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WSET LVL 4: Sparkling > Cava > Flashcards

Cava Flashcards

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1
Q

Who are the two largest producers of Cava?

A

Freixenet (Ferrer family) and Codorníu (Raventós family)

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2
Q

What is the authoritative body for the Cava PDO?

A

Consejo Regulador de Cava

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3
Q

What international agreement started the formation of the Cava PDO?

A

Spain entering the EU (1986)

-1960’s: informal name for Spanish sparkling
- 1972: PDO of Cava recognized by Spanish law
- 1989: EU recognizes the Cava PDO as a wine rather than a place

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4
Q

What amount of Cava is grown and produced in Penedès?

A

95% is grown and produced there

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5
Q

What are the three most significant areas of Cava production?

A
  • Penedès
  • Lleida
  • Tarragona
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6
Q

What is the climate like in Penedès?

A
  • Mediterranean
  • Bright sunny summers, mild winter
  • Moderate rainfall (540mm) spread throughout the year
  • Mostly at 200-300m altitude
  • Soils poor in nutrients, with good balance of drainage and retention
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7
Q

How does typography vary within Penedès?

A

Lower altitude (200-300m)
- Warmer climate
- Alluvial/clay soils
- Closer to the coast

Higher altitude (700-800m)
- Cooler climate
- Longer growing season
- Higher acid, more intense flavors
- Stony clay with granite subsoils

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8
Q

What style of wine will you typically see being made at higher altitudes within Cava?

A
  • Macabeo dominant
  • Better built for aging
  • Intense fruit character
  • Higher acidity
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9
Q

What are the two main towns within Penedès and what are they known for?

A

Sant Sadurní d’Anoia
- Principal cava producers located here

Vilafranca del Penedès
- Consejo Regulador de Cava headquartered here

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10
Q

What is the climate/typography like in Lleida?

A
  • More mediterranean closer to coast, increasingly continental further inland
  • 100-700m altitude (slopes and a high plain)
  • Irrigation from Pyrenees necessary for viticulture/spring frost protection
  • Resulting wine depends on altitude
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11
Q

What is Raimat estate?

A

Largest single family-owned estate in Spain

  • 2,200 ha
  • Mainly still wine
  • Owned by the Raventós family
  • Pioneered Chardonnay in the region
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12
Q

What is climate/typography like in Tarragona?

A
  • Low lying, undulating hills
  • Mediterranean climate
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13
Q

What styles of Cava are generally produced in Tarragona?

A
  • Macabeo dominant
  • Simple, early drinking
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14
Q

What’s unique about Cava Rosado coming out of Tarragona?

A

It will include Trepat

Conca de Barberà, home of Trepat, is located within Tarragona

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15
Q

How does Cava produced in Rioja differ from Penedès?

A
  • Rain protection from Cantabrian Mountains
  • Higher altitude (425m in Rioja Alta), longer growing season
  • Macabeo (aka Viura) and Chardonnay only
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16
Q

What are the four white grapes allowed in Cava?

A
  • Macabeo
  • Parellada
  • Xarel-lo
  • Chardonnay
17
Q

What are the main characteristics of Macabeo?

A
  • Late budding
  • Earliest ripening of the local varieties
  • High yielding
  • Susceptible to botrytis and bacterial blight
  • Light intensity, apple and lemon character
18
Q

Where is Macabeo mainly grown?

A

37% of Cava vineyards are Macabeo

  • 100-300m in altitude in Penedès
  • Higher altitude in other regions (425m in Rioja, 700m in Lleida)
  • Only indigenous white in Rioja (bottled varietally or blended with Chardonnay)
19
Q

What are the main characteristics of Xarel-lo?

A
  • Mid-budding and ripening
  • Susceptible to powdery and downy mildew
  • Herbal (gooseberry, fennel) character
  • Reasonable affinity for oak
20
Q

Where is Xarel-lo mainly grown?

A

26% of Cava vineyards are Xarel-lo

  • 0-400m in altitude in Penedès
  • Indigenous to Cataluña
21
Q

What are the main characteristics of Parellada?

A
  • Lowest yielding
  • Early budding
  • Latest ripening of the three indigenous grapes
  • Susceptible to powdery mildew
  • Needs a long ripening season to avoid excessive alcohol
  • Adds finesse and floral notes
22
Q

Where is Parellada mainly grown?

A

500m+ sites in Penedès

Needs high altitudes and a long growing season

23
Q

What role does Chardonnay play in Cava?

A
  • 9% of plantings
  • Adds richness and body
  • Clonal/rootstock selection especially important to avoid early ripening
24
Q

What are the black grapes allowed in Cava production?

A
  • Pinot Noir
  • Garnacha Tinto
  • *Trepat
  • Monastrell

*Allowed solely in Cava Rosado

25
Q

What Spanish black grape is NOT allowed in Cava production?

A

Tempranillo

26
Q

What role does Garnacha Tinto play in Cava production?

A
  • Adds red fruit character and spice notes

Decrease in use because it oxidizes quickly

27
Q

What role does Trepat play in Cava production?

A
  • Local to Conca de Barberà (Tarragones)
  • Strawberry flavors
  • High acidity

ONLY ALLOWED IN ROSADO

28
Q

What role does Pinot Noir play in Cava production?

A
  • Blended into Rosado
  • Rosado as a single varietal
  • Blanc de Noir
29
Q

What role does Monastrell play in Cava production?

A

A tiny one. It’s rarely used.

30
Q

What is a typical vine density in Cava?

A

Low to medium (1500-3500 vines/ha)

31
Q

What vine training systems are normal for Cava?

A
  • Bush training
  • Single or double cordon
32
Q

Is irrigation allowed in Cava?

A

Yes, but strictly controlled to relieve hydric stress, and not to improve yields

33
Q

Why is rootstock selection so important in Cava?

A
  • Tolerance of lime
  • Prevelancy of mildew and other hazards/pests
  • Macabeo is too vigorous on some rootstocks
34
Q

What are typical hazards in Cava and their solutions?

A
  • Misty, humid mornings (botrytis and downy mildew) = Bordeaux mixture, canopy thinning
  • Dry weather (Powdery mildew) = Bordeaux mixture
  • Grapevine moth = Sexual confusion technique
35
Q

Besides testing for sugar and acid, what else are producers increasingly considering when picking?

A

WSET LVL 4: Sparkling (22 decks)

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