Sparkling story of Cava wine

The year was 1872 and the man was Josep Raventós Fatjo. Raventós was a young man who owned a vineyard (Codorníu), and like most vineyard estates in Catalonia at the time, he produced red wine. Towards the end of the 19th century, the numerous red vines of the area were devasted by the phylloxera scourge, and many growers were forced to change to white grapes in order to continue their wine production. Raventós was one of those who made the change to white grapes. And in doing so, he decided to take this compromise a step further. He was very fond of French champagne, so he decided to produce his very own sparkling white wine. It was once known as "Spanish champagne," but under European law only wines made in the Champagne region of France can be called ‘champagne,’ and so today it is simply Cava.

Cava is in fact a Spanish sparkling wine with Denominación de Origen certification. It is made using the ‘méthode champenoise,’ which is of course precisely the same method used to create champagne. Just as with the classic French wine, an important factor in determining the quality of Cava is the nature of its bubbles. They should be fine and persistent. Other methods, such as Charmat, or the addition of carbon dioxide, create larger bubbles that don't last as long.

Once grapes are harvested they are subjected to stringent quality controls. As regards grape varieties, originally only Macabeu, Parellada and Xarel-lo grapes were used, as these are native to the area. Pinot noir and Subirat were introduced later in the history of the wine, and by the 1980s Chardonnay grapes were also used for making cava. Once the grapes have passed quality inspections, they are pressed, and the must is put into stainless steel tanks for the first fermentation, which takes place at approximately 16° Celsius. After this process, it is mixed with wine from other grapes. The exact proportions of the various wines used are trade secrets for the various wine producers.

The wine is then bottled, and licor de tirajo (a mixture of yeast and sugar) is added. The amount of sugar in the yeast mixture determines the type of cava that will be produced. Extra brut, which corresponds to the driest type of cava, contains from 0 to 15 grams of sugar per litre, while dulce (sweet) on the other hand contains approximately 50 grams of sugar per litre. A ‘temporary stopper’ is placed on the bottles and they are stored in a cellar for the second alcoholic fermentation. In the days of Raventós, they were actually stored in caves, or cava in Catalan. The second fermentation requires nine months, during which bottles are periodically turned – a practice called remuage. This turning is usually done manually and helps the yeast residue to collect at the neck of the bottle. This is then frozen to remove the yeast residue and the bottle is properly re-corked and labeled. Catalonia is a major cork-producing area.

The next time you open a bottle of Spanish Cava, check the cork. It may have the traditional four-point star on the top. However, it's not a mandatory quality mark, so if it doesn't have it, don't worry! Savour it on its own, or as a superb accompaniment to shellfish, while the rosado Cavas are great with a wide variety of dishes.

Enjoy!