🏷️ Spanish ageing categories

Spanish ageing categories are Spanish label terms showing how long a wine was aged: joven, roble, crianza, reserva and gran reserva. Spanish ageing categories are marks on the label that show how long the wine spent in oak barrels and in bottle. The main steps are joven, roble, crianza, reserva and gran reserva. The higher the step, the longer the time. This normally applies to red wines.

Joven is a young wine without noticeable ageing. Roble has spent a few months in oak. Crianza requires at least two years of ageing in total, part of it in barrel. Reserva needs at least three years, and gran reserva at least five. Exact times depend on regional rules and the colour of the wine. Some wines also carry the marks noble, añejo and viejo.

The system helps to understand the style of a wine: longer ageing gives softness and aromas of vanilla, spice and dried fruit. But higher does not always mean better: a good young wine can be more interesting than a mediocre reserva. This scale is part of Spanish wine and its tradition.