IT’S accepted wisdom today that most wine drinkers do not have the money, the storage space or the patience to wait years as their bottles age to maturity. Consumers expect wines to be ready, or at least enjoyable, immediately after they buy them.

That’s a marked departure from the old days, when it might never have occurred to our wine-loving forebears to pull the cork on, say, a decent Bordeaux before it was 12 or 15 years old. As a result, many producers around the world have altered their methods in an effort to make wines that are more accessible when young.

Nonetheless, most people today don’t want to take the trouble themselves, and while some restaurants will bear the burden of aging wines, they usually charge forbidding prices for their efforts.

Surely this state of affairs must leave more than a few wine lovers frustrated. Who among us would not like the opportunity to drink aged wines without paying a fortune or waiting them out? What about tonight?

May I humbly offer a happy solution: Rioja reservas.

These wines are not necessarily well aged before they are sold. By law, a Rioja can be labeled a reserva if it is aged for a minimum of three years (at least one in oak barrels) before it is released. In practice, you can find a lot of Rioja reservas in stores right now from the 2007 vintages; fresh, minimally aged young things, mostly.

For years, Rioja wines demonstrated a stark divide between the traditional and the modern, which were characterized by an inky density and power, and the overt use of small barrels of French oak. You can still find those very modern wines, though you might be hard pressed to identify them as Rioja. But even the top modern wines in our tasting bore the characteristic flavors and textures of the region. It’s fair to say that now, instead of a yawning gap, you have a diversity of styles clearly identifiable as Rioja.

Tasting Report
BEST VALUE
La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza, $34, *** ½
Reserva Especial 2001
Wonderfully complex yet mellow and balanced, with great finesse and flavors that linger. (Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.)

Hermanos Peciña Rioja Reserva, $33, *** ½
Señorío de P. Peciña 2001
Powerful fruit aromas, rich yet fresh, tangy and very pure. (José Pastor Selections/Vinos & Gourmet, Richmond, Calif.)

R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva, $33, ***
Viña Bosconia 2003
Delicate, subtle and true, with great balance and finesse. (Think Global Wines, Santa Barbara, Calif.)

R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva, $44, ***
Viña Tondonia 2001
Earthy and mellow with lingering fruit flavors; still youthful. (Think Global Wines, Santa Barbara, Calif.)

Martínez Lacuesta Rioja Reserva, $40, ** ½
2004
Powerful yet balanced with mellow flavors of spicy red fruit. (Spain Wine Collection, Congers, N.Y.)

Luís Cañas Rioja Reserva, $29, ** ½
Selección de la Familia 2004
Structured and richly textured with spicy fruit flavors. (Henriot Inc., N.Y.)

Sierra Cantabria Rioja, $27, ** ½
Reserva Unica 2007
Bright aromas of ripe red fruit, with an enticing texture and well-integrated oak. (Jorge Ordonnez/Tempranillo, New Rochelle, N.Y.)

Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva, $23, **
2005
Spicy, mellow and a touch herbal; pleasantly light. (Allied Beverage Group, Carlstadt, N.J.)

Muga Rioja Reserva, $27, **
2007
Flavors of smoky fruit and oak, yet a trifle disjointed. (Jorge Ordonnez/Tempranillo, New Rochelle, N.Y.)

Ermita San Felices Rioja Reserva, $26, **
2005
Straight to the point, with silky texture and flavors of red fruit and vanilla. (T. Edward Wines, N.Y.)