Wine by Ageing and Vintage
0–20 yearsHow a red wine changes color with time: from the violet of a young wine to the garnet of a crianza and the brick, or teja, of a gran reserva. Each category at release and after 5, 10 and 20 years.
Anthocyanins slowly bind to tannins and oxidise, so violet gives way to garnet and then to brick, usually first at the rim. Spanish categories for red wine: crianza at least 2 years (6 months in oak), reserva 3 years (1 in oak), gran reserva 5 years (18 months in oak). Tones are approximated from tasting descriptions, not measured.
Joven (young)
Spain · no minimum ageing (not a category in Spanish law)
Released in its first year, with little or no time in oak: purple-red with a magenta rim.
Made to be drunk within a year or two. It is rarely kept for 10 or 20 years, so those columns are theoretical.
At release · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Joven red, at release, rim
RGB(176, 64, 127)
At release · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Joven red, at release, hue
RGB(122, 23, 72)
At release · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Joven red, at release, core
RGB(62, 10, 38)
At release · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Joven red, at release, highlight
RGB(208, 106, 154)
5 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Joven red, 5 years, rim
RGB(177, 71, 115)
5 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Joven red, 5 years, hue
RGB(132, 37, 69)
5 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Joven red, 5 years, core
RGB(83, 26, 42)
5 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Joven red, 5 years, highlight
RGB(203, 105, 137)
10 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Joven red, 10 years, rim
RGB(177, 77, 102)
10 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Joven red, 10 years, hue
RGB(143, 51, 67)
10 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Joven red, 10 years, core
RGB(104, 43, 45)
10 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Joven red, 10 years, highlight
RGB(198, 104, 119)
20 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Joven red, 20 years, rim
RGB(178, 84, 90)
20 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Joven red, 20 years, hue
RGB(153, 65, 64)
20 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Joven red, 20 years, core
RGB(126, 59, 49)
20 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Joven red, 20 years, highlight
RGB(193, 103, 102)
Crianza
Spain · 2 years, at least 6 months in oak
At least two years old when released, with a minimum of six months in oak (twelve in Rioja): a cherry red losing its violet.
Oak lets in a little oxygen, which stabilises the color and starts the move from violet to garnet.
At release · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Crianza red, at release, rim
RGB(184, 74, 92)
At release · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Crianza red, at release, hue
RGB(138, 31, 58)
At release · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Crianza red, at release, core
RGB(71, 12, 29)
At release · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Crianza red, at release, highlight
RGB(212, 112, 127)
5 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Crianza red, 5 years, rim
RGB(183, 79, 86)
5 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Crianza red, 5 years, hue
RGB(146, 44, 58)
5 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Crianza red, 5 years, core
RGB(91, 28, 34)
5 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Crianza red, 5 years, highlight
RGB(206, 110, 115)
10 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Crianza red, 10 years, rim
RGB(183, 84, 80)
10 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Crianza red, 10 years, hue
RGB(153, 56, 58)
10 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Crianza red, 10 years, core
RGB(110, 44, 39)
10 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Crianza red, 10 years, highlight
RGB(200, 108, 102)
20 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Crianza red, 20 years, rim
RGB(182, 89, 74)
20 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Crianza red, 20 years, hue
RGB(161, 69, 58)
20 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Crianza red, 20 years, core
RGB(130, 60, 45)
20 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Crianza red, 20 years, highlight
RGB(195, 106, 90)
Reserva
Spain · 3 years, at least 1 in oak
At least three years old when released, one of them in oak: garnet with a rim already turning orange.
The garnet core holds while the rim moves towards brick.
At release · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Reserva red, at release, rim
RGB(192, 86, 63)
At release · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Reserva red, at release, hue
RGB(142, 42, 42)
At release · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Reserva red, at release, core
RGB(76, 18, 22)
At release · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Reserva red, at release, highlight
RGB(217, 128, 101)
5 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Reserva red, 5 years, rim
RGB(190, 89, 62)
5 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Reserva red, 5 years, hue
RGB(149, 53, 45)
5 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Reserva red, 5 years, core
RGB(95, 33, 28)
5 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Reserva red, 5 years, highlight
RGB(210, 123, 93)
10 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Reserva red, 10 years, rim
RGB(188, 91, 61)
10 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Reserva red, 10 years, hue
RGB(156, 63, 48)
10 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Reserva red, 10 years, core
RGB(113, 48, 35)
10 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Reserva red, 10 years, highlight
RGB(204, 118, 86)
20 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Reserva red, 20 years, rim
RGB(186, 94, 60)
20 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Reserva red, 20 years, hue
RGB(163, 74, 51)
20 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Reserva red, 20 years, core
RGB(132, 63, 41)
20 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Reserva red, 20 years, highlight
RGB(197, 113, 78)
Gran Reserva
Spain · 5 years, at least 18 months in oak
At least five years old when released, with a minimum of eighteen months in oak: brick and tawny tones from the first glass.
It is already five years old when it reaches the shop, so its first two columns look almost the same.
At release · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Gran Reserva red, at release, rim
RGB(200, 123, 74)
At release · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Gran Reserva red, at release, hue
RGB(140, 59, 36)
At release · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Gran Reserva red, at release, core
RGB(74, 30, 20)
At release · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Gran Reserva red, at release, highlight
RGB(221, 160, 112)
5 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 5 years, rim
RGB(196, 119, 71)
5 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 5 years, hue
RGB(147, 67, 40)
5 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 5 years, core
RGB(93, 43, 27)
5 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 5 years, highlight
RGB(214, 149, 102)
10 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 10 years, rim
RGB(193, 115, 68)
10 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 10 years, hue
RGB(154, 74, 44)
10 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 10 years, core
RGB(112, 56, 34)
10 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 10 years, highlight
RGB(206, 139, 93)
20 years · rim
The rim, the thin edge of the wine in a tilted glass, where the tint shows first: turning from violet towards brick with the years.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 20 years, rim
RGB(189, 111, 65)
20 years · hue
The main hue, between rim and core: the color the wine is named by.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 20 years, hue
RGB(162, 82, 48)
20 years · core
The core, the deepest point at the center of the glass: it darkens and browns more slowly than the rim.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 20 years, core
RGB(131, 68, 41)
20 years · highlight
The highlight: the lightest tone, where light passes through the wine and catches the glass.
Material: Gran Reserva red, 20 years, highlight
RGB(199, 128, 83)
Designations of origin, traditional terms, grape varieties and regions are named here to describe the color of each wine. This content is independent: no winery or regulatory council has sponsored or reviewed it.