Cava winegrowing Flashcards
(19 cards)
Cava regions
- > 95% of Cava grapes grown & produced in Comtats de Barcelona (Cataluña)
- Also grown in:
- Valle del Ebro (Rioja region, \~500 km from Barcelona)
- Viñedos de Almendralejo (\~1,000 km SW of Barcelona)
Cava: main locations: Comtats de Barcelona (Main area around Sant Sadurní d’Anoia)
- Main Cava area: Sant Sadurní d’Anoia (Comtats de Barcelona, Cataluña)
- Climate: Mediterranean – sunny summers, mild winters, 540 mm rainfall/year
- Altitude: mostly 200–300 m; some up to 700–800 m
- Cool summer nights at higher altitudes = more intense flavour, higher acidity
- Soils:
- Lower altitudes: alluvial & clay
- Higher: stony clay & granite subsoils
- All soils: low nutrients, good drainage & retention = ideal for viticulture
- Macabeo: higher alt = more flavour, acidity, better ageing
- Diverse terroirs = wide blending options → prime for Cava
- Key towns:
- Sant Sadurní d’Anoia (main producers)
- Vilafranca del Penedès (Consejo HQ)
Cava: main locations: Lleida/Lérida province - Pla de Ponent
-
Lleida/Lérida province:
- Elevation: 100–700 m (mountains & high plain)
- Climate: Mediterranean near coast, more continental inland
- Irrigation from Pyrenees turned semi-desert into productive vineyards
- Frost risk: irrigation used for frost protection in spring
-
Style:
- Riper fruit at lower altitudes
- Fresher, higher acidity at higher altitudes
-
Key estate:
- Raimat (2,200-ha estate)
- Largest single-vineyard estate owned by one family (Raventós, also Codorníu)
- Pioneered Chardonnay for Raimat & Codorníu wines
-
Conca de Barberà:
- Home of Trepat (black variety)
- Increasingly used for Cava Rosado (rosé)
Cava: main locations: Other Areas of Northern Spain
-
Valle del Ebro:
- Protected by Cantabrian Mountains from Atlantic rainfall
- Higher altitudes (e.g., Rioja Alta at 425 m) = higher acidity
- Well-suited for quality sparkling
-
Varieties for Cava:
- Macabeo (locally Viura): ripens later than in Penedès
- Chardonnay
Cava: water availability and nutrient availability
-
Irrigation:
- Permitted but strictly controlled
- Aims to relieve hydric stress & protect vineyard viability
- Yields cannot be increased by irrigation
-
Soils (Comtat near Sant Sadurní):
- Lower altitudes: alluvial & clay
- Higher altitudes: stony clay & granite subsoils
- All soils: poor in nutrients, good drainage & water retention = ideal for viticulture
535mm rain
Cava: weather vs diseases
Misty, humid mornings = botrytis and downy mildew can be a threat
Powdery mildew can also be an issue during periods of dry weather.
Cava: hazards
Drought: Irrigation permitted but strictly controlled
relieve hydric stress + protect future viability of vineyards
Yields may not be increased by irrigation.
Cava: pests and diseases
+ management
-
Misty, humid mornings:
- Botrytis & downy mildew threats
- Testing for gluconic acid (botrytis indicator)
- High gluconic acid = negative yeast effect, reduced stability
- Grapes with high values rejected to maintain wine quality
-
Powdery mildew:
- Issue during dry weather
- Countered with copper & sulfur
-
Canopy management:
- Remove leaves on north side for better air circulation & reduced shade
-
Grapevine moth:
- Some producers use sexual confusion techniques for control
Cava vineyard establishment
- Vineyard densities: Low to moderate (1,500–3,500 vines/hectare)
-
Vineyard style:
- Low-density, moderately high yields
- Not focused on intense primary flavours in base wines
- Traditional bush vines or single/double cordon
-
Irrigation:
- Permitted but strictly controlled
- Aims to relieve hydric stress & protect vineyard viability
- Yields cannot be increased by irrigation
Cava: grapes
Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada - vast majority of plantings
smaller, but still significant of Chardonnay
Macabeo characteristics
- 37% of vineyards registered for Cava
-
Planting:
- Typically 100–300m in Penedès
- Some higher in Rioja & Lleida
-
Characteristics:
- Late budding = less risk from spring frosts
- Early ripening = picked first of local varieties
- High yielding
- Susceptible to botrytis bunch rot & bacterial blight (no cure)
- Light intensity, apple & lemon aromas
-
In areas outside Cataluña:
- Only Spanish indigenous white grape planted
- Sometimes used for single-varietal Cava
- Increasingly blended with Chardonnay
-
Valle del Ebro:
- Macabeo (Viura) ripens later than in Penedès
Xarel-lo characteristics
- 26% of vineyards registered for Cava
-
Planting:
- Typically at sea level up to 400m in Penedès
- Indigenous to Cataluña
-
Characteristics:
- Mid-budding = prone to spring frosts some years
- Mid-ripening
- Susceptible to powdery & downy mildew
- Good disease resistance otherwise
- Flavours: greengage, gooseberry, fennel (herbal)
- Can become earthy if over-ripe
- Reasonable affinity with oak
Parellada characteristics
- 19% of vineyards registered for Cava
-
Planting:
- Typically on higher sites (e.g., 500m) in Penedès
- Indigenous to Cataluña
-
Characteristics:
- Lowest yielding
- Early budding = prone to spring frosts
- Susceptible to powdery mildew
- Latest ripening of 3 main indigenous Spanish white grapes
- Best vineyards: highest altitudes
- Needs altitude for long-ripening season to reach flavour maturity without high alcohol
- Adds finesse & floral notes
Chardonnay characteristics
9% of vineyards registered for Cava
adds body, richness and finesse
choice of clone and rootstock vital for balanced ripeness
otherwise would ripen too quickly and accumulate too much potential alcohol
Cava: Black Grape Varieties characterisics
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Small volumes of rosé Cava (Rosado) made using:
-
Garnacha Tinta:
- Used less due to oxidation tendency
- Contributes ripe red fruit & some spicy notes
-
Trepat:
- Local to Conca del Barberà
- Strawberry flavours, high acidity
- Legally only for Rosado production, increasingly used in this style
-
Pinot Noir:
- Used for Rosado blends & single varietal
- Often made into Blanc de Noirs
-
Monastrell:
- Allowed but rarely used
-
Tempranillo:
- Not permitted in Cava production
-
Garnacha Tinta:
Cava Rootstocks:
chosen for tolerance to lime where needed
control vigour:
Macabeo in particular grow excessive shoots. leaves + produces little fruit if planted on the wrong rootstock
Cava considerations in managing nutrients and water
Irrigation permitted but strictly controlled
relieve hydric stress + protect future viability of vineyards
Yields may not be increased by irrigation.
Cava canopy management:
-countering fungus
Powdery mildew can also be an issue during periods of dry weather
copper and sulfur to counteract
canopy management: removing leaves from the north side of the row to aid air circulation + reduce shade within the canopy
Cava: harvest
- Grapes picked early for natural acidity
-
Blending:
- Different vineyard characteristics = diverse base wines
-
Grape Testing:
- Tested for sugar, acidity, pH, & gluconic acid (botrytis indicator)
- High gluconic acid = negative yeast effect, rejected grapes
- Low potential alcohol & appropriate acidity key
-
Harvesting:
- 90% hand-harvested, increasing mechanical harvesting
- Machine-harvest: 80% whole berries, can be done at night
- Handpicked: Selected in vineyard, transported in 25 kg crates (premium in 10 kg)
-
Vineyard Ownership:
- Vineyards scattered & fragmented
- Freixenet: Small contracted growers, handpicked
- Codorníu: Own vineyards, mostly mechanical harvest
-
Quality Focus:
- Handpicked: Avoid splitting, microbial spoilage
- Quality producers press whole bunches for low phenolics
- Big companies press locally, refrigerate & transport juice to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia
