Crianza wine

We often hear about wine aging or aged wine, but what exactly is wine aging? And what is an aged wine?

When we talk about wine aging, we are talking about the aging process and how wine develops over time. Wine can be aged in barrels, vats made of different materials or in the bottle. Wine is expected to improve, refine and settle during this process, as well as develop unique and dominant aromas. Aging wines can also make them longer-living.

It is important to remember that a wine’s aging potential and aptitude depend on many factors, from cultivation in the vineyard, the climate of a particular year, the vineyard’s soil, production, winemaking methods… all of these factors influence and determine a wine’s aging ability. Aging and good development will only work with a certain level of quality both in the vineyard and in the winery.

As well as that, the crianza wine denomination in Spain classifies wines according to how long they have been aged. This label is only given to reds that have aged for a total of 24 months before being sold, at least 6 of which must have been in barrels with a maximum size of 330 litres. Whites and rosés must have aged for 18 months with a minimum of 6 months in the barrel. However, there is an exception. With DOCa Rioja red wines, the criteria for being classed as a crianza red wine are slightly different. Here, the wine must spend at least 12 months in the barrel and 12 in the bottle before being sold, the minimum time spent in the barrel is longer than in the rest of Spain.

Because of the production methods used, aged wines show some characteristics of young wine, but they also begin to display certain attributes that can only be achieved through aging. Some aromas gained from aging might be: nuts, honey, dried flowers, chamomile, dried apricots, undergrowth, truffle, mushrooms, heather, cocoa, tobacco, liquorice, vanilla, oak, toast...

Now you know a bit more about crianza wines. Why not take a look at our selection!