Cava

Cava is a sparling wine from spain produced in Catalonia. It can be white (blanco) or rose (rosado). The macabeu, parellada and xarel·lo are the most popular and traditional grape varieties for producing cava. Only wines produced in the champenoise traditional method may be labelled cavas.

About 95% of all cava is produced in the Penedes area in Catalonia, with the village of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia being home to many of Spain’s largest production houses. The two major producers are Codorniu and Freixenet.

Spanish sparkling wine was first made as early as 1851. Caves were used in the early days of cava production for the preservation or aging of wine. Catalan winemakers officially adopted the term cava in 1970 to distinguish their product from French champagne.

Like Champagne, Cava is also produced in varying levels of dryness, namely: brut nature, brut, brut reserve, sec, semisec and dolsec.

According to Spanish law, cava may be produced in eight wine regions: Aragon, Basque Country, Castile and Leon, Catalonia, Extremadura, Navarra, Rioja or the Valencian Community. The Penedes is located in Catalonia, and there is only one Castilian producer, in the town of Aranda de Duero.