Spanish Wine Labels On Spanish Wine Bottles

We all buy wine because we are attracted to the label only to be disappointed when the contents do not match our expectations. Spending a few seconds reading the label can pay real dividends. Modern Spanish wine labels are centuries away from their ornate, wire-encrusted predecessors. Spanish wine producers recognize the importance of clear labelling and the use of foreign languages especially for the export market.

The front label gives some basic information such as the name of the wine, the type and quality classification of the wine, the area of origin, the age of the wine and often the grape varieties. This article will consider Spanish quality classifications and terminology to do with aging. We also have an article on the back labels of Spanish wine bottles.

Quality Classifications of Spanish Wines

Wines in Spain are classified into three types: 1) vino de mesa - table wine, 2) vino de la tierra - regional wine, and 3) vino de calidad - quality wine.

Quality wines are divided into Denominaciones de Origen (DO) wine growing areas such as La Mancha, Ribera del Duero etc, and Denominaciones de Origen Calificada (DOCa) which are regions rated of the highest quality over a long period of time and includes only Rioja and Priorato.

It is worth commenting that many Vinos de la Tierra (VdlT) are of excellent quality
and by the same token not all Riojas are of high quality.

Age of the Wine

Joven: means young and is applied to wines meant for immediate drinking.

Semi-crianza, roble, fermentada en barrica, x meses en barrica: are all terms used to describe wines that have been put in oak (roble) barrels (barricas) for a few months (meses) less than the regulatory requirements. In general, this may be seen as a sign of good wine making!

The following terms vary slightly from region to region and are intended as a guide.

Crianza: aged for 2 years with a minimum of 6 months in oak and 18 months in the bottle before being sold.
Reserva: aged for 3 years -12 months in oak and 24 months in the bottle.
Gran Reserva: aged for 5 years  24 months in oak and 36 months in the bottle.

This Article on Sweet Spanish Wine was written by Steve Bannell of Alegria Wines. Telephone 0034 626 469 154

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