Cava Wines

Cava is a quality sparkling white wine produced in Northern Spain using the "method champenoise", in other words the method of a secondary fermentation in the bottle such as is used for Champangne. In fact the Spanish wanted their Cava Wines to be known as "champan", the Spanish translation for champagne, but after legal battles with the French, who claimed that this name could only be applied to wines made in the Champagne area of France, the name Cava was decided upon.

Cava is the Catalan for cave and it is from this area that most of these delightful bubbly Spanish wines are produced. However Cava wines are unique because unlike other "Denominacion de Origen" regions in Spain it is not restricted to one particular demarcated area, and in addition to Catalyuna it is also produced in D.O. Rioja, D.O. Navarra and D.O. Aragon. That said however some 95% of Cava wines comes form the D.O. Penedes in the region of Catalyuna.

After the first fermentation the wine is then bottled with a temporary cork and stored in a horizontal position. For the wine to be classed as Cava it must be in contact with the lees for a minimum of 9 months but this can often be as long as 2 years. At the end of this period comes the disgorgement process when the wine is cleaned of the yeast sediment by removing the cork, any liquid lost at this time is replaced by wine of the year either sweet or dry depending on the preference of the producer. The final cork is then put in and the wine goes for labeling and dispatch.

The production of Cava Wines is rigorously controlled by the Consell Regulador del Cava to ensure that the resulting sparkling wines are of the highest quality. The main grapes used are Macabeu, Xarello, Parellada and more recently some Chardonnay varieties.

Today cava wines are receiving worldwide recognition as quality sparkling wines suitable for many occasions and satisfying most palettes. They come in dry, sweet and brut varieties and represent very good value for money.

Article submitted by Ruth Polak the owner of www.costadelsol-vacationrentals.com A web site specializing in holiday villas and apartments on the Costa del Sol and in Rural Andalucia. You will also find lots of information about Spain and Andalucia, in particular.