riserva

[ree-ZEHR-vah] Italian for "reserve," which in the wine world can only be applied to appellation wines that have been aged longer than regular wines. The better wines are usually chosen to become riservas. The total aging time varies from wine to wine.

[ree-ZEHR-vah] Italian for "reserve," which in the wine world can be applied only to doc or docg wines that have been aged longer than regular wines. The better wines are usually chosen to become riservas. The total aging time varies from wine to wine. For instance, chianti Riserva receives a minimum of 2 years and 3 months aging, barbaresco Riserva gets 4 years, and barolo and brunello di montalcino Riservas each get 5 years of aging. Sometimes, but not always, part of the additional aging time occurs in wood. Riserva speciale denotes even longer aging, usually an additional year.