The following years

Putting it simply one could say that in its first two years wine undergoes the process of spontaneous stabilisation, resulting in the formation of sediment from suspended particles of matter which prevent lustre. In the following years, once racked, the wine undergoes the true ageing process, either in barrel or in bottle. These are the processes by which aromas are purified and new ones created, the colour evolving towards a ruby red.

Of course it is not as simple as that, for the process of spontaneous stabilisation is to a large extent associated with those of ageing. A wine can create aromas typical of ageing whilst depositing small particles as sediment which still prevents lustre.

In association with this, (offering a standardised framework), the administrative standards of the Regulating Council of the Control of Origin of the Rioja dictate the periods of time to be passed in the different types of container which condition the evolution of the wine, thus exercising strict control, possibly the strictest in the world. With this common base, care taken over the choice of grapes, the great care taken in the fermentation process and care taken in their own vineyards, each bodega can make outstanding wines.

The label gives details of the commercial entity, the type of wine, the bottle capacity and the registered numbers of the bottler and Health Control. The seal or rear label guarantees that the contents have successfully passed the primary quality control of Rioja wine and that it is a product carefully controlled by the Regulating Council.

These are the minimum guarantees of the seals which are very probably simplified to:

	Crianza One and a half years in large vats followed by one year in cask and finally half a year in bottle.In some cases this would be one year in vat, another in cask and a final year in bottle.
	Reserva One year in cask and two in bottle.
	Gran Reserva Two years in cask and three in bottle.

Guarantee of origin. These are wines whose origin guarantees high quality. Although the time in bottle is not specified, the wines have been in cask sufficient time to be stable and preservable in bottle. Quality also depends on the climatic conditions prevailing during the harvest.

These are minimum guarantees offered by the bodegas. Some of the more prestigious bodegas like to go far beyond these minimums in their marketing of certain wines.