Traditional Rioja uses a long-respected classification
system. Ordinary Rioja is aged for less than one year in an
oak barrel. Crianza is aged two years with at least one year
of it in oak. Riserva has three years of aging with at least
one of those years in oak. And lastly, Gran Riserva has
two years of aging in oak and an additional three years of
aging in the bottle. As these wines are aged so long prior
to being shipped, your local retail store will often feature
much older vintages in the Spanish wine section than
you would find in the New Zealand, Australian, American
or French sections. Thus, the Rioja sold in retail stores
offers you the opportunity to have a classic wine that has
HYLAND
