GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE VINEYARD
Autonomous region of Castilla La Mancha
Area: 79,230 km²
Population: 1, 712,550 inhabitants
Capital: Toledo
DESCRIPTION OF THE VINEYARD OF CASTILLA LA MANCHA
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Location
of the vineyard:
Situated in the central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula,
La Mancha is the most extensive natural region of Spain
and the most important grape and wine-growing zone of
the world, where you can find the largest area of vineyard
per km².
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For example, the production
of Airén represents 90% of the 135,000 hectares planted
of white wine, following by the red grape Cencibel also known
as Tempranillo.
Total
area: 30,700 km²; it is composed of the
following provinces: Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real,
Guadalajara and Toledo.
Cultivation
area: More than 500,000 hectares of vineyard.
Total
production: About 25 millions of hectolitres
per year.
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History:
La Mancha was the wine cellar of the Spanish Court
from the XVIth century to the middle of the XIXth century.
THE
“DENOMINACIÓN DE ORIGEN “(D.O.) LA MANCHA
LABEL
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The Council Regulation: This Corporation
of public law has as fundamental mission the defense
and promotion of the viticulture from its area of
production thanks to the guarantee, the quality and
the control of its wines.
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Creation
of the D.O. La Mancha in 1973.
This control committee has succeeded in reinforcing the quality
of the wines of La Mancha region providing more profitability
and credibility in its relationship with the consumers.
The
D.O. La Mancha is the most extensive D.O. of the world, with
178 000 hectares planted, and welcomes more than 300 wine
cellars, 22 000 wine-growers: 200 firms market bottled wine,
80 sell their products abroad, 100 from the D.O. La Mancha
produce ageing wines also called Crianza wines.
The
D.O. label informs us about the origin of the wine (specific
zone of production), the authorized grape-vine varieties for
this D.O., the guarantee of the quality by means of various
controls (chemical analysis), the regulation concerning the
production of the wine, the approved cultivation and wine
expertises practices.
The
wine tasting committee: Quality Council, neuralgic
centre of the D.O. La Mancha which tastes wines candidates
for the D.O. La Mancha, thanks to surprises controls realised
by the experts of the Council in the wine cellars, ensuring
extraordinary both quality and credibility of these prestigious
wines on the foreign markets.
| Millions
of hectolitres |
SPAIN |
Castilla
La Mancha |
Spanish harvest 2003
Wine and must
|
46.77
(Record : +17.69 % compared with 2002)
|
25.5
(54.52 % of the total) |
Table
wine |
23´79 |
16.9
(71 % of the total) |
Local
wines |
3´8 |
1´5 |
Wines from D.O. |
12´5
|
1´5 |
Must
production |
6´4
|
5´5 |
Others (flavoured wines, specials and vinegars) |
17.000 |
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Consequently,
the wine production is the most dynamic activity of the industrial
network of La Mancha region.
It will become without doubt the region leader in Spain for
the volume of bottled wine sold and exports realized, the
production of premium wines, the improvement of the quality
of its wines.
Thanks to its quality price ratio, it has competitive and
attractive products (best price offer) due to the numerous
existent vineyards, offering a more economical price of the
grape than in the rest of Spain.
THE PROVINCE OF TOLEDO
A LARGE WINE-GROWING TRADITION AND AN ANCESTRAL KNOW-HOW
A
favoured site in the centre of the Peninsula
representing an ideal place for the cultivation of the
grape-vine.
Unique
climate conditions: “Dry Spain”,
temperate and Mediterranean climate with continental
nuance, microclimate (dryness, harsh winters, hot summers,
humid winds, rare precipitations).
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Important
thermal oscillations: Temperatures varying from -8ºC
to 38ºC.
Rainfall:
Less than 300 to 400 L/ m² of rain per year.
Sunshine:
A total of 3,000 sun hours per year.
Altitude:
Between 600 and 700 metres above sea level.
Type
of soil/ subsoil: Zone of plains, arid and reddish
soil which results from sediments of the Miocene period, and
chalky crust structure.
TYPES OF WINES FROM LA MANCHA
A large choice of wines
from D.O. La Mancha: Young white wine, young varietal or ageing
red and rosé wine, sparkling wine.
Grape
variety
• Airén, Viura or Macabeo, Pardillo,
Verdoncho, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc for white wines.
• Cencibel or Tempranillo, Garnacha,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Moravia, Merlot, Syrah for red wines.
We
usually used to indicate on the label on the back, for example
for red wines:
• The harvest year
• The ageing degree
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Young wine: Without maturing, it should be consumed
until 9 months since its production.
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Traditional wine: (Crop, grape harvest) which natural
life can be compared with any other maturing wine, even if
its conservation has been realised in tanks or in large earthen
jars.
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Crianza wine: With 2 years of natural ageing, which
one must be in casks or bottles.
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Reserve wine: Upper quality wine, 3 years
ageing in casks or bottles, at least a year maturing
in oak casks and 2 years in bottles.
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Grand Reserve wine: At least a year and a
half maturing in oak casks and 3 years and a half
in bottles.
•
Sparkling wine: For its
production, we usually used the traditional method,
at least 9 months maturing in bottles.
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