Styles Of Rioja

I often get asked about the meaning of words such as "Crianza" or "Reserva" on bottles of Rioja. Well, they simply refer to the ageing process of the wine. Spanish DOC wines (Denominacion de Origen Calificada) are governed by very strict rules (as are AC wines in France) regarding their manufacture, grape variety, maturing standards etc. The majority of Rioja is aged in small oak barrels (225 litres), made from American oak, which gives it that distinctive vanilla and leathery flavour. Different styles are aged for different periods of time.

First there is Vino Joven, literally meaning "young", which is a wine that may or may not have spent some time in casks before being bottled. Not much of this gets to the UK, so it's a bit of a rarity.

Next comes "Crianza", which literally translates as "rearing" or "nursery". This must be at least two years old before release, and have spent at least six months of its maturing in oak casks - the rest in bottle. Moving on to "Reserva" - these must be at least three years old, of which one year in casks, and are generally wines from selected vats of the better vintages.

Top of the tree is "Gran Reserva" which should be produced only in exceptional vintages. These red wines must be at least five years old before release, having spent at least two years in cask and three in bottle. As with other styles, these are minimum requirements, and many winemakers mature their wines for much longer than is stipulated.

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