Cava is described as Spanish Champagne and is the only appellation of that description found around the world outside of Champagne. The word “cavity” translates into an underground cell and refers to the history of aging underground in cells or caves. This name means that the wine is not made except in certain places in Spain, and every wine is not made in these places; even those which have been made in the exact process cannot be called hollow. More than 98% of all cavas are made in the Catalonia area with the other 2% produced in 11 different provinces that are spread over approximately 1/3 of Spain. Other main wine producing areas include Navarra, Castile and León, Aragon, Extremadura, Rioja, Valencian and Basque Country.
Prospera cava was made in 1872 using the same production method as Champagne. The first wine maker for this sparkling wine was Luis Justo I Villanueva and he was trained in Campania. Three of his students successfully built a hollow style. Grapes used in caava blends include Parellada, Xarel-lo, Macebo, Subirat and Chardonnay, white grape varietals. No one knows exactly why these grapes were chosen, but it is known that they are more suitable for growing in the Spanish climate. The organization of caua made from these grapes, although there is no law that specifically states the use of grapes. Some cava producers argue that using other grape varietals destroys the characteristic character and style of Cava, although many producers incorporate juice from black grapes. mix the wine in the bottom.
Historically, there are two main producers of cava, Freixenet and Codorniu. Several other smaller but professional wine producers have realized that the majority of the cava, more than 75%, is very boring and does not stand out, and winemakers testify that this is because of the grapes that usually make the cava. Macebo, Parellada and Xarel-lo make a good base wine, but many producers do not use a good mixture of all three varieties. As optimal vineyard sites and new clones of these varietals are discovered, it is thought that the overall quality of cava will improve and consumers will not look for that sparkling gem among average cava. Hunters believe that the addition of juice from black grapes helps to provide what is missing in cava, namely crisp acidity, more linearity and length in the mouth and fruit flavors. In fact, Cordornii cava is considered one of the top sparkling wines made around the world and is made from white and black grape juice.
The words on the cava label refer to the amount of time the wine has aged in the cave. She is usually born hollow for at least nine months. The wine that is labeled “riserva” will be aged for a minimum of three years and the wine with “gran riserva” will be aged for five years. Unlike champagne, caava can be drunk after a year. There is also a hollow rose style. A small amount of red wine is still added to red wine to produce a kidney-shaped color. Garnacha, Monasterell and Pinot noir can be used as rosé or cava rosé grapes. Like Champagne, the sweetness or dryness of the cava varies. Cava’s are made as extra dry (without sweetness) and raw or dry. Then it increases with the sweetness of the hollow from extra seco, to seco and semi-seco. The sweetest caua is labeled as sweet and this wine contains more than five hundred grams of sugar.
Some recommended cava include Cuvee Raventos from Codorniu. This wine is fruity and elegant due to the incorporation of Chardonnay into the blend. Another good choice is the Raimat gran brut from the same producer. This has lemony fruit aromas and white oak like tones. Frexeinet’s Cordon Negro in black bottles is the best known of this wine. This is the driest Champagne with almost no residual sugar. Another cava foundation from Freixenet is the Monastrell-Xarel-lo cava brut, the first black grape, Monastrell, to be commercialized. Cava is a very soft fruit, but it is available in very limited quantities. Other cava producers include Faustino Martinez who makes Cava extra seco; Juve Y campa that make the brut vintage, cava grand juve y campa et subsidia de la family cava brut natural; Parxet makes a range of caua from bruta blends to very sweet mesa caua; and Mont Marcal with the best cava for Extremarium brut de Mont-Marcal.
