Cava established itself in Spain in the 1920’s, after several families from the Catalan region began looking at the method the French were using to make Champagne with a view to applying it to their own local grapes. With its perfect Mediterranean climate for vine growing and ripening of grapes, the popularity of this quality sparkling wine has just grown and grown internationally. Most of the wine is made in the Penedes portion of the Catalan Region and the famous black bottle that we associate with Cava is Freixenet.
Freixenet as a company actually dates back to even before 1935, when it was known outside of Spain in London and New Jersey. It is still a family owned company and when you arrive at the Freixenet HQ, about an hour outside of Barcelona you can see how much this company dominates the area, not just providing jobs for the area but way of life for so many families that have worked here through the generations. It has an incredible history and staggering amount of heritage and knowledge in wine making. If you are in Barcelona it is worth the trip to go to their HQ for a tour, but mostly a tasting, I never knew they made so many varieties of Cava and wine, what an education with a glass of fizz in your hand!
Some tasting notes about Cava, if you want to impress the next time you are out to dinner. The traditional Black bottle of Cava we all know and love is a blend of three different white grape varieties; Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel’lo (pronounced Char-rel-o).
“It is pale yellow, with bright hints of green.”
“The fine delicate aromas combine tones of green apple and pear, with more Mediterranean fruits of peach and melon over a base of citrus, beautifully balanced. Resulting in a refreshing, long, sparkling elegant taste.”
Now do you think you can learn that?
When you are ready to work your way through the rest of the Freixenet family I can strongly recommend the Freixenet Elyssia Gran Cuvée Cava Brut, which is dry with a fruit combination of apple, pear and lemon flavours. A crisp and light wine, perfect for a summer day, or if you are reading this in England it could help you lament the lack of summer days.
If you are planning a trip to Barcelona you should really try and get to the Freixenet HQ, they run tours all the time and it’s an incredible site with so much history and love for their wine. You will learn a lot and come away having a special insight into how this family has grown into a phenomenal global brand.
The best place to get offers on the Freixenet wines and Cavas is the Tesco.com site.
For more information on the company and to find details on the tour.
http://www.freixenet.com/