They're the Rioja DOC classification ageing categories, not quality ratings. Crianza means at least two years' ageing with a minimum time in oak (rules vary slightly by region); Reserva means at least three years, with at least one in oak; Gran Reserva means at least five years, with at least two in oak. None of it tells you which vineyard or village the grapes came from, which is exactly what a newer wave of Rioja producers UKAN among them, are choosing to name instead.

No, that's the old stereotype, built on decades of heavily oaked Rioja Reserva and Gran Reserva sitting on supermarket shelves. Plenty of Spanish wine is fresh, light-bodied and even served with a slight chill: NAKU and Cantarina's Mencía red are both good examples.

DOCa Rioja is the overall appellation, and it splits into three sub-zones. Rioja Alavesa, in the Basque province of Álava, tends toward higher-altitude vineyards and limestone-rich soils, and is where a lot of the current single-vineyard movement, including UKAN, is based. Rioja Alta sits to the west and is generally cooler and more traditional in style. Rioja Oriental, the largest and warmest zone, was known as Rioja Baja until a 2018 rebrand. A wine labelled simply "Rioja" can be blended from grapes grown across any or all three.

Bierzo is a wine region in northwest Spain, in the province of León, best known for the Mencía grape. Mencía typically produces fresh, crunchy, red-fruited wines with a mineral edge, closer in style to Beaujolais or a lighter Pinot Noir than to a big, oaky Rioja. Read more about Cantarina, our Bierzo producer

Both. D.O.P. Cariñena is a wine region in Aragón, and Cariñena, also known as Carignan, is a red grape variety that most likely originated there. Confusingly, not every wine from the region is made from the Cariñena grape: Libre y Salvaje's wines, for example, lean on Garnacha just as much as Cariñena itself.

Yes, for the right style. Lighter, fresher reds like NAKU or Cantarina's Cabeza de Perro Tinto genuinely benefit from a slight chill, around 12 to 14°C, roughly 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge. It lifts the fruit and keeps them refreshing, which is exactly the point of these particular wines.

It depends on the wine. As a general rule, lighter, fresher reds work well with barbecue food, charcuterie and lighter grilled dishes; richer whites like UKAN Blanco or PITA Verdejo suit roast chicken, mushroom dishes and hard cheeses; roasted vegetable traybakes and griddled aubergine both work well as plant-based options across the range. Full pairing suggestions are on each product page.

Several are. Libre y Salvaje farms organically with regenerative practices; Cantarina ferments with wild, indigenous yeasts and minimal intervention; Cantarina's Blanco is organic-certified by CAECyL. Where a certification isn't confirmed, we say so on the product page instead of leaving it to guesswork.

We were introduced to UKAN through Jamie at fellow independent Old Chapel Cellars, who discovered the winery and first flagged it to us. We then invited UKAN's ambassador, Alejandro, over to show us the full range, and the partnership has grown from there, giving us the chance to bring you more of what UKAN does. Reserve Wines has a semi-direct, exclusive relationship with the winery, and this is the first NAKU vintage we've had available in the UK, brought in specially for us.

We're pouring it by the glass across all our venues from late July through August 2026.