by Vinolé

In order to explain the wide variety and wealth of Spanish wines and winegrowing areas, the Spanish government has created tools with which to inform and protect consumers purchasing wines.
Despite this, it is sometimes not easy to understand the differences between the regions, designations of origin, varieties and terms used on labels.
This section explains Spanish legislation governing labels according to the ageing of wines made under a designation of origin, a geographical indication of top quality.
The decision to apply for the classification of wines and official Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva labels corresponds to the winery. The purpose behind the use of these terms is to inform consumers; they do not determine the quality or type of wine in question.
Consequently, many wineries prefer to include the date when the wine was bottled and the time it spent in oak barrels on their labels. Together with the year of the vintage, this information indicates the time and type of ageing of the wine. Others mention the age and characteristics of the barrels, which has a direct influence on the quality of the wine.

The general regulations lay down the following classifications and requirements:

• Crianza: Wine for which at least two years have passed since it was harvested and which has spent 12 months ageing in wood.

• Reserva: 3 years after the harvest and at least 12 months in wood.

• Gran reserva: 3 years after the harvest and at least 24 months in wood.

The Rioja and Ribera del Duero Designations of Origin are in accordance with the general regulations explained above, but certain regulating councils, which are the bodies that control the designations of origin, have laid down different classification criteria in accordance with the special characteristics of their area. In the Toro designation of origin, it is sufficient for the wine to have spent six months in the barrel for it to be classified as a Crianza.
If the regulating council label does not bear any of these terms, the wine is either young or the winery has decided not to use the labels issued by the area to classify the type of ageing.
Some winery labels use the term Barrica, which indicates that the wine has aged for a short period only, not long enough for it to be considered a Crianza. There are no official council labels for Barrica wines. The use of the terms Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva on the winery's labels is not permitted if the wine has not been classified as such by the corresponding regulating council.