'96 Marques de Riscal Rioja Riserva

[Scoop]

You are quite correct: It makes no sense whatsoever under AOC/DOC ("Appellation") rules in force across the European Union. Maybe it won some sort of French award, but an "appellation" is tied to geography, so the Spanish (in this case, Rioja Riserva) designation can't be French, too.

It must be some sort of misunderstanding/translation goof.

Cheers,

Scoop