The Best Value Wines From Rioja

The Reverse Wine Snob picks for the best value (mostly under $20) wines from Rioja, including the ones to buy right now! Read on for our Guide to Rioja Wine.

Words like Reserva and Gran Reserva carry little meaning in many places in the winemaking world. Wineries are free to slap the label on a bottle for no other reason than marketing if they please.

In places like Rioja in Spain; however, that's definitely not the case. These terms actually carry strict regulations and thus mean something. And as a result, they offer a great guide to consumers as to what they can expect to find inside the bottle.

Specifically, here's what those terms mean in Rioja.

The Rioja Classification System

Genérico (Previously called Joven or Young wines)

Wines in their first or second year. There are no aging requirements.

Crianza wines

Wines which are at least in their third year, having spent a minimum of one year in casks and a few months in the bottle. For white wines, the minimum cask ageing period is 6 months.

Reserva wines

Selected wines of the best vintages that have been aged for a minimum of 3 years, with at least one year in casks. For white wines in Rioja, the minimum ageing period is 2 years, with at least 6 months in casks.

Gran Reserva wines

Selected wines from exceptional vintages which have spent at least 2 years in oak casks and 3 years in the bottle. For white wines, the minimum ageing period is 4 years, with at least one year in casks.

One other thing you'll notice in these regulations is the amount of time specified for wines to age in bottle. In what is a pretty unique situation in the wine world, Rioja as a whole has decided that they do not want to release their wines until they are ready to drink.

This doesn't mean the wines can't age well for a significantly long time after release, but it does mean that as a consumer you can be sure that that bottle of Rioja you buy this afternoon is going to taste great at dinner tonight, no additional aging required.

Click here to get a printable shopping list of our recommended wines!

As far as grapes go, Tempranillo is king here, but you'll also find plenty of Garnacha along with smaller amounts of Graciano, Mazuelo, Viura and Garnacha Blanca among others.

We love Rioja wines, so at Reverse Wine Snob we make an effort to taste as many as we can. Here then are all of our favorites that deliver tremendous value. And while they are mostly under $20, we also include a few over $20 "Saturday Splurges" that are definitely worth the higher price tag. Cheers!

Read on for our list of The Best Value Wines From Rioja!