Cava Flashcards
History
Made in Spain since 19th century
Centered around San Sadurni D’ Anoia
Laws
Introduced in 1972
1986 ‘Methode Champenoise’ became illegal, with SPain entering EU
Cava can be made in many areas
Allowed Areas
Catalunya Provinces of Barcelona Tarragona Lerida Gerona also: Rioja Navarra Valencia Extremedura
Control body
Consejo Regulador del Cava
CRC
Native Varieties
White: Macabeo Xarel-lo Parellada Black: Trepat Garnacha Tinta Monastrell
International Varieties
Chardonnay
Pinor Noir
Macabeo
Most widely planted
Fast growing, ripens early
green apple, pear
mediterranean fruits - melon, peach
Xarel-lo
Mid-altitude ~ 400m green fruits greenage gooseberry tropical past 11.5% - earthy, rubbery
Parellada
ripens last
700-800m
high acid
floral
Chardonnay
finesse fussy - wants chalk peach apricot tropical
Trepat
In cool hills of Conca de Barbera only used for rosado redcurrent strawberry raspberry
Garnacha Tinta
middle, lower Penedes low acidity strawberry pomegranate fresh dates complex when handled well
Pinot Noir
rosado
Blanc de Noirs
- limited in use
delicate
Monastrell
close to extinction
red berry fruit
needs careful handling, can be high alc.
Cava Rosado
Trepat Pinot Noir Garnacha Monastrell all via sangrado method -> saignee 6 hours marceration, max 15 all fermentation off skin NO BLENDING
vinyard practices
recent focus on site selection, and clone selection, rootstocks move towards natural wine making - no harmful sprays cover crops move from bush vines to trellised irrigation permitted, but controlled - drip irrigation
Wine making
Cava DO -> traditional method no destemming -> better juice drainage max. 100L per 150kg no enrichment min. 9months lees reserva - 15 months gran reserva - 30 months - only brut nature, extra brut, brut 10.8 < abv < 12.8%
Cava de Paraje Calificado
single small area ( called paraje) tasting panel must be vintage brut min 36. months lees
Total Production
30,000 ha planted
200 million bottles/yr
3/4 exported
- Germany, Belgium, UK, USA, Japan
Houses
Codorniu Freixenet - total 200 million bottles, 60% of sales Garcia Carrion Cavas del Ampurdan ARCO-Bodegas Unidas Juve y Camps
Codorniu
3.6 million cases
started international grape
Freixenet
10 million cases
owns outside spain:
argentina, australia, california, mexico, champagne
50% purchased fruit
dosage liqueur kept in chestnut barrels, solera system
Monastrell-Xarelo
- first white from red cava
opposed to international varieties
Elyssia - prestige cuvee, includes chard, pinot
Gramona
58k cases reputation for fine cava focus on xarel-lo sold old wines to champgnoise during phylloxera and ww2 converting to organic , biodynamic solera dosage
