I found myself gravitating toward and trying wines from producers who jumped off the DO Cava ship…

This month the Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers will be exploring Spain’s famous sparkling wine – Cava!

The origins of Cava lie in the winemaking area of Penedés, the most important viticultural area within the larger Catalonia D.O.

The town of San Sadurní d’Anoia is birthplace of Cava. It is where in 1872 Jose Raventós of Codorníu introduced the método tradicional to Spain, after returning from a trip to Champagne.

Today, approximately 90% of Cava is produced in Catalonia, with 75% made in San Sadurní d’Anoia in Penedès.

It is “most often comprised of Parellada, which gives fragrance and finesse; Macabéo, which gives freshness and acidity; and Xarel-lo, which provides body” explains Winebow .

Like most, my wine journey with Spanish sparkling wine began with Cava, but as my palate evolved, I found myself gravitating toward and trying wines from producers who jumped off the Cava D.O. ship between 2012 and 2018 over quality, viticulture and vinification concerns (e.g ~80% of wine produced by large wineries in DO Cava vinified for them).

Cava’s Spanish market share competitors, Clàssic Penedès, Corpinnat, and Conca del Riu Anoia, all came about in response to the aforementioned concerns over quality, pricing, viticulture and vinification.

Here’s a look at the Four “Cs” of Spanish Sparkling wine:

Designation	Time Frame	Rules/Regulation
Conca del Riu Anoia	2012	*Minimum price standard for grapes *Certified organic grapes; minimum age of 10 years for vines *18-months minimum lees aging *Only indigenous grapes varieties grown in the Anoia River Basin *All wines vintage dated + at least 80% estate
Clàssic Penedès	2013	*First sparkling wine classification in the world to require certified organic grapes. *Traditional and international grapes allowed *No base wines purchased 15 months minimum lees aging *All wines vintage dated + date of disgorgement on label *Sub-Classification of Penedès, alongside DO Cava and DO Penedès Espumoso (which permits wine made using the “ancestral” method
Corpinnat	2018	*Minimum price standard for grapes *Certified organic grapes, manually harvested *No base wines purchased *18 months minimum lees aging *Sourcing from the geographic core of Penedès * Only indigenous grapes varieties grown in Penedès (Source) *Wine must be vinified entirely on the property
Cava	July 2020 Updates	* Reserva Cava must spend 18 months on the lees instead of 15, bringing it in line with Corpinnat * New, overarching classifications include Cava de Guarda (basic Cava with nine months on the lees) and Cava de Guarda Superior, which includes Reserva, Gran Reserva, and Cava de Paraje Calificado. * Cava de Guarda Superior must be organically certified, with a five-year transition allowed, starting in 2020 (again mirroring Corpinnat at this level). *Zones and subzones have been established, the latter of which can only be used on Cava de Guarda Superior. (Source)

That lead me to the stellar wines of Raventos i Blanc from Conca del Riu Anoia, a very compelling Loxarel from Clàssic Penedès, and the 2017 Can Descregut Corpinnat Brut Nature Reserva, which I’m featuring in this post.

About Corpinnat

The Corpinnat is an EU registered collective brand. Its name is composed of two concepts: COR , the cradle where more than 130 years ago began to beat the first sparkling wines in Spain: and PINNAT , which comes from the etymological root Pinnae which essentially refers to Penedès, in other words, the heart of Penedès.

Its founding member wineries Gramona, Llopart, Nadal, Recaredo, Sabaté and Coca i Torelló were some of DO Cava benchmark producers, who left “because of their conceptual disagreements with the Cava Consejo Regulador. Very low grape prices made it impossible to maintain quality-based viticulture. They felt the prestige of the name Cava was under threat, and were unhappy that they were not allowed to cite a subzone on the label, nor to assure consumers that the grapes came from their own vineyards, nor that the wine had been made on their property. (Source)

In addition to the more stringent standard noted in the table above, the Corpinnat vineyards must be located in one of the 39 municipalities in the most historic area of Penedès.

Apparently inspired by Corpinnat, the Cava DO in established the new set of rules in July 2020 (see table above).

2017 Can Descregut Corpinnat Brut Nature Reserva

Can Descregut is a family-owned winery managed by a young couple Marc Mila and Arantxa de Cara who, after 3 generations growing grapes and making bulk base wine for cava, in 2005 decided to craft their own wines.

The winery is located in Vilobi de Penedès in Alt Penedès sub-zone where they farm 25 hectares of organically (with some biodynamic treatments and a whole lot of care) farmed, predominately old-vine vineyards planted to ancient and traditional varieties Xarel·lo, Macabeu, Parellada, Sumoll and Red Xarel.lo. Of the latter, they were pioneers in their recovery. The winery is certified as Organic by the UE.

They practice minimal intervention winemaking to express the typicality of Penedès and the character of the Vilobí soils that provide a calcareous minerality rich in gypsum. . Their 4 estate vineyards are situated around the winery and in the Penedès hills. The altitude varies from 200 to 500 meters and offers a diverse mixture of soils and microclimates.

The wine is a blend of 55% Xarel.lo, 35% Macabeu and 10% Parellada sourced from their four certified organic estate vineyards. The grapes are harvested by hand and the base wine was 100% vinified at Can Descregut’s winery. The base wine aged with it’s own lees for 6 months, then aged an additional 26 months before being disgorged in July 2020 without the addition of sugars( zero dosage) and minimal SO2. Gently fined with bentonite, and no hard filtration.

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Tasting Notes:

Pale golden yellow color with appealing green apple, brioche, citrus,dried lilac, and a hint of sea spray aromas. On the palate it’s very dry, and with vibrant acidity and a delicate creamy mousse. It shows ripe green apple, quince, lime, mandarin orange flavors with a very appealing saline minerality and a very satisfying finish. 11.5% abv|SRP~$22. Remarkable quality to price ratio! Imported by Manekin Wine Company.

On my Board

We paired with Spanish inspired appetizers including Cinco Lanza cheese – a style of manchego but instead of sheep milk, it is made from a secret blend of cow, sheep, and goat milk, Cypress Grove Fog Lights Goat Cheese, Palacios Chorizo, Mitica Crunchy Quicos (“Kee-koes”), Torres Iberian Ham and Black Truffle Potato Chips and assorted other items to nosh, including sauteed shisito peppers (from our garden).

It was supposed to be an appetizer, but it turned out to be dinner. The wine paired well with everything our the board!

My Takeaways

Sales of both the Cava D.O. and Corpinnat are on the upswing. As consumers, we have more choices in sparkling wine than ever. Spanish sparkling wines are a great choice when you’re looking for a sparkling wine made using the traditional method(secondary fermentation in the bottle) that’s easier on the pocketbook.

I’ll continue to look for and purchase my favorites from the Cava D.O.s competitors because I appreciate wines made from organic grapes, the focus on vinifying estate wines, and longer aging.

That’s not to say you can’t find Cava made from organic grapes. I’ve had a few and they’ve been delightful. But they’re can be a challenge to find. For me, it’s easier and more rewarding to look for bubbles from Conca del Riu Anoia, Clàssic Penedès, or Corpinnat. Salud!

I invite you to ready my fellow Wine Pairing Weekend writer’s post for wonderful Cava and food pairings! Salud!

“Huevos Rotos (Broken Eggs) + Juve & Camps Reserva de la Familia Gran Reserva Brut” from Camilla at Culinary Cam

“Cava and Croissants? Yes Please!” from Andrea at The Quirky Cork

“Grilled Teriyaki Chicken+Cava= A Perfect Summer Pairing” from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm

“Coconut Almond Tea Cakes and Torre Oria Cava Rosè” from Terri at Our Good Life

“Cava with an eclectic array of Tapas!” from Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles

“Hoya de Cadenas Cava Brut and Coctel de Camaron” from Deanna at Wineivore

“Slightly sweet Cava Brut ups your grilling options” from Linda at My Full Wine Glass

“For a Sparkling Summer Surprise, Try Spain’s Biodynamic Raventos i Blanc with Anchovy Sammies” from Gwendolyn at Wine Predator