Cava DO

“El vino siembra poesia en los corazones”

Wine plants poetry in the hearts

Strictly speaking, the Cava DO isn’t confined to one place.

Cava can be made in seven autonomous regions in Spain but the crown jewel of Cava production lies in the Penedès region of Cataluña. This area produces about 95% of the world’s Cava.

And this is where you will live the Weekend Wine Life.

Discover a labyrinth of history as you take a train through in Spain’s oldest winery, treat your tastebuds to traditional Catalan food washed down with copious glasses of Cava, and enjoy the architecture of rural Spain as you ramble through the town.

High quality Cava is sold in abundance here, starting around €3 a glass, and even premium Cava is usually under €10 a glass.

Here’s the best part; you can satisfy both your inner town and country mouse on this weekend adventure as it is less than an hour away from Cataluña’s bustling capital, Barcelona.

the info

  • It is very straight forward to visit part of the Cava DO, it is around one hour from Barcelona and can be done car-free.

    For full details on how to visit Cava for a weekend, see Cava Itinerary.

  • The Catalan specialty botifarra, a traditional pork sausage, can be found on many menus. There are various varieties of botifarra, like grilled served with white beans (botifarra amb mongetes) or spiced, cured versions.

    Another Catalan dish to try depending on the season (available Nov – Apr) is calçots, a type of green onion. It is a bit like a cross between a spring onion and a leek. They are served grilled with romesco sauce. Eating calçots is not just a meal—it's an event. You will be given a pair of plastic gloves to stop your hands getting messy as you strip down the onion. They’re usually enjoyed at a traditional winter feast known as a calçotada.

    Bon profit!

    • Be conscious of the heat: If you choose to walk between wineries ensure you are adequately protected. Some wineries require walking up an incline with little to no shade.

    • Allow a time buffer: If you are travelling by train, be aware the trainline can be unreliable and check in advance for engineering works.

  • Ready to live the Weekend Wine Life in Cava?

    You can find a suggested travel itinerary with recommended hotels and restaurants and a reservation check list right here;

Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain, traditionally made from three native Spanish grape varieties;

  • -        Xarel.lo

  • -        Macabeo

  • -        Parellada

However there are nine varieties permitted in total. Many Cavas now include international varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Garnacha Tinta.

How it is made

Much like Champagne, Cava undergoes a unique double fermentation process. The first fermentation occurs like any other wine, where yeast converts the sugar in the grape must into alcohol and CO2. The magic happens during the second fermentation, initiated by the addition of sugar and yeast (the ‘licor de tiraje’). Unlike the first fermentation, where CO2 is released, in the second fermentation the CO2 is trapped in the bottle, creating the iconic fizz. This process is known as the 'traditional method.' So, next time you hold a bottle of Cava, remember it’s the very bottle where the bubbles were born.

How does it taste?

Cava produced from the three native grape varieties listed above, often has a distinctive note of rubber to it which helps you identify it as Cava. More so, you can expect flavours of green apple, citrus, pear and white flowers. In vintage Cava’s that have some age to them you may find rich notes of toasted almonds.

what is cava?

useful terminology

Blanc de Blancs - Blanc de Blancs is a white wine crafted exclusively from white-skinned grapes. This means the Cava is made from 100% white grape varieties, such as Macabeo, Xarel.lo, Parellada, Chardonnay or Malvasia.

Blanc de Noir - Blanc de Noirs is a white wine made from red-skinned grapes, such as Garnacha Tinta, Pinot Noir, Trepat or Monastrell. During the winemaking process, the skins aren't used, so the final product retains none of the colour.

Rosé Cava - Rosé Cava is made by letting the skins of red grapes have brief contact with the must of the base wine, thereby adding colour. The amount of time the juice stays in contact with the grape skins determines the intensity of the pink colour.

Vintage Cava - Contrary to its name, Vintage Cava doesn't imply age. Instead, it means all the grapes were harvested in a single year—an exceptional year with perfect weather conditions.

Non-Vintage Cava - Non-vintage Cava is made from grapes grown in multiple years, blended to achieve a consistent and signature house style.

Cava de Paraje Calificado - These are high quality examples of Cava. They are aged for at least 36 months on lees and come from a single high-quality vineyards. There are also many additional rules, including that the vines must be at least ten years old and they must be hand-harvested.

Corpinnat – A small group of producers have formed their own collective (Corpinnat) to focus on terroir-driven sparkling wine.  These wines are made from organic or biodynamic grapes that are hand-harvested. Corpinnat wines must be aged for a minimum of 18 months on lees and are produced using the traditional method. The term "Corpinnat" means "heart of Penedès,".  Whilst Corpinnat wines are technically Cava, not all Cava meets the high standards set for Corpinnat.

Sweetness Levels - Sweetness in Cava, like in Champagne, refers to the amount of residual sugar in the wine, which is determined by the dosage added after the second fermentation. The degrees of sweetness are often indicated on the label, with 'Brut Nature' being the driest Cava and 'Dulce' being the sweetest. Here they are listed in order:

  • Brut Nature (zero): 0-3g/l of residual sugar, containing the least calories per glass.

  • Extra Brut: 0-6g/l of residual sugar.

  • Brut: 0-12g/l of residual sugar.

  • Extra Seco: 12-17g/l of residual sugar.

  • Seco: 17-32g/l of residual sugar.

  • Semi-Seco: 32-50g/l of residual sugar.

  • Dulce: 50+g/l of residual sugar, making it the highest calorie and sweetest Cava.

A Brief history

In the late 1800s, following a visit to the Champagne region, Josep Raventós of Codorníu—one of Spain's oldest wineries—crafted the country's first sparkling wine. He used native grape varieties and utilised the traditional method (wherein the second fermentation occurs in the bottle) to create the characteristic bubbles. The Codorniu winery still produce much of Spain’s Cava today.

Subsequently, his son Manuel Raventós Domènech produced sparkling wine using Xarel·lo, Macabeo, and Parellada—the same three varieties predominantly used in modern Cava production, that contribute to its distinctive flavour profile.

The term "Cava," referring to the caves where the wine is aged, was not adopted until the 1950s.