Collection: D.O. Cava

Origin: Cava has been a protected denomination of origin since the 1970s. Spaniards originally called their sparkling wines 'champán' until the French managed to patent the name of Champagne for their sparkling wines from the famous area around Reims and Épernay. After all, Cava is made in exactly the same way as Champagne: the method of secondary fermentation in the bottle. The best, but also the most expensive way of making sparkling wine. Naturally they do not have the same character, the 'terroir' is not the same, and mostly different grapes are used too.

Geographically: a total of some 160 Spanish municipalities are allowed to use the name of Cava. 85% of the total number of bottles are made in the area around Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, a small town to the south of Barcelona - i.e. Catalonia, in the region known to the wine world as Penedès. There are a few additional municipalities in, for example, Rioja, Valencia, Aragon, ... that fall within the scope of D.O. Cava. 

Grapes: the three classic Cava grapes are Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel.lo. Furthermore, more and more Cavas are being made in which, for example, use is made of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Garnacha or Trepat, both in blends and as monocépages.

Dosage (the addition of sugar after the secondary fermentation):

Brut Nature: no added sugar, maximum 3 grammes of residual sugar per litre.

Extra Brut: no more than 6 grammes of sugar

Brut: maximum 12 grammes of sugar

Extra Seco: between 12 and 17 grammes of sugar

Seco: between 17 and 32 grammes of sugar

News:

more and more good Cava producers are protesting against the 'race to the bottom' instituted by the giants of the sector. Too cheap, mass production that does not do justice to the name of the wine. Once you know that as importers we have to pay €2 excise duty per bottle, and you calculate the cost of the work in the field and in the bodega, of the time 'sur lattes', of the bottles, and the transport etc, ... add on another 21 % VAT and you realise that some prices are too low to be able to ensure decent quality. Some bodegas that have the financial means to do without the marketing machine of the Cava brand have already decided to leave the denomination, such as the Corpinnat and Classic Penedès initiatives. We are looking forward to the future ...