IBERIAN PENINSULA

IBERIAN PENINSULA IS–   Countries- 2      @Portugal, Spain

  • WHITE=   |   RED= “Almost Everything”  **Refer to Countries/ Sub-Chapters For Varietal Information.

GEOGRAPHY– REGION-Europe(Western), REGION– Iberian Peninsula

  • COUNTRIES-Spain, Portugal,  LATITUDE:  °   ‘N‘

TOPOGRAPHIC– FEATURES– “Flat/ Rolling/ Hilly/ Mountainous/ Terraced/ Valley/ Plateau”

  • CANTABRIAN MOUNTAINS
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula(North)
  • DUORO RIVER/ VALLEY
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula(Spain & Portugal)
  • MESETA PLATEAU  AKA=Meseta Central Plateu
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula(North-Central), Rimmed and Dissected by Mountain Ranges.
      • Leon Mountains(West), Cordillera Cantabrian Mountains(North), Sistema Central Mountains(Sierra de Gredos/ Sierra de  Guaderrama)(South), Iberian Mountains(Sierra de la Demanda)(East)
  • PYRENEES MOUNTAINS
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula(North-East)
      • BETWEEN-Spain & France, From Bay of Biscay(North) & Mediterranean Sea(South)
      • Formed by the Collision of the Iberian Micro-Plate and the European Plate 30 Million Years Ago.
  • EBRO RIVER/ VALLEY
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula( Spain/ North-East)
  •  MEDITERRANEAN COAST
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula( Spain & Portugal)
  • IBERIAN CORDILLERA
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula(South-Interior)
      • BETWEEN– Rioja/ Aragon & Central Plateau
  • BAETIC CORDILLERA
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula(South-Interior), BETWEEN– Costa del Sole &
  • CATALAN COASTAL MOUNTAINS
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula(South-East)
  • SIERRA MORENA MOUNTAINS
    • Geography- Iberian Peninsula(South-Interior)

CLIMATE– “Atlantic/ Oceanic”, “Mediterranean”, “Continental”

SOILS– “Metamorphic”, “Volcanic”, “Sedimentary”

VITICULTURE–

  • The Iberian Peninsula Went Through a “Viticultural Stagnation” In the 1900’s.  The Phylloxera Epidemic, Coupled With the Civil War In Spain Followed by the Franco Political Regime Left the Vineyard and Wineries In Disarray and Separated From the Rest of the Wine World.

HISTORY

  • 711 @Andalucia– “Invaded”,
    • Muslim Moors From North Africa Crossed the Straights of Gibraltar and Invaded the Iberian Peninsula. They Took Over, Converted Most of Its Inhabitants and Ruled For 5 Centuries. It Wasn’t Until 1245 That the Moors Were Pushed Back by a Crusade by the Churches In a Effort to Reclaim There Land. Finally In 1492 They Were Expelled Completly. The Moors Left a Distinct Mark On Andalucian Culture That Can Still Be Seen and Felt Today.

CULTURE–

  • TOP IBERIAN PENINSULA DO.
    • CRITERIA– History, Culture, Magnitude, Quality, Terroir, Diversity In Wine, Wine Tourism, Personal Preference
      1. Duoro Valley DO., Duriense, Portgual
      2. Ribero Douro DO., Castile & Leon, Spain
      3. Vinho Verde DO., Minho, Portugal
      4. Priorat DO., Calalunya, Spain
      5. Rioja DO., Rioja, Spain
      6. Canary Islands DO., Spainish Islands

GEOGRAPHIC DISCLAIMER~ “To Understand the Wine World and Benefit From DtheV.com a Understanding of Iberian Peninsula’s Geography is Needed and the Ability to Visualize Its Wine Regions Topography.  Iberian Peninsula is Organized In a North to South / East to West Orientation and Intended to Be Researched  as So.”

  • SUB-CHAPTERS Of IBERIAN PENINSULA
    • Spain
    • Portugal
  • **Refer to Proceeding Sub-Chapters For Information On These Countries.

**Refer to “BIBLIOGRAPHY/ Sources” For Details On Scholarly Works Referenced.