Cava - The Spanish Sparkling Wine

In the 1800s, Spain began producing sparkling wines to mimic their French neighbor's Champagne and they called it Champaña.  But in the 1970s, French regulations were put into place such that only sparkling wine produce in the Champagne region of France could rightfully be called Champagne.  So, the Spanish re-named their sparkling wine for the caves or cellars where the sparkling wine was kept for aging. Hence the name Cava.

Cava, mostly produced in Penedes near Barcelona, is traditionally produced from three regional grapes: Macabeo (~50%), Xarel-lo and Paralleda. But, Chardonnay and Pinot are sometimes used in smaller quantities. And Cava rosé gets it color from Granacha (Grenache), Monaastrell (Mouvedre) or Pinot Noir.  Cava is produced in the traditional French method, where secondary fermentation is done in the bottle. All Cava must be at least 10% alcohol by volume but no greater than 13%. 

There are three types of Cava and multiple styles. Of the three types, Cava is aged for 9 months, Reserva for 15 months and Gran Reserva for at least 30 months.  And like Champagne, there are many styles, reflecting the amount of residual sugar:

• Brut Nature: 0-3 gm/liter 

• Extra Brut: 0-6 gm/liter

• Brut: 0-12 gm/liter

• Extra Seco: 12-17 gm/liter

• Seco: 17-32 gm/liter

• Semi-Seco: 32-50 gm/liter

• Dulce: Greater than 50 gm/liter

Cava is a sparkling wine worth trying. It can be a bit more 'earthy' than Champagne, but nice bottles can be found in the $20 range. The Spanish don't relegate their consumption of Cava to special occasions and neither should you. Cheers!

Sparkling Wine - Champagne

Last time, the topic of sparkling wine was introduced. And Champagne is the first thing that comes to most people's mind when ordering or purchasing a sparkling wine. It is synonymous with celebrations and splurges.   

As mentioned last time, only sparkling wine produced in the small French region of Champagne may legally be labeled 'Champagne.'  And because of this region's northern location and cool weather, three grapes have been found to grow best and hence became the basis for Champagne: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.  To this day, most Champagne relies on these grapes. But, Champagne producers are also allowed to use Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier and Arbane. When these latter grapes are used, they are typically used in very small quantities.

Champagne is actually a blended white wine that undergoes a second fermentation. Once each of the individual wines is produced, they are blended per the winemaker's liking and bottled. After the wine is bottled, a small amount of sugar and yeast is added to the bottle and then each individual bottle is tightly corked.  As the newly introduced yeast consumes the added sugar, it gives off carbon dioxide (CO2). Since the CO2 gas has nowhere to go, it stays in the bottle and is absorbed into the wine.  Then, when the cork is removed from the bottle, the gas is able to 'escape' from the wine. These are the famous bubbles in Champagne.  And generally, the bubbles in Champagne are smaller and longer lasting than other sparkling wines.

The amount of sugar added during the second fermentation also leads to the various styles of Champagne.  An 'Extra Brut' will have 0-6% residual sugar while a 'Brut' can have 0-15% residual sugar. And, whereas a 'dry' wine has little to no residual sugar, an 'Extra Dry' Champagne will have 12-20% sugar while the 'Dry' style can have 17-35% sugar.  And finally, on the very sweet end of the spectrum are 'Demi Sec' (35-50%) and Doux (50%+).

Unlike most wines, Champagnes are produced as both vintage and non-vintage. The non-vintage Champagnes allow the winemaker to select and blend grapes from different vintages (i.e., years) to achieve the best flavors. But, when there is a particularly good year for the grapes, the Champagne may be vintage bottled and usually commands a higher price.

If you are only raising and sipping a glass of Champagne by itself, you are missing out. Champagne pairs very nicely with food and should be served with meals.  Foods such as fish and shellfish, chicken and even fried foods and salty foods pair very well.  

And finally, while the thin fluted Champagne glasses are traditionally used to show off the bubbles, choose a nice white wine glass to serve your Champagne. Because, after all, it is a white wine and the larger, more open bowl of a white wine glass will allow you to fully enjoy the aromas and flavors of your Champagne.  Cheers!

Sparkling Wines

Everybody loves Champagne.  It's a treat that is generally poured in small fluted glasses and raised during toasts at special occasions. But what a lot of people don't realize is that they are not drinking Champagne.

Champagne is a sparkling wine that is produced in the relatively small region of Champagne in France. Only those sparkling wines produced in this region are allowed to be labeled as 'Champagne.'  And an entry level bottle of Champagne is going to start in the $50 range. So, typically you are toasting with some other sparkling wine.

In the U.S., there are a tremendous number of makers of sparkling wine. Most will produce a wine that can taste very much like the French Champagne. And, you can also find these sparkling wines infused with fruit flavors such as peach and nut flavors such as almond.  An entry level bottle of sparking wine in the U.S. can be as little as $5.

In Italy, Prosecco is the their signature sparkling wine. Produced in the Veneto region just north of Venice, this sparkling wine usually produces bigger bubbles. Bottles of Prosecco can be purchased in the $10- $15 range.

The sparkling wine of Spain is Cava that is produced in the Catalonia region of Spain where Barcelona is located.  Nice bottles of Cava can be purchased for around $15.

In future postings we'll explore more about these wonderful sparkling wines, the grapes used to produce them, the fermentation processes, the various types of each, and how well they pair with food.

Here's to popping a bottle of sparkling wine!  Cheers!

Rosé for Valentines Day

Ah, pink wine.  Yes, it has gotten a bad reputation from the past. You may remember Mateus, Lancers, Cold Duck and White Zinfandel.  Unfortunately rosé wines have been considered second class wines. But, that's all changed!

Rosé is made from red wine grapes, but the grape juice has had very little exposure to the dark grape skins during the wine making process.  So, a white Zinfandel is made from the same grape that produces a bottle of red wine Zinfandel, but the Zinfandel grape's juice was quickly separated from the red (or purple) grape skins, resulting in a pink colored wine.

In the past, rosé wines have been synonymous with sweet wines.  That can still be true.  But there are a lot more dry rosé wines available today.  And, a key to finding the dryer, less sweet, wines is by looking at the wine's alcohol content.  All wines labels are required to show the percent alcohol of the wine. If it's down around 8 or 9 percent, it's going to be sweet.  In the 11 to 12 percent range it will be mid-range between sweet and dry. And, above 12 percent it's going to be a dry rosé.

And, today you'll find rosé wines that are not just blends of red grapes, but produced from specific grape types.  So, you may find rosés made from Pinot Noir, Grenache, Sangiovese, Syrah and even from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. These are wonderful wines to enjoy lightly chilled on a warm day, but should be considered for anytime that a lighter wine is desired.

So, there is no shame in drinking a 'pink' wine. It's not just for girls anymore. And the great part is that rosé wines are a lot more affordable. You don't need to pay more than $15 to find a great bottle of rosé.  Here's to lifting a glass of rosé for Valentine's Day, or any day of the year. Cheers!