Cava (Spanish wine)

Cava, of Catalan for el cava ( vi escumós ), German: Champagne (after bottle fermentation method), is a quality sparkling wine and one of the most famous dishes of Catalonia.

History

1872 Josep Raventós i Fatjó began at the winery Can Codorníu in the region of Penedès to the production of sparkling wines by the bottle fermentation method and thus laid the foundation for the production of Cava.

Frequently José Raventós is named as the inventor of the Spanish sparkling wine, in Sant Sadurní d' Anoia in today DO Penedès in 1872 allegedly a sparkling wine produced for the first time. Here, however, contradict the records. 1850 presented Antoni Comas Gali been producing a sparkling wine. In addition, Luis Justo y Villanueva (1834-1880) is called, laboratory director of the Agricultural Institute Institut Agrícola Català de Sant Isidre who examined the bottle fermentation method and taught. 1872 were presented sparkling wines in a competition in Barcelona by three of his students. But the fact is that Josep Raventós as head of the company Codorníu the first sparkling wine from all the standard varieties Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel · lo produced and was the first in 1879 to the market.

At that time, the sparkling wine by its big brother, the French champagne (Catalan and Spanish Xampàn Champana ) was called. In 1986, the EU accession of Spain, because you had to use a new name for legal reasons because it allowed the term " champagne " no longer be used.

In Spain, a distinction between (la) Cava and (la) Bodega - both meaning " cellar ", however, a bodega is usually a simple, single-storey building, while a Cava is always located underground, as the sparkling wine during the lees best under cool temperatures matures and this was originally the easiest to accomplish underground. The winery called their aboveground produced products Bodega wines and sparkling wines Cava produced underground in the sequence.

Since 1986 Cava is the quality label Denominació d' Origen Cava ( Catalan ) or denomination of origin Cava (Spanish ) Protected - DO Cava thus in this case means no indication of origin from a particular region, but the indication of the quality Cava. In the cork of a true Cava a star is baked. The other sparkling wines (which are not allowed to call themselves Cava ) are as Fermentació s ampolla or " Fermentación en botella " means.

For white cavas Subirat ( Malvasia Riojana ), Chardonnay and Pinot Noir since May 2007, as well as for rosados ​​Monastrell and Garnacha Tinta, the varieties Parellada, Xarel · lo, Macabeo ( Viura ), approved.

Production / locations

A total of 159 municipalities in Spain are approved for the production of Cava. For him similar requirements as for the Crémant or champagne from France apply. It is produced by the Champagne method from the white grape varieties Xarel · lo, Macabeo, Parellada, so as Blanc de Blancs, but also from Chardonnay grapes and Garnacha, Monastrell, trepat and Pinot Noir. The strong and sugary Xarel · lo gives the wine body and alcohol, Parellada provides the elegance and Macabeo, makes the typical aromas of apple for the fruitiness. The minimum shelf life is on the lees for all Cavas nine months for Cavas with vintage indication two years. The Gran Reserva store at least 30 months on the lees. The provisions also means that the alcohol content of 10.8 to 12.8 vol - % is, in Spain designated degrees (°).

96% of Cavaproduktion takes place in the Penedès wine region west of Barcelona. The major wineries, Freixenet, Codorníu, Juvé y Camps, Marqués de Monistrol, Segura Viudas and Josep Masachs located in the town of Sant Sadurní d' Anoia, about 50 kilometers west of Barcelona, and can be partly seen. The built on chalk cliffs location has many aging cellars. More than 200 Cava- makers have in their home. In the large wineries small railways transport the grapes and bottles on rails underground.

Manufacturer

With regularly more than 200 million bottles a year to France, Spain is the second most important source market for quality sparkling wine world. 2010, production again increased by eleven percent to 245 million bottles. Of these, 95 million were sold in the domestic market and exported 150 million, of which 41 million to Germany. Known producers of Cava Guilera, Albet i Noya, castellblanch, Castell d'Age, Castillo Perelada Codorníu, Freixenet, Jané Ventura, Jaume Serra, Juve y Camps, Marqués de Monistrol, Masia Bach, Miguel Torres, Oliveda, Parxet, Pere Ventura, Pinord, RAIMAT, Rondel, Segura Viudas, Torello, Vallformosa.

Varieties

The usual Cava Brut has the flavor, dry with less than 15 g / l residual sugar. It is <3 g / l residual sugar offered the direction Extra Brut with less than 6 g / l residual sugar, and the flavor Brut Nature. Extra Dry (or Extra Sec) has 12 to 20 g / l residual sugar, Dry ( cat. Sec, Spanish Seco ) 17 to 25 g / l, Semi Dry ( cat. Semi Sec, Spanish Semiseco ) 33-55 g / l and Sweet ( cat. Dolç, Spanish Dulce ) at least 50 g / l residual sugar.

There are with Reserva and Gran Reserva as quality designations (depending on the maturity time in the bottle of 18 respectively 30 months ) Products that come close to French quality brands in the price level. Connoisseurs appreciate the Spitzencavas their plump, aromatic flower - even the breeding natural, containing no residual sugar content, they are not sour, but light and tangy.

Quality regulations

  • Cultivation: planting density per hectare 1500-3500 vines
  • Yield: white grapes: 12.000 kg / ha; Red grapes: 8.000 kg / ha
  • Pressure: from 150 kg grapes than 100 liters of wine
  • Base wine: alcohol content from 9.5 to 11.5 vol - %
  • Sparkling wine: fermentation during nine months on the lees, the earliest one year after the harvest in the commercial
  • Quality Cavas are longer on the lees: After 18 months, they are considered Reserva and Gran Reserva than after 30 months.
  • Alcohol content 10.8 to 12.8 vol - %
  • Acid min. 5.5 g / l
  • Pressure min. 3.5 bar at 20 ° C

Others

The D.O. Cava is not limited to the Penedès wine region. To a lesser but growing extent for specially registered communities Cava is also produced in other Spanish -growing regions such as Rioja, Aragón, Navarra and others.

Swell

  • Roland Bill Cava - more than an analytical consideration (PDF file, 118 kB). Swiss Federal Institute Wädenswil, Switzerland.
Denominación de Origen Varietal Sparkling wine#Sweetness Rioja (wine) Navarra (DO)
170340
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