Learning Spanish in Spain is a good opportunity to understand some aspects of the wine culture which exist there. The vintage corresponds to the year which the grapes are harvested to produce the wine. Since the regulations passed in 1979, the vintage year published on the label of every bottle of wine must correlate to at least 85% of the grape crop used in that wine´s production, with any difference coming from wines produced from previous grape harvests and kept in reserve. Coupage, deriving from a French word, refers to the technique used in the blending of multiple wines.
Spanish and wines. La Rioja. Study Spanish in Logroño.
Each wine producing region rates the vintage, the possible ratings being:
E …: Excellent.
MB : Very good.
B …: Good.
R …: Regular.
D …: Poor.
You can find the vintage ratings by Denomination of Origin here: vintages.
The Sherry wines of Jerez consist of multiple wines produced in different years, and for this reason will not usually display a specific vintage year on the bottle.
Whichever Spanish city chosen to learn Spanish in will offer an opportunity to discover more about the wine culture, including vintages and wine aging. However, some cities stand out as being more important in this area, both economically and culturally, and offer more opportunities in wine tasting and the study of wine. Logrono, Valladolid, or Jerez-Puerto de Santa Maria are all good places to study Spanish whilst enjoying and learning about the wine culture.
According to la Ley de la Vina y del Vino (The Vine and Wine Law), red wines are classified according to the amount of aging the wine has received, with wines being classified as either Joven (Young), Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva. In recent years another category called Roble (Oak) has also been recognised. This falls between the Young wines and the Crianza wines, and describes wines which have been placed in oak barrels for a few months less than the regulatory requirements.
JOVEN (Young Wine): Known as wine of the year. They are young wines and are produced for immediate sale and consumption.
CRIANZA (Aged Wine): Aged for two years with a minumum of six months in oak barrels, with some regions like Rioja stating that twelve months is better than six months in oak, and two years in the bottle. These wines are sold in their third year.
RESERVA (Reserve Wine): Aged for three years with a minimum of twelve months in oak barrels and twenty four months in the bottle. Sold in their fourth year.
GRAN RESERVA (Great Reserve Wine): Made from wines from the best harvests and aged for five years with a minimum of eighteen months in oak barrels and the rest in the bottle.
Tags: Jerez, La Rioja, Spanish and wine, Valladolid, Wines of Spain