palomino - 9,000 kgma Rendimiento is 70 litres/100 kg. VITICULTURE The rootstocks used in Rueda major on Richter 1 10, which reacts well to mid conditions; Rupestris de Lot has always been used for the Palomino, and other varieties are planted on Ruggieri 140 and 41 B Millardet because of their suitability for limestone-based soils. Cryptogamic diseases Insect Pests Natural Disasters VINICULTURE The light wines which now form the majority of Rueda's export style ate no longer required to see any wood before they go into the bottle. Typically, Verdejo / Viura wines will be picked at 120/0 potential alcohol and the free- run must (and/or some first-pressing) will be cold fermented, gas-blanketed, filtered and bottled. Traditional flor-growing wines are made according to a more traditional method: after tumultuous fermentation, the wine falls bright naturally over three months or so. During the summer the level of free Sulphur Dioxide falls, the sediment starts to rise up and the volatile acidity rises slightly as residual sugars and malic acid are absorbed. By ten months old the wine has taken on a golden colour, and a thin film of flor forms on the surface. The acetaldehyde increases to around 25gm, then clean spontaneously as the wine darkens to a light brown. This is, of course, just a speeded-up version of the natural oxidation process of the wine. THE WINES DO Rueda Superior must have a minimum of s5% Verdejo, achieve between 11% and
14.5% abv and show its vintage date on the label. DO Rueda Espumoso is wine made by the 'Metodo Tradicional' from at least 85% Verdejo with a minimum of 9 months on its lees before disgorgement (this is the same as the Cava regulation). It must achieve between 1 1.5% and 13% abv and must show its vintage date on the label. DO Palido Rueda is the dry 'vine de licor' flor-growing traditional wine. It must achieve 15% abv and be made from authorised varieties. It must be aged in oak for a minimum of three years before release. DO Dorada Rueda is a dry 'vine de licor' in the old "Rancio" style, fortified to 15% abv and aged for four years, at least two of which must be in oak. Both these traditional wines are in decline, but their place is being taken in almost equal measure by new-style, lower- strength wines, sometimes with a bit of Crianza and sometimes barrel-fermented. VINTAGES SUMMARY UP DO TORO Toro is one of a number of rising stars in the Duero Valley. Wine has been made here since time immemorial, of course, but one important factor in its development has always been the proximity of Salamanca, and Spain's oldest surviving university(founded 1215). Good wine has always been an important lubricant for the academic brain, and it seems likely that Toro wine has been on the High Table in Salamanca (and in the banqueting halls of Castilian Kings) for 800 years. Toro is good natural winemaking countryside with a high quality local grape, which may go a long way towards explaining its recent success, even given the dismal quality of much of the wine-making in the area in previous centuries. Since the civil war much of the production has been in bulk, in concrete vats in huge bodegas whose idea of temperature control was to flood the bodega during fermentation to cool the exterior of the tanks. However, stainless steel is now all the rage, and the fact that it is actually cheaper to install stainless steel equipment than to rebuild concrete tanks means that eventually all bodegas will be using it, & have been doing since the mid-1980s. GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY CLIMATE GRAPES AND YIELD Garnacha Tinta (4%), Malvasia (16%), and Verdejo Bianco (3%) produce the region's small amount of rosado and white wines. The rest of the vineyard was planted with Palomino, but this was only authorised until 1990, and is now banned. There is some experimental Cabernet-Sauvignon. Yields vary with grape and district: Tinta de Toro (all districts) - 6,000 kgma Rendimiento in all cases is 70 litres/100 kg. This gives a maximum production of (in each of the cases listed above - respectively): 42 hl/ha, 63 hVha,49 hl/ha, 49 hl/ha and 28 hl/ha. VITICULTURE Vines are pruned en vase or on wires at a density from 900 to 2,700 vines/ha, with not more than 32,000 productive buds per hectare. Natural Disasters VINICULTURE THE WINES As the rest of Toro's post-DO Reservas and Gran Reservas appeared they began to keep their promise of power and style, whilst continuing to promise more longevity. Ageing regulations are the standard norms as for the rest of Spain. The general opinion in Toro is that, given a good vintage year, Jovenes will peak at 2 years old, Crianzas at 5-9 years old, Reservas at 13 years old and Gran Reservas at 20 years old, though these ate only general guidelines. Almost uniquely in Spain, Toro seems to be able to deliver red wines at the top of its strength-range with full fruit, freshness and acidity, and without any ofthe usual defects found in high-alcohol wines. White wines are made mainly from the Malvasia (11-13% abv) and the cold-fermented wines are fresh and crisp with that extra body, central-palate fruit and bone-dry finish that the Malvasia gives when properly managed and fermented dry. Rosado wines (11-14% abv) tend to be made from Garnacha by the maceration method (12 to 24 hours) and take on a blood-orange tint and have something of the style and weight of the rosado wines of Navarra Some Joven wines are also made, in white and rosado. VINTAGES The following table gives the general quality of the vintage since the DO was
awarded. SUMMARY Soil: Sandy over alluvial/clay in the south, some limestone in the north/east Climate: Continental. Averages: temperature 13.5"; rainfall 350-500
mm; sunshine 3,000 hours.
UP THE UPPER EBRO LA RIOJA - GENERAL
Pais Vasco (south)- DOC Rioja, DO Cava La Rioja - DOC Rioja DO CAVA Navarra - DOC Rioja, DOs Navarra, Cava ARAGON - DOs Carinena Campo de Borja, Calatayud, Somontano, Cava Climatic factors: Warmer than the north-west, from mountainous
highlands at 900m along the river Ebro, down to 300 metres in Aragon. Some small
Atlantic influence in the north-west but a more continental climate for most of
the area. UP HISTORY The history of Catalonia (to give it its English name and thus avoid any accusations of linguistic hegemony) is as long as the history of Spain. However, the independent spirit which marks out things Catalan was probably engendered in the first place by the fact that the kingdom as it then was) only occupied by the Moors for a very short time. The citizens decamped across the Pyrenees into France, regrouped, and fought back under the Emperor Charlemagne, who then incorporated it into his own, Frankish Empire. However, in 865 Catalonia came under the jurisdiction of the Counts of Barcelona , and, by the end of the 9th century, it was virtually independent, thanks largely to the efforts of the splendidly-named Wilfred the Shaggy. The next major development was an alliance with Aragon, occasioned by the marriage of Ramon Berenguer IV to Petronilla, heiress to the Aragones throne, in 1137. This merged the two states for a time, under the Aragon name even though Catalonia was by far the dominant partner, and the counts of Barcelona were kings of Aragon for more than two centuries. Catalonia's greatest period of expansion came in the 13th century when Barcelona became a major port, conquered the Balearic islands, and traded all round the Mediterranean At its height, Catalonia had possessions in Turkey and Greece, as well as the Balearics, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Valencia; its merchant fleet dominated the Mediterranean and the Atlantic between Portugal and Africa and its ships, along with the Portuguese, were trading in the Canary Islands and the Azores by the 14th Century. However, all this was to come to an end when Pedro IV died in 1387, and internal dissension amongst a number of heirs divided the state. Meanwhile, over in Aragon, things were changing too, and when Ferdinand married Isabella of Castile in 1469, the axis of power shifted sharply westwards, and Catalan independence was at an end. In the following centuries, Catalonia aligned itself with France against Castile in the war of the Spanish Succession, but did not receive its promised independence when the war was over - Indeed, Barcelona underwent a thirteen month siege when French and Castilian troops united to attack the Catalans. When the war was lost however, Catalonia was stripped of its regional autonomy, and its laws and language were abolished in favour of those of Castile. Since then, Catalonia in general, and Barcelona in particular, has never been slow to take part in any initiative which seemed likely to restore that long-lost independence. As a result, repression followed repression until the Civil war finished in 1939 and Catalonia found itself on the losing side yet again. Undaunted, however, Catalonia still made it plain that some kind of autonomy was the only item on the agenda. Happily, with the new constitution of l978 Catalunya, to give its Catalan name, became one of Spain's seventeen Autonomies with self-governing rights, and the Catalan language and culture was restored to its rightful place. Today, Barcelona is Spain's second city, and still the Mediterranean's biggest port, though it doesn't ship as much wine as Valencia . And the Catalan spirit is still independent as witness the artistic heritage of people like Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Antoni Gaudi and Pablo Picasso. From a wine-making point of view, Catalunya has leapt the middle ages to the twenty first century in a matter of thirty years. As recently as the 1960s, many Catalan vineyards were still growing old high-strength varieties and making "rancio" wines from them. The architects of the great leap forward have been the Torres family whose bodegas in Vilafranca del Penedes still have a museum-piece corner ofthe courtyard with netted pergola shading half-buried glass carboys with rancio wines quietly oxidising inside them, to remind visitors that this is how it all began. French influence has always been strong in Catalunya, and Torres was the first to notice that the hefty wines of southern France were failing to find a market, even though the north-Europeans were starting to develop a massively increased thirst for wine. The writing was obviously on the wall for northern Spain unless something was done, and at that time (the 1960s) Catalunyas main claim to vinous fame was sweet, fortified, red Tarragona, known in England as "the poor man's Port''. The then head of the firm, Miguel Torres Carbo, investigated new markets while his son Miguel Augustin Torres went off to get a degree in oenology from a French university. Subsequently, Torres was the one of the first companies to introduce the temperature-controIled, stainless- steel technology which now holds sway all over Spain. The new thinking also went a long way towards the planting of French and other vine varieties in Catalunya in experimental partnerships to see how they married with native grapes. Pioneering Bodegas experimented with every possible variation on traditional methods and new technology to see how the best results might be obtained in Catalunya . The results have become legendary. However, the other guiding factor in the growth of Catalan wine making has been the rise of the sparkling wine, Cava - the biggest growth area of any Spanish wine in recent times . Originally (though not any more), plantations of grapes could be grown both for Cava and for still wines, and with stainless steel, temperature control, and a quick turn round to prevent oxidation of the grapes in the summer heat, the new technology fitted the bill perfectly for the production of both types of wine. Add to this the fact that Catalunya had always been a more-than-averagely
prosperous part of Spain, so investment capital was relatively easy to raise,
and you have the success formula which now sees Catalunya as one of Spain' s
most exciting, most comprehensive and best quality wine-producing areas.
UP GASTRONOMY Catalunya is uniquely favoured in matters of food, making the connection between Northern Spain and Southern France , and it's no surprise that the city of Barcelona alone has 10 restaurants with Michelin stars. Local dishes abound, and lean heavily on the availability of seafood, especially lobster, monkfish, mussels, langostines and everything else you'd expect from a major fishing port. The French - or, at least, Provencal - influence can be seen in the alioli garlic sauces which, along with piquant Catalan sauces are often offered along with main dishes. There's also white version of black pudding called Butifarra and, indeed, sausages are very popular, from chorizo (spicy) to morcilla black pudding). Soups, stews and casseroles - like those served in southern France - are also popular, making use of local chicken, pasta, eggs and vegetables. For pudding, the favourite is the Crema Catalana a version of Creme Brulee, served hot with the caramel still melting on the top. Local cheeses include Valle de Aran (cow's milk) and Montsec (goat's milk)
from Lleida, Serrat and Tupi (sheep's milk) from the Catalan Pyrenees, La Selva
(cow's milk) Girona, Mato (cow's and goat's milk) from the central arm of
Catalunya and Garrotxa (goat's milk) from all over the autonomy.
UP DO ALELLA HISTORY This is Barcelona commuter-land. As the city - one of the most densely-populated in Europe - expands ever outwards, so more green fields are swallowed up ,and quite a few of these, in recent years, have been part of what was originally the small town of Alella (15 km from Barcelona, pop. 3,386). Wine has been made here since Roman times and was widely sold into Aragon and the rest of Catalunya when the Spanish court sat in the Northeast. However, the area suffered badly from Phylloxera in the late nineteenth-century, and the wine as we see it today is largely a product of work done since the end of the Civil War. The first classification rules were drawn up in 1953, after the wines had become so successful that the name had been 'borrowed' by Bodegas from elsewhere. Alella got its first full DO in 1956 and, at that time, boasted up to 1,500 hectares of vines. Since then the needs of the housing market have superseded those of the vineyard, and today there are only 560 hectares of vineyards, even with an extension in 1989 which took the DO zone up the mountain-side and into four new districts(known as "Valles") with markedly different soil structure and a more continental climate. However, it's what' s in the bottle that counts, and the reputation of Alella wines in the UK sits more or less upon the shoulders of one bodegas: Parxet, which produces the Marques de Alella wines. Other producers may have been slow to join the revolution at first, but the obvious success of the Marques de Alella is a real encouragement for the others, should they choose to follow a similar route. CLIMATE GRAPES AND YIELD There are small experimental plantations of Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabemet-Franc, PinotNoir, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and other 'foreign' varieties, and the Parxet Bodegas are already marketing Chardonnay versions of their "Marques de Alella" wines. Maximum yield is 6,500 kg/ha @ 70 litres/100 kg which equates to 45.5 hl/ha. VINICULTURE THE WINES VINTAGES SUMMARY Grapes (White): Pansa Blanca Xarel.lo),Garnacha Blanca, Max. Yield: 6,500 kg/ha @ 70 litres/100 kg = 45.5 hl/ha Soil: Lowlands: sandy earth over granite; uplands, sandy earth over limestone. Climate: Lowlands: Mediterranean, uplands, more continental with colder winters. Average temperature 15.80C, rainfall 600mm, sunshine 2,500 hours. Wines: Reds, whites and rosado 11.5%-13.5% abv, but it is the whites which make the region's reputation. Bodegas:Only three - Roura, Parxet and the Co-operative. Production: (1990 harvest): 4,720 hl Sales figures (1991/2): Total 5,947 hl; Exports 341 hl; to UK 100 hl; Biggest importer UK. Consejo Regnlador de Alella UP DO AMPURDAN / EMPORDA - COSTA BRAVA HISTORY The vineyards of Ampurdan-Costa Brava sit in the top right-hand corner of Spain, with the Mediterranean to the east and France to the north. Indeed, the vineyards themselves are contiguous with the two French Appellations Controlees of Banyuls and Cotes du Roussillon, both of which were once part of greater Catalunya, and where the language and cooking are very Catalan. Like Penedes, Ampurdan-Costa Brava used to produce the heavy rancios and sweet wines which were popular around this corner of the Mediterranean before the second world war (just like its neighbours in France, indeed). Since then, also like Penedes, the growers and wine makers have turned their attention to the needs of the market, in the form of healthier clones of vines and new fermentation technology. As always, it is the smaller, independent bodegas which tend to take up this sort of thing first, with the co-operatives lumbering along behind perhaps because co-operative decisions always have to be taken by a committee. GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY This is where the Pyrenees finally come down to the sea, and the vineyards slope down from about 200m to sea level. The soil is brown, well-drained and with a reasonable amount of limestone content. CLIMATE Mediterranean, with the influences of wet winds from the south and cold winds
from the north, particularly the Tramontana, which can achieve Force 12 on
occasions. GRAPES AND YIELD The most widely-planted grape of the DO is the Carinena (67% of the vineyard), which is mainly used in the production of Ampurdan-Costa Brava's rosado wines (some 70% of the total). The other permitted red grape is the Garnacha tinta (26%). Permitted white grapes are the Macabeo (4%) and the Garnacha Blanca. Experimentation is rife: Cabernet-Sauvignon and UIl de Llebre (Tempranillo)
are to be found in official vineyards (i.e those supervised by the Consejo), and
elsewhere. As an example, a plantation outside Perelada has Syrah, Chenin,
Riesling, Muscat and Gerwurztraminer, next door to Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot,
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Macabeo, Chardonnay, Parellada and Xarello VITICULTURE Vines are staked to preserve them from the effects of the ''Tramontana'' wind, which can gust up to 120 kmh at its worst. Experimental planting is widespread and each variety may be grafted and pruned in a different way. The experimental plantation mentioned above has its vines grafted on a rotating selection of rootstocks: 161-49, 41B, 160-R, 140--Rup, S04, 11O-R, and pruned alternately Royat and Guyot to establish the best possible combination of grape variety, rootstock and pruning. It will take several years to analyse the results. VINICULTURE Most of the co-operatives are still using epoxy- concrete vats, but the independent sector has already opted for the stainless steel and hi-tech of Penendes. Again, this has been helped by the fact that Cava is produced in a similar area, which means that high quality expertise is endemic to the area If the experimental vine varieties show well, it seems Iikely that Ampurdan will go the way of Penedes and make the wines it wants to make, whether or not they fit the recommendations ofthe Consejo Regulador. THE WINES Most of the wine made in Ampurdan-Costa Brava is rosado (11.5%-13.5% abv), and made from the Garnacha, sometimes with an admixture of Carinena . White wines (1 1%-13.5% abv) are made from the white grapes, but also from Garnacha (and, occasionally, Carinena) vinified en blanco and mixed with grapes, producing wines with considerable body. Ampurdan-Costa Brava's reds are usually a mix of Garnacha and Carinena, in a ratio of anything from 80-20 to 20-80. There is some Crianza wine but nothing older. However, early experiments with mixtures of traditional and 'outsider' varieties have thrown up some interesting samples, and Ampurdan's future may he in the direction of good quality reds. One bodega, for example, is making an excellent Gran Reserva with 50/50 Tempranillo and Garnacha. During the 1980s many producers started to make a ''nouveau'' style of wine in the autumn of each year, in the manner of Beaujolais Nouveau. Its Catalan name is "Vi Novell de l'Emporda" (in Castilian "Vine Novel del Ampurdan''), for export to France, but it has had something of a mixed reception. Interestingly, perhaps one of the best traditional wines of this DO is the "Garnatxa" which is a sweet orange-red wine made from 100% Garnacha by the ''vin de paille' ' method (grapes dried on straw mats before pressing), achieving an alcoholometry of l5% abv+ 5 degrees Be. It keeps for 10 years, or even longer. Breakdown of production by type is as follows: 60% Rosado, 25% Red Joven, 3% Red Crianza, 8% White, 4% Garnatxa d'Emporda VINTAGES The following table gives the general quality of the vintage since 1980. Key; D-poor, R-average, B-good, MB-very good, E-Excellent): 1980: R 1981: R 1982: MB 1983: MB SUMMARY Area of DO zone: 2,977 ha Grapes (Red): Cari~ena, Garnacha Tinta. (White): Mat Yield: 7,000 kg/ha @ 70 litres/100 kg = 49 hl/ha Soil: Fertile brown earth with limestone. Climate: Mediterranean, average temperature 16 degs C; rainfall 600-700mm; sunshine 2,400 hours Wines: Rosado (70%), white, red, some with Crianza Bodegas: 1992-20 Production: 1992 - 48,000 hl; 1993 - 53,349 hl* (*These are sales figures for the Campania). World Exports: 1992 - 87,800 litres; 1993 - 381,800 litres Consejo Regulador de Ampurdan-Costa Brava UP DO CONCA DE BARBERA HISTORY It has been a long, hard road to DO status for this region, sandwiched between the DO Tarragona in the southeast and the DO Costers dei Segre in the north-west, and contiguous with both. Many of the local growers thought they had the situation well in hand in 1972, when This was ratified in 1975 and then... Nothing happened. It took until 1985 for the region's regulations to be approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, but they were subsequently rejected by the Minister and sent back for further work. Conca de Barbera finally won its DO "spurs" on the 16th December, 1989. A lot had changed, in the world of Cataluna wine, since the region had started out on its route towards the DO. One of the most important changes had been the rise of Cava Conca de Barbera's position - roughly the same altitude as the middle Penedes - makes it an ideal area for growing Cava grapes, and a number of the major Cava producers bought up what had been simple bulk-wine. Bodegas in Conca de Barbera is, precisely for this purpose. Leaving Cava production aside, Conca de Barbera has reaped the benefit for its still wines in the form of spanking new, hi-tech. wineries with all the latest equipment for quality winemaking and quality-control, and the vineyards are showing the characteristic presence of U11 de Llebre TEMPRANILLO) and Cabernet-Sauvignon amongst the Macabeo and Parellada The end result is likely to be that red and rosado wines will feature more and more amongst the whites for which Conca de Barbers has become known, and given the climatic conditions, they should be well worth investigating as the region gets into its DO stride. However, there are (doomed, according to some authorities) moves afoot to have the region annexed to Penedes, led by Miguel Tones and some of the other major producers there. Indeed, the grapes for Torres' Milmanda Chardonnay are grown in Conca de Barbera. Other new developments include 'double vintaging' - an operation often performed by 'Flying' winemakers. This is one example of how it works: a Bodega in Montblanc sources Chardonnay grapes on an early-ripening site, and these are duly harvested and delivered to the Bodega at the end of August/beginning of September, when acidity levels are higher. The Flying Winemaker, using red-hot cold-tank technology makes them into wine as quickly as possible under a simple, three-part brief: easy-access fruit up front in style; instant drinking in development; L2.99 in price in the UK. The winemaker can do this in a matter of about two weeks, and have the new wine run off into vats by mid-September when the harvesting of grapes for the real - or 'classic' wines is just beginning. This gives the Bodega some much-appreciated early cashflow, gets the name of the region to a wider audience and, perhaps most importantly of all, effectively halves the running costs ofthe bodega by using the equipment twice in each year. This technique of double vintaging' is new to Conca de Barbera but well-known across the other side of the country in Rueda and Ribera del Duero, where the , Lurton brothers, amongst others, have been working for same years GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY Most ofthe vineyards are planted in the river valleys of the Francoli and the Ganguera, centring on the town of Montblanc. The vineyard are well-protected from winds, being sheltered by three mountain-ranges: the Tallat in the north, the Prades in the east and the Montsant in the south. The soil is excellent for vine growing, with a light- brown topsoil with some chalk content, mostly alluvia subsoil and a limestone bedrock, at altitudes of between 200 and 400 metres. CLIMATE Temperate on the Mediterranean model with hot summers (up to 35"C)and fairly cold winters (down to 1"C), and a yearly average of 140C. Sunshine averages 2,500 hours and rainfall 450 mm per year. GRAPES AND YIELD Recommended White Grapes: Macabeo (30% of the vineyard), Parellada
(35"/o). VITICULTURE There are potentially some 7,600 ha of land approved for vineyard use, and in the last issue of these Notes we recorded that 6,999 ha were in production. However, there has been a good deal of grubbing-up - some of it prior to replanting with Chardonnay for double-vintaging - and there are now about 6,500 ha in production. Vines are planted in a rectangular pattern with 1.2 metres between vines and 3.4 metres between rows. Older plantations (90% ofthe total) are trained en vase, but more modem vineyards (and the recommended method for all new plantings) are trained on wires, using the Guyot pruning system, or one of its variants. These are likely to be in a rectangular pattern with 1-1.5 metres between vines and 3.54 metres between rows. This is because there are some proposals for mechanical harvesting in the future. Vine-density varies ham 2,000 to 4,500/ha, and rootstocks in use include 1 I0-Richter, (the most popular) 41-B, and 16149. Cryptogamic Diseases : Insect Pests Natural Disasters VINICULTURE THE WINES The white wines - especially the Parellada - follow the new style of early-picked grapes to maintain a good acid balance and a fresh, clean palate. Reds and rosados are mainly jovenes, but there is some Crianza red being made, and they seem to be interested in extending its compass in the future, perhaps even as far as Gran Reserva eventually. Ageing methods are according to the standard Spanish regulations (see section A2.1). VINTAGES The following table gives the general quality ofthe vintage since the
awarding ofthe DO. (Key: D-poor, R-average, B- good, MB-very good,
SUMMARY Area of DO tow: 6.500 ha in production Max. Yield: 7,000 kgma @ 70 litres/100 kg r 49 hl/ha Soil: Light-brown chalky topsoil over alluvial. Limestone bedrock Climate: Mediterranean/Temperate. Average temperature 140C, Summer high 35"C, winter low 10C. Rainfall 450mm, sunshine 2,500 hours. Wines: Red Jovenes and some Crianza Possibly Resena and older in the future. White Jovenes, including varietal Parellada Rosado Jovenes only. Bodegas: (1994) 20 Production: (1990 harvest): Red wines 18,160 hi, White wines 126,330h1, Rosado wines 42,160hl, total 186,650111. Sales figures (1991/2): Total 100,662 hi; Exports 12~27 Consejo Regulador de Conca de Barbera UP Designed and
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