Who are the two biggest producers of Cava?
- Freixenet (Ferrer family)
- Codorníu (Raventós family)
When did the word Cava first come into use, then into law, and in what year did it gain PDO status?
- Started being used – 1960s
- Law – 1972
- PDO status – 1989 (named after the wine rather than place)
Because the Cava PDO status protects the name of the wine (and not the place), what is distinctive to Cava production?
Grapes are allowed to be sourced from a number of separate, different, unconnected areas and blended together.
What body oversees Cava?
Consejo Regulador del Cava
More than 95% of all grapes grown for Cava are grown where?
Penedès in Catalunya
After Penedès, what two other areas in Spain are important for Cava production?
- Lleida
- Tarragona
What are the three main grapes that go into Cava?
- Macabeo
- Xarel-lo
- Parellada
Which white grape variety is increasingly being used in Cava production?
Chardonnay
What’s the one Spanish grape not allowed in Cava?
Tempranillo
What is the predominant climate of Penedès?
Mediterranean
- Bright, sunny summers
- Mild winters
- Moderate rainfall (540 mm) spread over the year
What are the altitude ranges of Penedès?
- Most vineyards are 200-300m above sea level;
- A few are 700-800m above sea level (greater diurnal range which leads to brighter acidity and more intense flavors).
What are the soils of Penedès, and what makes them suitable for viticulture?
- Lower elevation (200-300m asl) = alluvial + clay
- Higher elevation (700-800m asl) = stony clay + granite
Penedès’ soils are poor in nutrients, and have adequate drainage and water retention, making them suitable for viticulture.
What are the two principal towns of Penedès?
- San Sadurní d’Anoia
- Vilafranca del Penedès (Consejo headquartered here)
What is the elevation range of Lleida (Catalan) / Lérida (Spanish)?
100-700m above sea level
Grapes tend to have riper fruit flavors grown at lower altitudes, and fresher flavors with higher acidity at higher altitudes.
What are the climates of Lleida province?
- Mediterranean at lower elevations
- Increasing Continental influences at higher elevations
Select the correct answer.
Lleida is:
a) irrigated with water from the Pyrenées
b) irrigated with water from the Mediterranean
c) not irrigated
Irrigated with water from the Pyrenées
This water is also used for frost protection in the spring.
The Raventós family, which owns Codorníu, owns a large, single-vineyard estate in Lleida that’s making still wines. What is the name of the estate?
What grape is the Raventós family pioneering here and using in their still and sparkling wines?
- Raimat
- Chardonnay
What is the climate of Tarragona?
Mediterranean
- Tarragona is a low-lying area
Which grape dominates Cava from Tarragona?
Is the style of Cava from Tarragona meant for early drinking or for aging?
- Macabeo
- Early drinking because of Mediterranean climate and no elevation to provide cooler temperatures
What is Trepat?
A red grape variety grown in Tarragona that’s increasingly being used to make Cava Rosado.
What area in northern Spain is becoming increasingly important for sparkling wine?
Hint: it’s protected by the Cantabrian Mountains.
Rioja
What makes Rioja Alta well suited for sparkling wine production?
High altitude (425m above sea level), which lends higher acidity
What are the only two grape varieties used in Rioja for Cava production?
- Macabeo (known locally as Viura)
- Chardonnay
Of the vineyards registered for Cava, what percent is planted to:
- Macabeo
- Xarel-lo
- Parellada
- Chardonnay
- Macabeo - 37%
- Xarel-lo - 26%
- Parellada - 19%
- Chardonnay - 9%
What are the planting elevations for:
- Macabeo
- Xarel-lo
- Parellada
- Macabeo - 100 - 300m above sea level
- Xarel-lo - sea level - 400m
- Parellada - around 500m (highest)
What are the budding times for:
- Macabeo
- Xarel-lo
- Parellada
- Macabeo - late budding
- Xarel-lo - mid-budding
- Parellada - early budding (prone to spring frost)
Which Cava grape variety is picked first and which variety is picked last?
Picked first = Macabeo
Picked last = Parellada (it needs a long growing season)
Which two Cava grape varieties are indigenous to Catalunya?
- Xarel-lo
- Parellada
Of the three main Cava grape varieties, which one is the highest yielding?
Macabeo
What are the aromas and flavors that Macabeo adds to Cava?
Apples and lemons
What are the aromas and flavors that Xarel-lo adds to Cava?
Fennel, herbs, gooseberry, greengage (a sub-species of plum)
What are the aromas and flavors that Parellada adds to Cava?
Floral notes
What characteristics does Chardonnay add to Cava?
- Finesse
- Body
- Richness
What are the four black grapes used in Cava production?
- Garnacha Tinta
- Trepat
- Pinot Noir
- Monastrell - not widely used
Why is Garnacha Tinta being used less in Cava production?
It oxidizes easily
When you see a Cava Blanc de Noirs, what is the grape almost always going to be?
Pinot Noir
What is the maximum yield for Cava?
79 hl/ha
What is the typical planting density for Cava?
Low to moderate density planting (1,500-3,500 vines per ha)
What is the typical trellising used for Cava varieties?
- Bush vines
- Single or double cordon
Is irrigation permitted for Cava?
Yes, but it’s used only to relieve hydric stress – it cannot be used to increase yields.
Cava rootstocks are selected for tolerance to ____.
Why?
Lime
To control vigor
Catalunya can get misty and humid.
What threats arise from these conditions and how do winemakers manage them?
Threats
- Downy + powdery mildew
- Botrytis
Management
- Copper and sulfur treatments
- Closely manage the canopy (e.g. remove leaves to help air circulation).
Cava growers now check grapes’ gluconic acid values.
What does a high gluconic acid value indicate?
Botrytis infection
If this value is too high, those grapes will be rejected.
Cava producers are allowed to either hand harvest or machine harvest their grapes, but the vast majority will ____ harvest.
Hand harvest, in particular those of high quality
Cava grapes are typically crushed using a Coquard press or pneumatic press?
Pneumatic press
Cava Rosados must be a minimum of ___% black grapes.
25%
How are Cava Rosados made pink?
By contact with the skins (rather than blending)
What is the press limit for Cava?
79 hL/ha with a limit of 100L being pressed from 150kg of grapes
Briefly describe the production of Cava (primary, malo, and secondary).
- Primary in large stainless steel tanks at 14–16°C (57.2–60.8°F) – cool temperatures retains fruit aromas;
- Malo blocked to preserve acidity;
- Secondary occurs in the bottle (Cava is made Traditional Method).
Select the correct answer.
Cava typically:
a) goes through full malolactic conversion
b) does not go through malolactic conversion
Does not go through malolactic conversion
Does Cava usually use reserve wines in the blend, or are the wines usually all from one vintage?
Usually all from one vintage whether it’s marked as such or not.
Do most Cava producers hand riddle or use gyropalettes?
Use gyropalettes
What is the minimum time for Cava to age sur lie?
9 months
What is the typical dosage level and style for Cava?
Most Cava has 8–9 g/L dosage, making Brut the predominant style
Historically, what were the three main categories of Cava?
- Cava
- Cava Reserva
- Cava Gran Reserva
Cava (basic Cava):
- What is the minimum sur lie aging?
- What is its general profile?
- Minimum 9 months sur lie;
- Light to medium intensity of lemon, apple and herbal notes, light autolytic notes, and medium to medium+ acidity;
- Acceptable to good quality;
- Inexpensive to mid-priced.
Cava Reserva:
- What is the minimum sur lie aging?
- What flavor is prominent?
- What is its quality level?
- Minimum 15 months sur lie;
- Autolytic notes are more noticeable;
- Good to very good in quality, mid-priced.
Cava Gran Reserva:
- What is the minimum sur lie aging?
- What flavors are dominant?
- What is its quality level?
- Minimum 30 months sur lie;
- Autolytic notes dominate: generous toasty, smoky character;
- Very good to outstanding, premium priced.
What 2 other things MAY be used on a bottle of Cava de Guarda Superior?
- The ‘100% Integral Producer’ (Elaborado Integral) stamp if the company carries out the entire production itself (growing the grapes to bottling the wine);
- The wine’s zone of origin.
What are the 4 registers of Cava production per the Consejo Regulador del Cava?
- Growers
- Producers of base wines
- Storekeepers of base wines
- Cava producers
Many Cava producers are all 4!
What are the requirements for Cava de Guarda Superior?
Must be:
* Made from vines a minimum of 10 years old;
* Certified organic;
* Max yield 10 tonnes/ha;
* Traceable from vineyard to bottle;
* State the year of harvest on the bottle.
Cava de Guarda Superior includes which 3 categories?
- Cava Reserva
- Cava Gran Reserva
- Cava de Paraje Calificado
What are the requirements for Cava de Guarda?
- Minimum 9 months’ lees aging in the bottle;
- Wine must be traceable from vineyard to bottle.
Cava de Guarda is the new name for which former category?
young Cava DO
In what year was Cava de Paraje Calificado originally introduced?
Why was it introduced?
Originally introduced in 2017 in response to the perceived image of Cava as just a cheap wine of only good quality, this new category was for single estate Cavas.
Changes were made again in 2022 (see card 66 for more information).
In 2022, the Cava DO merged Cava de Paraje Calificado with Cava, Cava Reserva, and Cava Gran Reserva to create these two new Cava categories:
- Cava de Guarda;
- Cava de Guarda Superior.
Cava Gran Reserva and Cava de Paraje Calificado may only be made in these three styles.
- Brut Nature
- Extra Brut
- Brut
What is Corpinnat?
A producer-driven sparkling wine association that broke ties with the Cava DO in 2019 due to their dissatisfaction with the DO for not doing enough to differentiate inexpensive, large-volume Cava from premium, hand-made Cava.
Corpinnat takes into account the entire production of a producer rather than just individual wines, which is what Cava de Paraje Calificado does.
What are the rules a producer has to meet to be Corpinnat?
- Grapes must be 100% organic;
- 90% of the grapes must be indigenous varieties;
- Grapes must be grown in Penedès;
- Grapes must be hand harvested;
- Vinified on the winery premises;
- Wines must be Traditional Method.
What are the three minimum aging requirements for the levels of Corpinnat?
18, 30 and 60 months
What are the rules for Classic Penedès?
- Grapes must be certified organic grown in the Penedès DO;
- Minimum 15 months sur lie;
- Traditional Method.
What are the rules surrounding Espumoso de Calidad de Rioja?
- Hand harvested;
- Traditional Method.
What are the three tiers of Espumoso de Calidad de Rioja and their minimum sur lie aging requirements?
- Crianza: 15 months sur lie
- Reserva: 24 months sur lie
- Gran Añada: 36 months sur lie
How much of all Cava produced is exported?
Rougly 2/3 of all Cava is exported
- Main markets: Germany, Belgium, UK, USA
