DO Cava

Who said champagne? In Catalonia we have cava! The cava production area is made up of 160 municipalities, with Penedès being the region that concentrates more than 95% of this production and, specifically, Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, with more than 75%. In 1872 the first bottles were produced, in 1972 the Regulatory Council of Sparkling Wines was constituted and, in 1993, the first Regulatory Council of Cava. The origin of cava is closely linked to the Catalan viticulture of the mid-nineteenth century. During the nineteenth century, many families in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia began experimenting with this technique to give rise to cava, with an identity that is its own and that makes it different from any other quality wine.

Why is it special?

Louis Pasteur's microbiology studies applied to wine made it possible to control the second fermentation in the bottle, and the discovery of the cork stopper meant that the bubbles were not lost. Thus was born the traditional method or champenoise, a technique that during the nineteenth century several families in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia applied to crops. With the trials of the Catalan Agricultural Institute of Sant Isidre, they opted for the native varieties of white grapes, from which cava was born. In 1872, Josep Raventós, from Codorniu, produced the first 3,000 bottles of cava according to the method of second fermentation. His son and heir, Manuel Raventós, began the expansion of the company, while other producers also began to make cava. During the 1920s, cava gained strength in the market, and was consolidated internationally in the eighties. Today it is one of the most dynamic sectors, with a production of more than 200 million bottles per year.

What can be done about it?

On the Costa Daurada there are several wineries that open their doors to the visitor. The cava cellars dot the fields and allow you to know the process from the inside from the vineyards to the press and bottling. For example, you can visit the Nulles Winery, one of the wine cathedrals of Catalonia, which has recently been awarded for making a delicious sparkling wine. Very close to our regions, Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is recognized as the capital of cava. A visit to the Codorniu cellars, by the modernist architect Puig i Cadafalch, with 26 kilometres of underground cellars, as well as the Freixenet, Torelló, Raventós i Blanc and Gramona cellars, is a must. The Cava Week held in Sant Sadurní, serves to promote this product in Catalonia. Of the festive events, the coronation and proclamation of the queen of cava, the route of the cava train and the Cavatast, a sample of cavas and gastronomy of the Penedès, stand out.

Grapes with DNA  :
 

DO Cava

The white grape varieties, Trepat and also some red grapes are suitable for the production of cavas. On the Costa Daurada, Macabeus, Xarel·los, Malvasies or Chardonnays are grown, which are used as a base for the production of cavas within the DO Cava.

REGULATORY COUNCIL OF THE CAVA DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN
Av. Tarragona, 24
CP 08720, Vilafranca del Penedès
Tel. 938903104 Fax: 938901567
consejo@crcava.es
www.crcava.es