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Spain for the Certified Sommelier exam

Rioja's ageing rules, Spain's two DOCas, the sub-zones of Rías Baixas, Navarra, Penedès and Priorat, five more regions to place on the map, plus Cava de Paraje Calificado and Corpinnat.

Alper Billik · Advanced Sommelier

Updated October 2026 · 5 min read · Edited with AI

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On this page

1. Rioja's ageing rules
2. The DOCas and their quality ladders
3. Sub-zones to know
4. Five more regions to place
5. What shapes the climate
Going further: Cava de Paraje Calificado
Going further: Corpinnat
Quiz: Spain, Certified level
Questions people ask

The short answer: for the Certified exam, Spain means Rioja's ageing rules in detail, the two DOCas (Rioja and Priorat) and how each ranks its wines, the sub-zones of Rías Baixas, Navarra, Penedès and Priorat, and where Ribera del Duero, Montsant, Toro, Rueda and Bierzo are and what they make. This sheet follows the Court of Master Sommeliers' Certified syllabus. If Spain is new to you, start with Spain for Level 1.

1. Rioja's ageing rules

Category	Red	White and rosé
Genérico	No minimum; young, fresh, fruity wines	No minimum
Crianza	2 years, at least 1 in 225-litre oak	At least 6 months in oak
Reserva	3 years, at least 1 in oak and 6 months in bottle	2 years, at least 6 months in oak
Gran Reserva	5 years, at least 2 in oak and 2 in bottle	4 years, at least 6 months in oak

Genérico: RedNo minimum; young, fresh, fruity wines; White and roséNo minimum

Crianza: Red2 years, at least 1 in 225-litre oak; White and roséAt least 6 months in oak

Reserva: Red3 years, at least 1 in oak and 6 months in bottle; White and rosé2 years, at least 6 months in oak

Gran Reserva: Red5 years, at least 2 in oak and 2 in bottle; White and rosé4 years, at least 6 months in oak

Exam trap: the rules differ by DO. In Ribera del Duero, for example, a red Crianza needs at least 12 months in oak within its two years. When a question names a region, answer with that region's rule.

2. The DOCas and their quality ladders

Denominación de Origen Calificada is Spain's top regional level, and only two regions hold it: Rioja and Priorat (in Catalan, DOQ, Denominació d'Origen Qualificada). Both now also rank wines by place:

Rioja: three zones, Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental (once Rioja Baja). A label can name the zone (Vino de Zona), the village (Vino de Municipio) or, since 2017, a single vineyard (Viñedo Singular).
Priorat: village wines, Vi de Vila, from twelve named village areas, and single-site wines, Vi de Paratge.

3. Sub-zones to know

Region	Sub-zones	What it makes
Rías Baixas	Val do Salnés, Condado do Tea, O Rosal, Soutomaior, Ribeira do Ulla	Albariño; Condado do Tea and O Rosal also blend in Treixadura and Loureira
Navarra	Baja Montaña, Valdizarbe, Tierra Estella, Ribera Alta, Ribera Baja	Garnacha rosado, reds from Tempranillo, Garnacha and international grapes
Penedès	Traditionally three altitude bands: Baix, Mitjà (central) and Alt Penedès	Still wines, above all from Xarel·lo; the heart of Cava
Priorat	Twelve Vi de Vila areas, among them Gratallops, Porrera, Poboleda and Torroja	Garnacha and Cariñena on llicorella slate

Rías Baixas: Sub-zonesVal do Salnés, Condado do Tea, O Rosal, Soutomaior, Ribeira do Ulla; What it makesAlbariño; Condado do Tea and O Rosal also blend in Treixadura and Loureira

Navarra: Sub-zonesBaja Montaña, Valdizarbe, Tierra Estella, Ribera Alta, Ribera Baja; What it makesGarnacha rosado, reds from Tempranillo, Garnacha and international grapes

Penedès: Sub-zonesTraditionally three altitude bands: Baix, Mitjà (central) and Alt Penedès; What it makesStill wines, above all from Xarel·lo; the heart of Cava

Priorat: Sub-zonesTwelve Vi de Vila areas, among them Gratallops, Porrera, Poboleda and Torroja; What it makesGarnacha and Cariñena on llicorella slate

The twelve Priorat village areas: Bellmunt del Priorat, Escaladei, Gratallops, el Lloar, els Masos de Falset, la Morera de Montsant, Poboleda, Porrera, Solanes del Molar, Torroja del Priorat, la Vilella Alta and la Vilella Baixa.

4. Five more regions to place

Region	Where	Grapes and style
Ribera del Duero	Castilla y León, high plateau along the Duero	Structured reds from Tinto Fino (Tempranillo)
Montsant	Catalonia, wrapped around Priorat	Garnacha and Cariñena reds, usually more approachable than Priorat
Toro	Castilla y León, west along the Duero	Powerful reds from Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo)
Rueda	Castilla y León, south of the Duero	Fresh, herbal whites from Verdejo; Sauvignon Blanc too
Bierzo	North-west Castilla y León, towards Galicia	Reds from Mencía, whites from Godello, often on slate

Ribera del Duero: WhereCastilla y León, high plateau along the Duero; Grapes and styleStructured reds from Tinto Fino (Tempranillo)

Montsant: WhereCatalonia, wrapped around Priorat; Grapes and styleGarnacha and Cariñena reds, usually more approachable than Priorat

Toro: WhereCastilla y León, west along the Duero; Grapes and stylePowerful reds from Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo)

Rueda: WhereCastilla y León, south of the Duero; Grapes and styleFresh, herbal whites from Verdejo; Sauvignon Blanc too

Bierzo: WhereNorth-west Castilla y León, towards Galicia; Grapes and styleReds from Mencía, whites from Godello, often on slate

5. What shapes the climate

The Atlantic: cool and wet in the north-west. Rías Baixas is the classic maritime region.
Altitude: much of Spain is high plateau. Ribera del Duero, Toro and Rueda sit high, so nights are cold and acidity holds.
Mountains: the Sierra de Cantabria shelters Rioja; the Pyrenees shape Navarra.
The Mediterranean: warm and sunny in Catalonia and the east, softened near the coast.

Going further: Cava de Paraje Calificado

The top tier of DO Cava: a single, named site (a paraje) that the Regulatory Board recognises for its character. Cava's ladder by time on the lees: Cava de Guarda at least 9 months; Guarda Superior, which covers Reserva (18 months), Gran Reserva (30) and Paraje Calificado (36). Since the 2025 harvest, Guarda Superior wines must be fully organic.

The site: vines over 10 years old, a maximum of 8,000 kg of grapes per hectare, hand-harvested.
The wine: vinified on the estate, at least 36 months on the lees, vintage-dated, and only Brut, Extra Brut or Brut Nature.
Who: 15 wines as of March 2026, among them Codorníu's Ars Collecta, Juvé & Camps La Capella, Ferrer's Can Sala, Sumarroca's Núria Claverol wines and Vins El Cep's Claror.

Going further: Corpinnat

In 2019 nine Penedès producers left DO Cava to sell their traditional-method sparkling wines under a shared brand, Corpinnat: Gramona, Recaredo, Torelló, Llopart, Nadal, Sabaté i Coca, Mas Candí, Huguet-Can Feixes and Júlia Bernet. Its rules include 100% organic grapes, hand harvesting, vinification in the member's own winery and at least 18 months of ageing. On the label you read Corpinnat, not Cava. Note the spelling: two n's.

Quiz: Spain, Certified level

Certified practice test

Take it as a real test

8 questions, one at a time. The answer and why after each one, then your score and your weakest topics.

Time me at exam pace · 7 min

Question 1

A red Rioja Reserva must age for at least how long in total?

a)2 years
b)3 years
c)4 years
d)5 years

Show answer

b) 3 years. Three years, with at least one in oak and six months in bottle.

Question 2

What is the minimum ageing for a white Rioja Gran Reserva?

a)2 years
b)3 years
c)4 years
d)5 years

Show answer

c) 4 years. Four years in total, with at least six months in oak.

Question 3

Which is NOT a zone of Rioja?

a)Rioja Alta
b)Rioja Alavesa
c)Rioja Oriental
d)Rioja Media

Show answer

d) Rioja Media. Rioja's three zones are Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental.

Question 4

Which is a sub-zone of Rías Baixas?

a)Tierra Estella
b)Condado do Tea
c)Valdizarbe
d)Ribera Alta

Show answer

b) Condado do Tea. Condado do Tea is in Rías Baixas; the others are Navarra's.

Question 5

In Priorat, what does Vi de Vila mean?

a)A wine from one of the named village areas
b)A wine aged in a village cellar
c)A sweet wine
d)A wine from any part of Catalonia

Show answer

a) A wine from one of the named village areas. Vi de Vila is Priorat's village wine, from one of twelve named areas.

Question 6

Which region surrounds Priorat?

a)Penedès
b)Montsant
c)Terra Alta
d)Alella

Show answer

b) Montsant. Montsant wraps around Priorat.

Question 7

Bierzo's principal red grape is:

a)Mencía
b)Monastrell
c)Graciano
d)Bobal

Show answer

a) Mencía. Bierzo reds are made from Mencía.

Question 8

A Cava de Paraje Calificado must spend at least how long on the lees?

a)9 months
b)18 months
c)30 months
d)36 months

Show answer

d) 36 months. 36 months, the longest minimum in DO Cava.

Then take the Certified practice test across all regions, and learn the names in Spain's top producers. For the smaller DOs the higher exams ask about, see Spain beyond the classics.

Practise Certified with SOMM DIGI AI Certified practice test

Questions people ask

How many DOCa regions does Spain have?

Two: Rioja and Priorat.

What are the sub-zones of Rías Baixas?

Val do Salnés, Condado do Tea, O Rosal, Soutomaior and Ribeira do Ulla.

Is Corpinnat a type of Cava?

No. Corpinnat is a brand created by Penedès producers who left DO Cava in 2019. Their wines are traditional-method sparkling wines, but they are not labelled Cava.