While Rioja residents have been making wine in that area for more than 2,500 years, the current influence arrived in the late 1800s when French wine makers moved there because disease had struck vine roots in the Bordeaux area of France. Other grapes used can include grenache, carignan and graciano. Most are aged in oak barrels that impart a distinctive vanilla taste. While in years past, many critics have thought the wines were overoaked, there is new attention being paid to the fruitiness of Rioja wines. Spain has more vineyard acreage than any other country in the world and follows Italy and France in terms of production.
Spanish regulations require labeling according to the aging.
Reserva is the middle grade and the finest wines, aged five years or more are called gran reserva. My experts look for a rustic taste, even with a hint of truffle. The fruit they seek is usually bright, tinted with a hint of spice. I asked the wine tasters to sample five crianza wines. Some of them were quite pleasing.