Origin - DO Cava
At that time, the sparkling wine was simply called Xampagny (Champána in Castilian) after its "big brother"(Champagne). The name Cava became established from the 1960s and meant a sparkling wine produced using traditional methods. In Spain, a distinction is made between cava and bodega, both of which mean winery. However, while a bodega is a building at ground level, a cava is built underground. Sparkling wine matures best under cool temperatures during the yeast ageing process and winegrowers have long called their above-ground products bodega wines and the sparkling wines produced underground cava. When Spain joined the EU in 1986, the DO Cava was founded, adding a geographical component. The designation "Cava" was now linked to the production method and origin.
For historical reasons, certain municipalities in the regions of Aragon, Rioja, Valenciana and Extremadura were included in the Cava appellation. This meant that it was not a geographically contiguous area. A total of 159 municipalities were defined, most of which are located in Catalonia. However, a number of them are also scattered in still wine regions such as Ampurdán-Costa Brava, Calatayud, Campo de Borja, Cariñena, Costers del Segre, Extremadura, Navarra, Ribera del Guadiana, Rioja, Tarragona and Utiel-Requena (all the relevant areas are framed in yellow on the map below). Around 90% of Cava sparkling wines come from the Catalonia region, 75% of which come from Penedès. The supra-regional area covers a total of around 38,000 hectares of vineyards.
The DO area of Penedès only applies to still wines. The other sparkling wines (which are not allowed to call themselves Cava) are labelled "Fermentació en ampolla" or "Fermentación en botella" and are marked with a rectangle on the cork. These ferment for two months in the bottle and are re-bottled after disgorgement. Others are "Grandes-Envases"(tank fermentation, cork with a circle) and the semi-sparkling wine "Vino Gasificado" (carbonated wine; cork with a triangle).
Committees
There are several bodies responsible for monitoring, maintaining, informing and training the Cava guidelines and the production of Cava:
Cava Regulatory Board
This decentralised body of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, whose history dates back to 1959, is made up of winegrowers, producers and representatives of the autonomous communities of the Cava region and the Ministry. It is responsible for safeguarding and guaranteeing the quality of Cava and for ensuring compliance with regulatory specifications. The control body certifies the origin, the production method and the analytical and sensory characteristics of the wine. All phases of the production process such as production, handling, classification, preparation, processing, conservation, packaging, storage, labelling, presentation and transport are monitored. This also applies to all products and raw materials involved and part of the chain.
Cava Academy
An online training platform was set up under this name, with the first event taking place in 2018. The main objectives are to spread knowledge about Cava around the world and to train professionals in the wine world and Cava lovers. The programme is run by members of the Masters of Wine and Masters Sommeliers associations.
Producers
Among the best known are Albet i Noya, Castellblanch, Castell d'Age, Perelada, Codorníu, Freixenet, Jané Ventura, Jaume Serra, Marqués de Monistrol, Masía Bach, Torres, Parxet, Pere Ventura, Pinord, Raïmat, Segura Viudas, Torelló, Vallformosa.
Corpinnat
The association "Associació de Viticultors i Elaboradors CORPINNAT" was founded by a number of Catalan sparkling wine producers. Following disputes with the Cava Association, since 2017 they have no longer labelled their products as Cava, but with the trademark-protected collective brand name Corpinnat.
The production regulations
Production must be carried out according to the Metodo tradicíonal, i.e. by means of bottle fermentation, and largely corresponds to that of a champagne or quality sparkling wine. A detailed description of sparkling wine production with all the obligatory and optional processing steps can be found under Champagne due to its historical significance. The following varieties are authorised for white cavas: Parellada, Xarel-Lo (Xarello), Viura (Macabeo), Subirat (Alarije), Chardonnay and, since May 2007, Pinot Noir, as well as Monastrell and Garnacha Tinta for rosados. At the beginning of the 1990s, Codorníu pushed through the authorisation of the Chardonnay variety against the resistance of its major competitor Freixenet.
A Cava must mature on the lees for nine months (equivalent to a Crianza) and may only be marketed one year after the harvest at the earliest. After 18 months of ageing, they are classed as "Reserva" and after 30 months as "Gran Reserva". In 2017, "Cava de Paraje Calificado" was introduced as the highest level of cava with particularly strict rules. These include small classified parcels, a maximum yield of 8,000 kg/ha, vintage cava, ageing on the lees for 36 months, only up to Brut, no rosado. The sweetness levels correspond to the EU rules for sparkling wine. The authenticity of a Cava is attested by a branded star in the cork.
New regulations from 2021
A new set of rules on origin and maturity labelling came into force in summer 2021. Until then, it was not possible to determine the exact origin of a cava, as no such information was permitted on the label. Now there are four zones with sub-zones. These are listed on the back label of every bottle of Cava.
Comtats de Barcelona
This zone covers all Cava areas in Catalonia and is divided into five subzones. The most important is Valls d'Anoia-Foix, in which the Penedès area is located; the others are Conca del Gaià, Pla de Ponent, Serra de Mar and Serra de Prades.
Valle del Ebro
This includes smaller cava areas in the two regions of Aragon (with the Valle del Cierzo sub-region) and Rioja (with the Alto Ebro sub-region).
Viñedos de Almendralejo
Cava area in the Extremadura region.
Zona de Levante
Cava area in the Valenciana region.
Maturation period
Almost 90% of all cavas fall into this category. The minimum ageing period is 9 months. There are two main categories. The basic category is Cava de Guarda. The premium category, Cava de Guarda Superior, is divided into three groups:
- Guarda Superior Reserva: minimum ageing period of 18 months
- Guarda Superior Gran Reserva: minimum ageing period of 30 months
- Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado: minimum ageing period of 36 months. In addition, the grapes must come from a classified single vineyard, for which, among other things, stricter harvest yield requirements apply.
All cavas in the Superior category must come from organic cultivation from 2025 at the latest (2022: 7% of the area).
"Elaborador Integral" seal (integrated production)
This new seal applies to producers who carry out the entire production process from growing the grapes (i.e. without buying in grapes or base wine) to bottling on their own estate.
Further information
See sugar content for the legal wine requirements from dry to sweet for still wines and sparkling wines. For the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), distillation (distillates), spirits (types), winemaking (wines and wine types) and wine law (wine law issues).
Codorníu: By I, LimoWreck, CC BY 2.5, Link
Map: Foods and Wines from Spain
