The best laid Cava plans...

I first tasted Bohigas Cava when it was recommended to me by my pals at Casa del Vino, Jávea, several years ago. I’ve been a frequent flyer with this brand ever since! Their cava portfolio offers what we have come to expect from Spain’s best known sparkling wine – quality, often outstanding, at sensible prices. How often can we say the same about the much-vaunted fizz from over the Pyrenees?

I’ve brought this up often enough before, much to the chagrin of my Champagne devotee friends and colleagues, who have firstly argued that Champagne is superior, period; and secondly have also countered that I’m not comparing like with like. Cava and Champagne are two different drinks, they insist – yes, made by the same method (invented in France, they are wont to add!), but using different grape varieties (largely), grown in different soils, subject to dissimilar climates.

Well, that’s true, for the wine cognoscenti, but most consumers can’t help comparing sparkling wine with – sparkling wine. Surely, the same could be said about, for example red wine? Different varieties, different countries, climates, altitudes etc, but we can still have our preferences. Plus, we very often bring pricing into the equation, too!

Cava, for me, almost invariably offers better value for money, and this certainly includes those made by Bohigas!

I’ve used Cava Bohigas for several tastings this year – I know that they consistently offer quality, and of course, there’s always a budget for a tasting. I mentioned this fact to their marketing department that generously sent me two of the flagship cavas, a Reserva and a Gran Reserva, plus a bonus – a red wine made from the local Cataluña variety, Sumoll, from their still wine portfolio.

My ‘best laid plan’ was to taste these wines over the Christmas period – if you read last week’s Cork Talk, you’ll know why I wasn’t able to do that! So, not hoping for martyrdom (I intend staying around for a few years yet) I tasted them recently – only a little, Doc, on my life!

Bohigas Brut Reserva, is on the drier side of the Brut scale – which personally suits me well, though some friends and colleagues prefer their Brut a little ‘sweeter’ (though if it’s Brut, it’s not ‘sweet’ at all!). I often find it odd that there is such a large margin permitted in terms of residual sugar for a sparkling wine to still be termed Brut (6mg – 12mg). Made with the three traditional varieties for white cava, Xarel.lo 50%, Macabeo 30% and Parellada, it’s a very Spanish cava!

Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous – if it’s cava, it must be Spanish, of course. But, I’m referring here to the fact that it is made with the varieties indigenous to Spain and not with either of the ‘usurper’, Champagne varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And yes, I’m joking when I use the word ‘usurper’ – these essentially French varieties have been making a very positive impact in Cava land for nigh on a couple of decades now.

Fifteen months on its lees means that the cava qualifies for Reserva status, and for me, this extra time in the cellar really allows the Xarel-lo to exert some tactile influence. The wine is the rounder for it, with greater depth too. Thus it’s a good partner for food – I would have loved it with some turkey!

Bohigas Gran Reserva is categorised as an Extra Brut, essentially meaning 3-6grms of sugar/litre – in other words drier still, and again, very much to my own personal palate preference! It too has the three traditional varieties above, but with the addition of just 10% Chardonnay – usurping no longer!

Bohigas doesn’t specify the exact number of months the wine has spent ‘en rima’, on its lees, stating merely that all their Gran Reservas have at least 30 months in this position, which, as many will know, is the minimum time permitted for a cava to be classed thus. Although I always like to know for how long cava has been kept ‘en rima’, as it’s an interest of mine helping me to discern which is my favourite, the fact that this info isn’t available can be considered a good thing too.

The head cava maker doesn’t want to hamstrung into always having his Gran Reservas aged in this way, for, say, 38 months. Instead, he’d rather make the decision year after year, according to what his regular tastings tell him. No one vintage cava will be exactly the same as the previous year, the p` oint being that therefore it wouldn’t be correct to always have the same length of time ‘en rima’ each and every year.

Here the Xarel.lo and Chardonnay combine to provide a good 60% of the blend, enhancing mouth-feel, structure and weight, therefore pairing possibilities. There are pears on the nose, some toasty notes a pleasing nuttiness and a fine length. Super cava!

I was enamoured with Inicis, the still red wine made from 100% Sumoll. In colour, it’s rather like pouring a Pinot Noir, so different from many of the very dark skinned Spanish grapes, which give such deeply coloured red wines. At first it appears to be quite light on the palate, but hold it there and then swallow and it begins to show that it has power as well as elegance. A slight reference to cherry liqueur on the nose with a distant spiciness too.

It’s fermented and aged for several months in earthenware tinajas (amphorae), which give the wine a rounded fullness too.