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WSET Sparkling Wine > Cava > Flashcards

Cava Flashcards

1
Q

Primary Method

A

Traditional

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2
Q

Region

A

”- 95% Penedès in Cataluña

  • Most important areas in Cataluna: Penedes, Lleida, Tarragona
  • Other areas permitted inlcuding Rioja or Valencia”
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3
Q

Penedes Climate

A

Mostly Mediterranean

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4
Q

Penedes Climate - Description

A

”- Sunny summers, mild winters, mod rainfall throughout the year

  • Range from the coast to higher altitudes inland ( 200 - 300m with minority even higher)
  • High Alt = high diurnal which are more intense + higher acidity”
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5
Q

Penedes Soils

A

”- Lower Alts = alluvial + clay soils

  • Higher Alts = stony clay + granite sub-soils
  • All soils = poor in nutrients + good drainage + good water retention which is a great combo for viticulture”
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6
Q

Lleida Province

A

”- Slopes and high plains (100 - 700m)

  • Climate ranges from Med toward the coast to Continental at higher altitude
  • Natural irrigation system created by Pyrenees made land suitable for viticulture + provide frost protection
  • Raimat Estate (largest single-vineyard estate owned by one family in Spain is here, pioneers Chardonnay)”
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7
Q

Tarragona Province

A

”- Low lying or undulating hills + Med climate

  • Macabeo-dominated, early drinking
  • Conco de Barbera here is home of Trepat = valued for Cava Rosado”
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8
Q

Grape Varieties

A

”- Macabero (aka Viura)*

  • Xarel-lo*
  • Parellada*
  • Chardonnay (smaller plantings)
  • Garnacha Tinta (decreasing)
  • Trepat (only used in Rosado)
  • Pinot Noir (Often in Rosado + Blanc de Noirs)
  • Monastrell is permitted but rarely used, Tempranillo not permitted”
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9
Q

Grape Varieties - Macabeo

A

”- 36% of vineyards for Cava

  • 100 to 300m in Penedes but some in Rioja and Lleida
  • Late budding (less risk for spring frost), picked first, high yeilding
  • Susceptible to botrytis and bacterial blight (disease w/ no cure)
  • Light intensity, apple/lemon aromas
  • Only indiginous white grape planted outside of Caltaluna”
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10
Q

Grape Varieties - Xarel-lo

A

”- 25% of vineyards registered for Cava

  • 0 to 400m in Penedes
  • Mid-budding (prone to spring frost)
  • Mid-ripening
  • Susceptible to powdery + downey midlew but otherwise resistent
  • Green + gooseberry notes, herbal fennel, earthy”
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11
Q

Grape Varieties - Parellada

A

”- 20% of vineyards for Cava

  • 500m in Penedes (best vineyards = highest altitidues)
  • Lowest yielding
  • Early budding (prone to spring frost)
  • Latest-ripening (requires long ripening season to reach flavor maturity without excessive potential alcohol so alt is best)
  • Susceptible to powdery mildew
  • Finesse + floral notes”
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12
Q

Grape Varieties - Chardonnay

A

”- 9% of vineyards for Cava

  • Adds body, richness, finesse
  • Specific rootstocks/clones are vital for balanced ripeness (otherwise it would ripen too quickly)”
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13
Q

Vineyard Management

A

”- Low to moderate denisities (1.5k - 3.5k)

  • Moderately high yields
  • Bush or single/double cordon
  • Irrigation permitted only to relieve hydric stress and protect future viability but NOT to increase yields”
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14
Q

Vineyard Management - Threats

A

”- Misty, humid mornings = botrytis + downey mildew

  • Powdery mildew
  • Grapevine moths
  • Threats mitigated via Copper/Sulful sprays, canopy management, sexual confusion techniques”
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15
Q

Vineyard Management - Harvest

A

”- Test sugar levels, acidity, pH to determine picking date (looking for good acidity + low potential alcohol)

  • Full phenolic ripeness is not needed
  • Choose between hand and machine (90% by hand)
  • Whole bunches are best to produce base wines with low phenolic content”
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16
Q

Vineyard Management - Gluconic Acid

A

”- During harvest, they also test for gluconic acid (indicator of botrytis infection) so they can sort them out.
- Too high levels have a negative effect on yeast in the 2nd fermentation and reduce wine stability”

17
Q

Winemaking - Press

A

Pneumatic presses = soft press to avoid extraction of phenolics

18
Q

Winemaking - Rosado

A

”- Min 25% black grapes

- Skin contact (no blending)”

19
Q

Winemaking - 1st Fermentation

A

”- Cultured yeasts (either that they propogated themselves or bought)

  • Large-format stainless steels tanks at 57 - 61 F (preserve fruity aroams)
  • MLF = blocked”
20
Q

Winemaking - 2nd Fermentation

A

”- Traditional Method

  • Automated rotating drum to disgorge (plus yeast strains and smooth glass necks to speed up flocculation) replaced gyropalets for disgorgement
  • Brut w/ 8 - 9 g/L as the typical dosage level + Brut Nature on the rise”
21
Q

Styles - Cava

A

”- 9 months minimum on lees (tirage to disgorgement)

  • Light to med intensity
  • Lemon, apple, herbal, light autolytic
  • M to M+ acidity
  • Mostly Brut (other styles permitted)”
22
Q

Styles - Cava Reserva

A

”- 15 months minimum on lees

  • Autolytic notes = more evident
  • Mostly Brut (other styles permitted)”
23
Q

Styles - Cava Gran Reserva

A

”- 30 months minimum on lees

  • Pronounced toasty, smoky, autolytic notes
  • Only Brut, Extra Brut, Brut Nature”
24
Q

Styles - Cava de Paraje Calificado

A

”- Single estate or vineyard Cava (introduced in 2017)

  • Estate grown + produced + bottled
  • Vines must be 10+ years w/ low max production
  • No acidification permitted
  • Finished wine aged at Estate for 36 months minimum
  • Only Brut, Extra Brut, Brut Nature”
25
Q

Styles - Clàssic

Penedès

A
  • Traditional method sparkling wine made from certified organic grapes growin in Penedes DO, 15 months on lees
26
Q

Styles - Espumoso de Calidad de Rioja

A

”- Quality Sparkling Wine of Rioja DOCa (est 2019)

  • Hand harvested, traditional method
  • Crianza = 15 months on lees, Reserva = 24 months on lees, Gran Anada = 36 months on lees”
27
Q

Consejo Regulardor del Cava’s “Four Separate Registers for Cava Production”

A

“1. Growers

  1. Producers of Base Wines
  2. Storekeepers of Base Wines
  3. Cava Producers
    * one producer can figure on all four registers
    * not location specific, movement is tracked but allowed”
28
Q

Business - Production

A

”- 75% finished Cava produced by Freixenet and Codorniu

- Cevipe Coop process 55M grapes but no finished Cava (sells grapes)”

29
Q

Business - Market

A

”- 33% domestic; 67% exports (GER, BEL, UK, USA)

- Rapid growth plateaud after 2010”

30
Q

Business - Styles

A
  • 87% is basic Cava, 11% Reserva, 2% Gran Reseva + Paraje Calificado together, 8% Rosado
31
Q

Corpinnat

A

”- Producer group of high quality producers

  • Traditional method
  • Organic Grapes
  • Grown in Penedes
  • Harvested by hand
  • Vinified on-premise of the winery
  • 90% of grapes must be approved local varieties
  • Minimum ageing categories for 18, 30, 60”

WSET Sparkling Wine (18 decks)

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