An explanation of some terms used in Spanish, Valencian and other wines:
Batonnage: Literally stirring the lees with a stick. See here for further details.
Cava: Spain’s sparkling wine, the vast majority (almost 95%) from Penedès in Catalonia, but the Cava DO now includes 6 or more regions that have Cava DO status (including Valencia, Rioja, Extremadura and Cariñena), though there is also good sparkling wine made in Spain (and Valencia) that does not adhere to Cava grapes or other specifications.
Crianza (see also 'Reserva' and 'Gran Reserva'): Some slight variations in different regions of Spain, but generally it means the wine has spent at least six months in oak barrels.
Doble Pasta: Spanish for 'double paste' (or double pomace), referring to red wine that is made by fermenting a second batch of must over the lees of a prior batch. This essentially results in a much heavier wine. 'Doble pasta' wines are often used for blending elsewhere to boost more lightweight reds. These wines were widespread in Utiel-Requena as part of the bulk export wine industry.
Fondillón: An unfortified, semi-sweet, Monastrell-based 'rancio' (oxidized or maderized) wine, made from grapes which are left to overripen on the vine before fermentation. The resulting wine is aged in large oak barrels in the solera system (see below) for no less than eight years and often more than twenty. The process slowly oxidizes the wine, adding complexity. A wine with 500 years of written history behind it.
Gran Reserva: Minimum 2 years in oak and 3 years in bottle for reds. For whites and rosés, the wine must be at least 4 years old and have spent a minimum of 6 months in oak barrels.
Maceration (Carbonic, Cold and Extended): In general, red wine grapes are crushed and steeped in their juice for days or weeks before, during, or after fermentation. This time, during which the broken skins are in contact with the juice, determines much about the colour, flavour, tannin content and aroma of the resulting wine. Different kinds of maceration may be distinguished:
Pre-fermentation Cold Maceration is the period of time used to extract colour and flavour prior to the start of fermentation. This time period can be extended by chilling the macerating fruit to prevent fermentation.
Extended Maceration is the extra time that the red wine is in contact with the skins after primary fermentation has completed.
Carbonic Maceration is the fermentation of whole clusters of unbroken grapes in an atmosphere saturated with carbon dioxide, which prevents fermentation. This method is used to increase the fruitiness of a wine.
Mistela (aka Moscatel de Valencia, Vino de Licor or Vino dulce natural): These sweet wines (made from Moscatel in the Valencia region) are made by adding grape spirit to partly fermented wine, which stops the fermentation process while there is still considerable sugar present. Some (Estrella 10, Moscatel Vittore) are cheap and cheerful, others (Casta Diva Cosecha Miel) are luxury wines. I like them all.
Reserva: As above, but the wine (for reds) must be at least 3 years old and have spent at least 12 months in oak barrels. For whites and rosés (much rarer), the wine must be at least 2 years old and have spent a minimum of 6 months in barrel.
Solera:Basically a solera is a collection of barrels of the same wine of differing ages, the older ones being nourished by the new wines each year. The wines are aged together to marry the flavours and add complexity.
Vinos de la Tierra: For those who can read Spanish here is a good explanation of the Valencia region's two VdTs (El Terrerazo and Castellón). There are some 55 country wine areas which do not have EU QWPSR status but which may use a regional name. As with Fincas El Terrerazo, they may make exceptional wine and prefer the freedom of remaining outside a Denominación de Origen. See wines marked VdtC in the El Boletín guide and VdtT in the Anuario Gastronómico.
Vinos de Mesa: This has conventionally been understood to mean 'basic table wine', but it should be noted that there are producers who, as with Vinos de la Tierra above, prefer the independence of making excellent wines without the restrictions — in terms of grape varieties, etc. — that go with operating within a DO or related designation. See, for instance, the wines marked VM in the Anuario Gastronómico. |