Visiting the regulatory board in Villa Franca de Penedes we were invited to a Masterclass in Cava. It was very interesting to get the information confirmed from the source. The webpage is available in both English and Spanish, however a lot of details about the Spanish wine law is only available in Spanish. The link to the webpage can be found here Cosejo Regulador.
The big news for 2016 was the launch of the single vineyard Cava “Cava de Paraje”. The consept opened for farmer applications to classify their best vineyards as a Paraje in July 2016. It will be an interesting development to follow the new quality step.
Cava DO is a geographic limited area with mainarea in Catalonia. Part of Rioja can produce Cava and in some other spots. The capital of Cava is Sant Sadurni d´Anoia where most voume production but also the quality production is located.
The grapes allowed for Cava production are Macabeu, Xarel-lo, Parellada, Chardonnay, Subirat Parent, Pinot Noir, Trepat, Garacha Tinta and Monastrel. Chardonnay has started to be common n blends but for white Cava Pinot Noir is very new and Rosé Cava is not a very big product. Quality producers claim that high proportion of Xarel-lo is an advantage for long storage on the lies. So if you are searching for a quality Cava, look for a Gran Reserva dominated by Xarel-lo.