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 wines5 to 6-7 : “souples” (balanced?)>6-7: Thick, fat

Emile 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 SpainOften 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