Spain > Cava
the Cava at Freixenet
Cava is Spain’s answer to Champagne, made in the Metodo Tradicional, involving secondary fermentation in the bottles, ageing on its lees, riddling and disgorgement to eliminate the settled lees before final shipment. Like Champage, Cava receives a small dosage to adjust the final sweetness and is sold in a range of styles from Brut Nature to dessert-level sweet. Cava, a style of wine, is named for the Cava in which the wine is aged for months or years before disgorgement, dosage, final corking and labelling. Cava bottles are typically sealed with the classic Champagne-style cork and wire cage. Once sold as Champan or Champana, those names were banned in the 1970’s as Spain joined the European Union and adopted the EU’s “protected place of origin” (AOC, AOP in France) naming rules.
Sparkling wine has a long history in Catalonia, dating back to Josip Raventos’ travels around Europe in the 1860’s promoting his still wines, when he visited the Champagne district and realized the potential for Catalan sparkling wines. Raventos produced his first sparkling wine in 1872, and today Cava production is in the range of 220 million bottles annually.
Cava - Geography
Where is Cava made? When the DO was created, it referred to a specific district in Catalonia along its southern coast- the district of Penedes. in 2007, that regulation was altered to allow Cava to be produced in selected villages in the provinces of Alava (Basque Counry), Badajoz (Extramadura), Barcelona (Catalonia), Girona (Catalonia), Aragon, La Rioja, Lleida, Navarra, Tarragona (Catalonia), Valencia, and Zaragosa (Aragon). Over 95% of total Cava production however is still from the original DO in Penedes, Catalonia.
Cava- Grape varieties
Traditional Catalan Cava is made of Xarel-lo, Macabeu and Parallada for the whites, and Trepat, Garnacha and Monastrell (Mourvedre) for the rose wines. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Subirat grapes are also allowed.
Cava- the value proposition
Cava is around a quarter the price of Champagne. This is a result of several factors. First, production per acre is higher than Champagne. Second, where Champagne requires that only the best “center cut” of the pressing is used, Cava allows the entire run of juice to be turned into Cava. Third, land is vastly less expensive in Catalonia than in the Champagne district. Finally, Cava lacks the luster of prestige that Champagne has cultivated over the past 150 years. At the end of the day, most Cava is definitely not Champagne, but at $15-$35 it can be an excellent sparkling wine, produced with great care and investment of time, and a great alternative to true Champagne.
dryness / sweetness grades
Brut Nature: Less than 3 g/L sugar, without any addition of sugar or dosage.
Extra brut: between 0 - 6 g/L sugar.
Brut: Less than 12 g/L sugar.
Extra Dry / Extra-seco: Between 12 and 17 g/L.
Dry / Seco: Between 17 and 32 g/lLl
Semi Dry / Semi-seco: Between 32 and 50 g/L.
Sweet / Dulce: Above 50 g/L.
Miscellaneous DO regulations
Made by the Metodo Tradicional (contrast Prosecco, which is carbonated by fermentation in tank- the Charmat bulk process).
Minimum 9 months on the lees before disgorgement (Cavas designated Gran Reserva must spend a minimum of 30 months on lees before disgorgement)
Alcohol between 10.8% and 12.8%
Minimum 3.5 Bars pressure (53psi) in the bottle. By contrast, Champagne is typically bottled at 5 bars (75psi).
Cava Rosado- unlike Champagne, no blending of red wine is allowed. All wines are made by the saignee method of abbreviated skin contact to extract a light rose color.