What is Cava and how is Cava made?

Since the end of the nineteenth century, sparkling Cava has been produced in Catalonia. In Penedès to be precise. The Catalans literally copied the method from Champagne. To this day, they do it exactly like their French colleagues. But they use different grapes. But Penedès is more than Cava. It is a region where dozens of innovative winemakers have settled who also make excellent still wines.

Cava is made from the trinity of Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Parellada. The first gives character, aroma and strength to the wine. The Macabeo freshness and fruitiness. The Parallada is the connecting link, it weaves the contrasts of the other two into a smooth whole.

Penedes is not only home to a lot of Cava. It is a wine region with an excellent terroir for making beautiful still wines. More and more winemakers are doing that. They are often young, well-trained winemakers who work organically and sometimes even make natural wines. They use the 'Cava grapes' but have also planted red varieties. Their wines often have striking labels because these winemakers also know their stuff when it comes to marketing.