Guinea Pigs and Gran Reserva

Remember in July, when we celebrated Switzerland and learned it is illegal to own a single guinea pig because it might get lonely? (Tap here to review the article) And that such laws don't exist in other countries?

GIF source: GIPHY

That's kind of how it is with wine terms such as "reserve” or "grand reserve."

In a country like Spain, you face the long arm of the law when using "reserve" and "grand reserve", or in that case, “reserva" and "gran reserva."

For example, a Rioja red reserva must be aged for at least three years in oak barrels and bottles in total, with at least one of those years in the barrel. Gran reserva, made with exceptional grapes, gets an even longer nap – at least five years, including two in the barrel.

Oak barrels

And that's the minimum. Some producers put their wine to bed for even longer.

In other countries, no such law exists. Winemakers in the United States are pretty much free to use "reserve" as they like and can leverage it as a marketing tool more than anything else.

But that doesn't mean those wines are not good. Just as people will care for their guinea pig even without laws like the Swiss, good wineries will use the "reserve" label responsibly to provide a superior wine – whether with better fruit or more time in oak or extra aging potential, or all of these and more.

Good grapes

So, how about Reserva and Gran Reserva from Chile? The rules are pretty lax in that case, too.

Chilean reserva wines must have at least 12% alcohol and Gran Reserva 12.5%, and both of them must be aged in oak, although there seem to be no rules as to how long!

GIF source: GIPHY

So, your best bet is to give them both a try and discover why the winemaker decided one was a higher level than the other. Also, if you buy only one bottle, it might get lonely!

By the way, the Cambio Gran Reserva is on sale – for today only! Tap the poster below to catch the deal now.

Original by Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城

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