Cava ( Cat. Cava ) - Spanish "champagne": sparkling wine produced in Spain . It is made mainly in Catalonia and Valencia . In 1872, the Catalan Don José Rventos, whose family company Codorníu had been producing wines since 1551, made the first sparkling wine. Don Jose studied champagne wine technology in France and was able to successfully introduce the method of champagne in his homeland.
The very name of the Spanish Cava sparkling wine is emphasized by the fact that this is not an imitation of French champagne, but a special type of Catalan sparkling wine produced in a particular region and using certain grape varieties.
The most famous cava producers are Codorníu (Codorniu) and Freixenet (Freshenet), Pago de Tharsys (Pago de Tarsis).
Content
Territory of production and raw materials
The limited area on which cava can be produced consists of 159 municipalities in the provinces of Barcelona (63), Tarragona (52), Lleida (12), Girona (5), La Rioja (18), Alava (3), Zaragoza (2) , Navarra (2), Valencia (1), Badajoz (1). Only the enterprises of this region have the legal right to produce this type of sparkling wine and name their products “Kava”. The municipality of Sant Sadurni d'Anoia is the heart and driving force of this region. His spirit lies not only in location, but also in traditions, the style of winemaking, blind faith in the quality of wine, a great desire to popularize this special drink.
Three classic grapes used in the manufacture of cava made this wine a world leader - Macabeo, Charello and Parelyada. Macabeo gives wine with a wonderful aroma, fruity; Charello gives the wine perfect acidity and density, this variety largely determines the identity of the cava; Parelyada gives a voluminous and delicate aroma. Among other varieties, Chardonnay should be noted. Kava can be made from grapes of only permitted varieties and only from plots registered by Consejo Regulador and meeting all the requirements:
- white varieties: Macabeo (Macabeo), Parellada (Parellada), Charello (Xarel·lo), Chardonnay (Chardonnay), Malvasia (Malvasia),
- red varieties: Garnacha, Monastrell, Pinot Noir, Trepat.
Maximum yield:
- white varieties: 12,000 kg / ha,
- red varieties: 8000 kg / ha.
Ways to trim grapes:
- trellis (poda en espaldera) or leaving about 12 kidneys (poda en vaso),
- short cut (poda corta) for Macabeo and Parelyada,
- long trim (poda larga) for Charello and Chardonnay.
Grapes are harvested from late August to late October, usually by hand and transported to wineries in boxes of 25-30 kg or in stainless steel trailers if the vineyard is located nearby. The maximum permitted juice yield is 100 liters out of 150 kg of grapes. Only the juice of the first extraction, the softest (mosto flor), after filtration is sent to the tanks for primary fermentation.
From wines obtained from various varieties, a blend is formed in accordance with the oenologist’s idea. This is the wine material that will have to turn into a cava as a result of secondary fermentation, which takes place already in the bottle itself.
Cava Production Technology
After receiving the wine material of the appropriate blend, they begin the process of secondary fermentation in a bottle, which consists of the following steps:
Bottling
The bottle is filled with wine stock with the addition of wine yeast, sucrose or concentrated grape juice. Yeast interacts with sugar until the latter completely disappears and secondary fermentation of the wine begins. Filled bottles are put in cellars for at least nine months.
Remuage
This is the operation of turning the bottle around its axis with gentle shaking and gradually turning it from a horizontal position to a vertical cork down. As a result of remuage, the yeast residues are collected in a sediment concentrated in the neck.
Deorgage
To remove sludge in modern production, the neck of an inverted bottle is frozen. Then the bottle returns to its normal position and after removing the cork, the frozen sediment flies out under the influence of internal pressure with minimal loss of cava.
Capping
After restoring the volume of wine in the bottle, the latter is sealed with a final cork stopper. By varying the amount of sugar in the added wine, you get a different cava in sweetness (brut-dry-semi-dry-sweet).
Marking and packaging
The main and back labels, the little ring are glued to the cava bottle, foil is put on the neck over the muzzle and the control mark is glued.
Classification
Color classification:
- White
- Pink
- Black
Classification according to mass concentration of sugars
| Cava type | Mass concentration of sugars, g / l |
|---|---|
| Brut Nature | No sugar added |
| Extra Brut | until 6 |
| Brut (Brut) | up to 12 |
| Extra Dry (Extra Seco) | 12-17 |
| Dry (Seco) | 17-32 |
| Semi-dry (Semiseco) | 32-50 |
| Sweet (Dulce) | More than 50 |
Classification according to the aging time in the bottle:
- Cava (white label) - (at least 9 months)
- Cava Reserva (green label) - (at least 15 months)
- Cava Gran Reserva (black mark) - (at least 30 months)
Marking
Cava marking consists in sticking the main label, back label and control mark on the bottle.
The main label should indicate:
- designation "Cava",
- trademark,
- cava type: Brut Nature, Extra Brut ...
- aging period: Reserva, Gran Reserva,
- features of this cava: crop, year, color (if pink),
- bottle volume
- drink strength.
The back label indicates the grape varieties that were used in the manufacture; date of spill; taste features and more. A control mark that indicates the aging period of sparkling wine should be pasted on each cava bottle.
Use
Flow Temperature
Drinking cava at the right temperature is one of the keys to getting complete enjoyment. Kava should be served at a temperature of 5 ° C to 8 ° C, bearing in mind that when serving, the kava is heated to 2 ° -3 ° C, and the temperature of the served cava rises by 1 ° C every 3-4 minutes. Young kava is served the coldest. Kava is cooled for several hours in the refrigerator or 30 minutes in cold water with ice. Cooling in freezers should be avoided, since a sudden change in temperature can degrade the quality of such a carefully manufactured product.
Glasses
A glass should provide an opportunity to enjoy the color, exquisite aroma and size of the bubbles. It is necessary to use glasses made of high-quality transparent glass of the “tulip” or “champagne glass” shape, avoiding wide glasses that allow the aroma to disappear too quickly.
Cava Feed
Kava is a refined wine that must be served carefully to avoid loss of wine and foam. It is necessary to pour so that the wine flows down the walls of the glass, which should never be filled by more than 2/3, this prevents the wine from losing its optimum temperature.