italian wine facts

three ways to label wine in italy

1. grape and region 
moscato d'asti, brunello d'montelicino

2. regional name
chianti, soave

3 fantasy name
sassicia


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italy didnt truly have electricity until the mid 1980s!
with it came refrigeration, and temperature controlled fermentation, resulting in more finesse especially in whites. slower fermentation creates more glycerol, adds elegance and ensures all the sugar is consumed but the yeasts.

vineyard management also led to improvements. no trellising, canopy management have improved the quality in the wines.

prosecco charmant

prosecco is the grape variety and the name of the wine
comes from the Veneto and made with the Charmat process

prosecco used to be trellised overhead, but because of the all the non-grape specific production required of the vine in this format, the wine was less than perfect. All the growing season went towards leaf production, and with the overhead trellis, it was impossible to trim the canopy, and the water and energy were lost in all the extra feet of trunk.

in the mid to late 80's these trellises were ripped up and replanted single guyot. with a much higher quality of wine has resulted


Charmant is also known as tank fermentation.
process is the wine is fermented bone dry, usually letting the resultant gas escape
(although the gas can be kept in the wine, and bottled with the first fermentation)
resulting dry still wine is placed in a tank with a chapeau, or a closed tank, and sugar and yeast are added.
not much is needed,
4g per liter for frizzante
6g per liter for spumante

plus extra for any desired residual sweetness. wine is pumped out of the tank, directly though a filter and bottled directly with gas but no yeast in the bottle.

italian wine

vdt 
vino de tavola

table wine. no limits.  red white or rose.

igt 1992
indicazione graphica tipica
loose rules, open laws, broad regional styles. 130 IGT none in piedmont

doc 1963
deniminazione de origine controllata - represents 'style of  the region'
region
vintage
min abv
varietals
yield

docg 1963
deniminazione de origine controllata garantita
same as doc, but double panel tasting ensures the wine is of proper regional style
all docg must be aged, ex barolo, 3 years and 5 years for riserva
need 5 years at doc before docg

Superiore 
.5 to 1% more alcohol that what doc/g allows, is labeled as superiore

Riserva
lower yields and min aging requirements

Classico
refers to the original delimited doc area, the heart of the area and usually the oldest producers

Castilla y Leon

Castilla y Lyon is out of green spain, away from the ocean, protected by the Cantabrian mountains, creating a rain shadow effect.


Rueda
red clay, brings a freshness to verdejo. bright fruit, tropical, guava grapefruit


Toro
Hot and dry sandy soil, resisted phylloxera and as a result there are staggered aged old bush vines

the grape is called Tinto de Toro and is a thick skinned clone of tempranillo

dark fruit, spiced, tobacco, roasted meat, french oak


Ribera del Duero
along the Duero river banks, high altitude, dry chalky red soil, growing Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais
also clones of Tempranillo growing in bush vines

complex, earthy reds, with smoked meat and spice

Bierzo
furthest east region in Castilla y Leon, higher altitude, more sun, and drier than Ribera Sacra with the rainshadow from the Cantabrian mountains. Mencia is the grape here, and it is richer, and more oak is used.

Galicia DOs

Riberio was made a DO in 1988
Its main grape is Treixadura, a floral yet lean mineral white
aluvial soils with clay and limestone
A lot of wines from Riberio are field blends, mixed with Albarino, and Godello



Valdeorras literally 'valley of gold' DO 1945
Godello is the most important grape. Fatter and fleshy, but still able to maintain acid and minerality
Vina Godeval was a 12th century monastery 

Runs along the river Sil with exposed diverse soils


Rias Baixas DO 1988
The most known of the Galician DOs
Albarino is the grape, floral, salty, mineral, grassy
Runs along the Mino river in parts (O Rosal)

5 sub regions
O Rosal, Condado de Tea are the important ones?
Vines are trellised due to moisture, allowing breezes to dry

Vintage variation due to early rains at harvest time

Moneterrei

Monterrei is a small inland DO, wikipedia says it was a DO in 1960 but then suspended until 1994

Local whites make up the grapes, treixadura, dona blanca and godello, with a little bit of mencia and tempranillo


Ribera Sacra 'Sacred Banks'
Was made a DO in 1997 but vines have been planted since the 12th century on terraced hillsides above the Mido and Sil rivers

Menica is the dominant grape, with some albarino and godello

Aluvial over slate subsoil

Galicia / Green Spain

Galicia is called green spain due to its atlantic climate, cool temperatures and the fact that it is quite green and lush with vegetation.

Aluvial soils, from the two major rivers Mino and Sil (Xil)

Lots of rain, meaning less sun, meaning lower ABC whites, more humidity ripening

5 D.O.'s in Galicia and their most important grapes

 Ribiera - Treixedura
Rias Biaxas - Albarino
Valdeorras - Godello
Ribera Sacra - Bierzo
Monterrei

priorat / montsant / catalunya

along the Mediterranean coast, south of Barcelona is Catalunya and amongst the important Catalunya regions are 
Priorat DO 1989 DOQ 2001
Montsant DO 2001

Montsant surrounds Priorat, but Priorat has a special soil, mineral rich slate and quartzite called Llicorela


grapes are

Garnacha
Carinena = Mazuelo
Syrah
Cab Sauv
Merlot

white grapes
Garnacha Blanca
Pedro Ximinez