I have to confess to a residual scepticism regarding cava, as it's too often a bargain basement alternative to champagne lacking the latter’s identity and charisma. But are things beginning to change? Is cava, whisper it, actually really good?

what is cava?

This is where it immediately gets complicated. There are several regions allowed to make wine designated as cava, including Penedès in Catalunya, Rioja, Aragón, Extremadura, and Valencia. These are disparate regions in completely different parts of Spain, and as a result cava lacks the regional identity which champagne has. 

This is because when Spain joined the EU in 1986, DO Cava was created to protect all Spanish sparkling wine rather than one specific region. This broad approach may have been well-intentioned but was not a defined, quality-based system. 

However, the foundations for a regionally based classification are fundamentally there and these are finally being tapped. Almost all cava comes from Penedès, just south of Barcelona on the Catalan coast. The climate and terrain of Penedès is as focused and diverse as that of Champagne, and this is beginning to be better understood and promoted. 

Cava production has been dominated by two major players, Cordoníu and Freixenet. They source most of their grapes from small growers, who rely on the big producers for a regular source of income. This has held back quality, but both Cordoníu and Freixenet have realised that in a globally competitive market sub-standard wine is unsustainable. Recent developments have seen a focus on single-vineyard sites and regional identity. 

The big producers are important in this regard because they drive trends. But in promoting quality and regional identity, the small, independent producers become increasingly significant—rather like the trend for grower-producers in champagne.

place

Let's ignore the other regions, as over 98% of cava comes from Penedès in Catalunya. And this allows cava—and us—to talk about a sense of place, rather than a broad term for Spanish sparkling wine.

As anyone who follows Spanish news knows, Catalunya has a distinct identity to the point that there is a strong independence movement. The Catalan language is spoken by over ten million people, with variants spoken in Valencia and the Balearic Islands. Penedès itself lies on the Mediterranean coast, just south of Barcelona. It's a beautiful area, and this combination of a proud, historical identity and being an attractive tourist region ought to be the backbone of cava promotion.

Terraces rise from the ocean to form different sub-zones in Penedès which get cooler as they rise to elevations of over 250m. Penedès has a climate which is generally warmer than most other sparkling wine regions, so the influence of the Mediterranean and altitude is extremely important: many of the best producers are located slightly inland at high elevation, resulting in wines with fresher acidity.

grapes

There are three local grape varieties which give cava a very different profile from champagne and other traditional method regions:

macabeo

• prononuced mak-ah-bay-oh

• also called Maccabeu in Catalan France and Viura in Rioja

• first mentioned in Penedès in 1617

• nearly 35,000ha of plantings in Spain; over 13,000ha in Catalunya

• sometimes made into still wine, with high acidity and green apple aromas

• also used in Rioja to make slightly oxidative, barrel-aged whites

parellada

• pronounced pa-deh-ya-dah

• originally from Aragón, mentioned as a white wine appreciated by Juan II in the 1400s

• nearly 9,000ha of plantings in Spain, almost all in Catalunya

• produces aromatic wines

• can lack acidity, so is planted in the higher vineyards of Penedès

xarel·lo

• pronounced cha-rello

• first mentioned in 1785 in Penedès

• 8,000ha in Spain, almost all in Catalunya

• adds body, weight, and freshness to the best cava

• makes powerful, high acid still wines

The historical provenance of these varieties makes producers very loyal to them, although others debate their suitability for sparkling wine. Hence, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have been planted over the last 20 to 30 years, and are now a firmly established presence in cava winemaking. But if producers learn to match variety to vineyard and better understand viticultural and winemaking practices then there's certainly the potential to make sparkling wine distinct from other regions around the world.

some rules

The minimum ageing requirement for cava is nine months, in contrast to champagne which is twelve months. Nine months (called Cava de Guarda) is far too short for quality sparkling wine, and authorities are rightly encouraging producers to age their wines for longer. Cava de Guarda Superior refers to wines aged for 18 months or longer, such as a Reserva or Gran Reserva.

Another category has also been introduced: Cava de Guarda de Paraje Calificado. This is for single-vineyard wines which must have been owned for at least ten years by the producer and be sustainably farmed, as well as aged for at least three years—a relatively recent new regulation which indicates that producers across the board want to elevate quality.

Avinyó Brut Reserva 2017 ($18; ✪✪✪✪) and Avinyó Brut Reserva Nature 2015 ($23; ✪✪✪✪)

This family producer dates back centuries, historically growing not just grapes but other crops too. The name of the winery, Avinyó, comes from the remote village of Avinyonet del Penedès in coastal Catalunya where the family has lived since 1597. Still family owned and run, the current owner's grandfather replanted the property in 1889 determined to focus on quality. They sold grapes to the big cava producers until the 1970s, when they began to make their own wine and have since established themselves as a quality independent producer.

The Brut Reserva is a Macabeo-dominant traditional blend aged for 24 months on the lees before release. The vines are planted at 250m+ elevation, preserving fresh acidity. The wine shows that a family producer working closely with land they know well to create a balanced blend means that it's more than possible to create quality cava with its own identity.

Most cava is dry as it has a warmish climate so no dosage is needed. The Nature, however, is completely dry emphasising the high, vibrant acidity. This is a Xarel·lo heavy blend, so quite different from the Brut Reserva: more powerful, but still with very fresh acidity. Proof that not all cava, even from the same producer, tastes the same.

Juvé y Camps Milesimé 2016 ($24; ✪✪✪✪✪)

Juvé y Camps (pronounced just like it looks) is an extremely well-respected producer, the winery based in Penedès. Production dates back to 1796, the first sparkling wine made in 1921. Everything is organically farmed, with 280ha owned. Juvé y Camps was the one of the pioneers of Gran Reserva cavas, sparkling wines aged for longer than the standard, easy-drinkng model. The style is rich and full: perhaps more like Franciacorta or even California than Champagne.

The Milesimé is not just a single-vintage wine, it's also 100% Chardonnay. It comes from the Can Ruis vineyard in Espiells, very near to Barcelona and where the soils are rocky and difficult. It's aged for 24 months, again far longer than the minimum 9 months' requirement for Cava. The fact that the wine is 100% Chardonnay is controversial for Cava, but the style is consistent with the richer nature of Juvé y Camps.

so let's drink cava!

There's little that's more satisfying than drinking a glass of bubbles. At the same time, those bubbles had better be good. Over the last 30 years, too much cava has been generic and mass-produced. Although those wines will always exist (as they do in other regions), there's no doubt that there is a concerted and welcome effort to improve the quality of cava. Through exploring and promoting the terroir of cava and building on a long history of winemaking, producers can proudly talk about their wines rather than nervously defending cava as a cheap alternative to champagne.