Cava: Fun, easy to drink, affordable
I get the sense that most people like cava, the sparkling wine from Spain, because it is accessible, fun, easy to drink and affordable. There are other reasons to like it, but as far as I am concerned, those are enough.
Cava is made in the traditional method of Champagne, via secondary fermentation in the bottle (metodo tradicional in Spanish), and while most cava will never offer the bracing acidity and layers of complexity that good Champagne does, cava has exquisite charms all its own.
Cava is great as an aperitif, and while it is best with seafood and lighter fare, it is also versatile with other more substantial foods, as many sparkling wines are. Expect varying notes of fresh lemon, lime and other citrus, a nuttiness or earthiness, a hint of stone fruits here and there, green apple, pear, anise, mushroom, honey, maybe some tropical fruit suggestions, little whiffs of strawberry or cherry and perhaps some yeasty-biscuity notes or balancing bitterness.
Cava is not so much a place as it is a winemaking style practiced in seven places scattered throughout Spain — like a collection of islands on land, each one a recognized cava production zone. There are other types of sparkling wine in Spain — made using different methods — but only winemakers using the traditional method in permitted cava locations, and of course following the other cava laws, can carry the official cava designation on their labels.
The overwhelming majority of cava — about 95 percent of it — is made not far from the unofficial capital of cava, the town of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia near Barcelona. This cava hub lies within the Penedes region in the larger, autonomous community of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Other cava-recognized areas are within Aragon, Basque Country, Extremadura, Navarra, Rioja and Valencia.
While the cava winemaking process mirrors that of Champagne, Spain has its own grape varieties. The French varieties chardonnay and pinot noir are allowed in cava ( just like in Champagne), but cava relies most heavily on three native grapes: macabeo, parellada and xarel-lo. The other two permitted but less-used grape varieties are subirat and trepat.
Sparkling wine made in the traditional method has existed in Spain since the late 19th century. As the story goes, Jose Raventos, who ran Codorniu winery at the time, visited France and came back with the idea of making Champagne-style sparkling wine in Spain. That happened for the first time in 1872. Spaniards started calling this wine style “champan,” and that didn’t sit well with the folks in France, so eventually the Spanish name for this style of bubbly was changed to cava — for “cellar” — the place where the wine is aged before it is released. It was a simple fix, it is easy to say and today the word cava is synonymous with fizzy wine from Spain that is fun, approachable and affordable — even if some of it is more serious and rare.
The Cava D.O. (Denominacion de Origen) was established in 1986; in 2016, in an attempt to distinguish higher-quality, singlevineyard cava from the more mass-produced bottles, a new designation was established within the D.O: Cava de Paraje Calificado. To date, 12 vineyards qualify for this designation. (Seek out those bottles if your cava journey is well underway, or try the bottles below for a good introduction to the wine style.)
The best thing about cava is you don’t need a reason to open a bottle. It certainly adds to celebrations, but because it can often be found at much lower price points than some other traditional method sparkling wines, one never has to think twice about opening a bottle at any time. It’s uniquely Spanish, reliable and often delivers more than its price asks. Three more reasons to love cava.
Michael Austin is a freelancer. Vilarnau Brut Reserva Cava. 2013 Juve & Camps Essential Xarel-lo Reserva Brut Cava. Totus Tuus Reserva Brut Cava. Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad Cava. 2013 Naveran Dama Brut Cava.