Wine Labels in Spain
Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva, what does it mean?
Spanish wine labels
Tinto Joven - Young Reds
These are young wines that are usually meant to be drunk within a year of bottling. These wines usually go strait from the fermentation tank to the bottle, without the influence of oak. Once allowed to stabilize they are sent directly to the consumer. Joven wines are noted by their bright purple color and intense fruit aromas and flavors.
Roble - Young wine with oak
Roble is a new term applied for a wine that has undergone some barrel aging but not the required time to call the wine a crianza. Roble is sometimes referred to as semi-crianza. Robles can sometimes be on the market as fast as a Joven. The typical time spent barrel aging for these wines is 3-4 months, but they could be aged up to a year like a crianza.
Crianza - Wine with oak
Crianza is a term for wines that have been aged in oak barrels for at least 6 months (12 months if from Rioja or Ribera del Duero) and then aged in the bottle until the wine has reached a total age of 2 years before it can be released to the public. The most common usage of the crianza label today is aged 12 months in oak and then 12 months in the bottle.
Reserva - Aged wine with oak
Reserva are wines that have been aged for at least 12 months in oak and 24 months in the bottle.
Gran Reserva - Aged wine with oak
Gran Reserva are wines that have been aged for at least 18 months in oak and then 48 months in the bottle. Gran Reserva is a style that has been on the decline as more and more people are looking for fresher young wines.
Vino de Autor - Winemakers creation
Vinos de Autor is a new way of expressing wines that do not fit into the older classification system. Most wines from anywhere in the world outside of Spain would fall into this class. This is becoming the almost the norm as more winemakers are choosing to let the wine decide its own fate in stead of a old world law deciding its path.
Blanco Joven - Young white wine
Young white wine served fresh and chilled no more than a year or two old.
Blanco Fermentado en Barrica - White wine with oak
White wine that has been fermented in oak barrels and allowed to age there some time.