Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Award in Wine Practice Exam

Crianza and Joven are two distinct categories of Rioja DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada) wines, and the key difference lies in the age and maturation processes they undergo. Crianza wines are required to age for a minimum period, which includes both barrel aging and bottle aging. This aging process allows Crianza wines to develop more complex characteristics and secondary flavors, particularly those derived from oak barrels such as vanilla, spice, and toast.

On the other hand, Joven wines are typically young and have not spent much, if any, time in oak barrels. These wines emphasize fresh fruit flavors over the complexities that come from oak aging. Therefore, it is accurate to state that Crianza has secondary oak-derived flavors, while Joven primarily showcases fruity character. This fundamental distinction in aging and flavor profile is what makes option C the correct answer.