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Rioja’s crianza red wines, the importance of aging
Everyone has heard of wines from La Rioja! This outstanding Spanish wine region is known all over the world for its extraordinary wines. These are wines for all tastes and in almost every possible style, made from exceptional plots under quality standards that have made it worthy of a status that in Spain it only shares with the DOQ Priorat.
But why are the wines of La Rioja so successful around the world? Here at Decántalo, we have a great range to choose from. According to the Rioja Qualified Denomination of Origin, these wines can be identified by two things: by their place of origin and by their aging.
The place of origin is clearly a significant factor in shaping the personality of a wine. The environment, climates, soils, altitude, hours of sun exposure and amount of rain per year will shape the character of each one of them.
On the other hand, aging is another factor that sets Rioja wines apart from each other. Only great wines will last a long time, which is why aging plays a crucial role. Wine being able to develop well over time is the result of using an excellent raw material and knowing how to handle it well, especially when it comes to aging in oak barrels. This process can enhance the qualities of a wine and give it just the right amount of organoleptic characteristics that will complement and enrich it without compromising its essence.
Talking about Rioja wines in terms of their aging process, one of the most popular choices among consumers is the style of wines classified as Crianza.
Do you know what this means?
Rioja Crianza Wines
With Rioja wines, it is the Regulatory Council who stipulate that crianza wines are those that have been aged for at least one year in oak barrels if they are red and at least six months of aging in oak barrels for white wines.
How do you know what kind of wine it is?
The DOCa Rioja makes it easy. The bottle labels always clearly show the classification, as you can see in the image.
What are Rioja crianza wines like?
Although they spend the same time aging in the same way, there are many different styles depending on what each winery wants their wines to taste like and which varieties they use. A mixture of different grapes aged in new oak barrels will not have the same characteristics as a single variety wine that has been aged in used oak barrels. This is part of the magic! Within the same classification there are completely different styles. Remember that wines are alive! And those that are well made are not an industrial product, so each of them will have their own character and personality.
Now let’s look at three different styles of red wines from Rioja so that you can choose the one you think sounds best.
Why not give them a try?
Palacios Remondo La Montesa
Álvaro Palacios, the wine magician, revived the Garnacha variety in his native Rioja, bringing it the prominence that the Tempranillo variety usually enjoys in Rioja wines, which results in a fresh, delicate and pleasant wine. This wine undergoes 12 months of aging in new and used barrels that allow the most subtle and versatile expression of Rioja in a completely accessible way.
Muga Crianza
Behind the name Muga is over 80 years of winemaking history, and the name itself is a guarantee of quality. This red is made with the traditional Rioja coupage. The winery takes the aging process to the limit, with 24 months of aging in American and French oak barrels, which are made in the winery’s own cooperage. This is followed by 12 months of resting in the bottle before being sold. This results in an enveloping and meaty wine, with notes of spices, vanilla and roasted coffee, which it gets from its aging. On the palate it is honeyed and persistent. In short this is exactly what people expect to find in a Rioja wine.
Izadi Crianza
Bodegas Izadi makes this single-variety Tempranillo, Rioja’s reigning grape. It ages for 14 months in French and American oak barrels, 20% of which are new. This results in a juicy, modern, elegant and balanced red. In short, this is a wine you are guaranteed to love.
