Cava Flashcards
1
Q
Location
A
Mainly Catalunya Also parts of: - Rioja - Aragon - Valencia (spread across ~1/3 of Spain)
2
Q
Climate
A
Warm Mediterranean
3
Q
Grape Varieties: all
A
White
- Macabeo
- Xarel-lo
- Parellada
- Chardonnay
Red
- Trepat
- Garnacha
- Pinot Noir
4
Q
Grape Variety: Macabeo
A
- Most widely planted, fastest growing
- Catalunya - plains and low altitude
- ripens early (can be picked in late August some years)
- green apple aromas, pears, melon, peach
- clean, bright acidity
- 10-11% potential ABV
5
Q
Grape Variety: Xarel-lo
A
- greengage (plum), gooseberry, fresh green fruits, tropical and citrus notes
- earthy, rubbery when over-ripe (beyond ~11.5% potential ABV)
- Catalunya - mid-altitude - up to ~400m
- second fastest ripening - mid-September
6
Q
Grape Variety: Parellada
A
- finesse and floral notes
- crisp acidity
- Catalunya - highest altitude - 700-800m
- likes to be near water to keep roots cool
- 9-10% potential ABV at best sites
- expected to overtake Xarel-lo plantings in future
7
Q
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
A
- body, finesse (high ripeness 11% pot ABV)
- flavours: peachy, apricot, juicy tropical fruits (mango, kiwi, pineapple)
- ripens very early so phenolic balance challenges
- choice of clone and root stock important
- fussy with soil structure (wants chalk, and well draining, cool) and pH
8
Q
Grape Variety: Trepat
A
- raspberry, strawberry, red currant flavours, refreshing acidity
- only in Rosado
- only grown in cool hillsides of Conca de Barbera, SW of Barcelona
9
Q
Grape Variety: Garnacha
A
- strawberry, pomegranate, fresh date flavours, low acidity
- oxidises easily (orange tinge in bottle)
- Middle and lower Penedes
- Falling out of fashion compared to Trepat and PN
10
Q
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
A
- delicacy and perfume
- choice of clone and rootstock important
- Rosado and Blanc de Noirs Cava styles (more expensive)
11
Q
Vineyard
A
- greater research on clones and focus on more natural viticulture have led to improvement in grape quality in recent years
- integrated pest management (control Botrytis with sexual confusion traps for European Grape Moth)
- cover crops between rows
Harvesting:
- earlier harvesting (18-20 days earlier b/c warming)
- mostly hand harvest in 25Kg plastic boxes
- greater attention to canopy management has helped
- bush trained historically, though replaced to trellis
Irrigation:
- permitted but regulated
- drip irrigation widely practiced
12
Q
Winery
A
- Traditional method
- max yield 12 ton/ha, 100L/150kg
- Cava de Paraje Calificado: 8.8 tons/ha
- must enrichment not permitted
- better hygiene, temp control, data analysis
- min 9 mo on lees
- research into yeast strains that flocculate easy (clump together)
- 504 bottle gyropallette in 80 minutes
- faster to release for sale
- 10.8-12.8 abv final product
13
Q
Classifications: Cava del Paraje Calificado
A
- 2017
- Single-estate categories for hand-harvested wines.
- Vines much be a minimum 10 years old.
- Minimum 36-month in tirage/lees aging
- Minimum TA is 5.5 g/l.
- Must be vintage-dated.
- May only be Brut, Extra Brut, or Brut Nature.
- tasting panel
14
Q
Classification: Non-vintage
A
- 9+ mo lees
15
Q
Classification: Vintage
A
- 9+ mo lees
16
Q
Classification: Reserva
A
- 15+ mo lees
17
Q
Classification: Gran Reserva
A
- 30+ mo lees
18
Q
Classification: Rosado
A
- Sangrado method (saignee, drawing off)
19
Q
Sweetness levels
A
Brut Nature: 0-3 g/l Extra Brut: 0-6 g/l Brut: 0-12 g/l Extra Dry (Extra Seco): 12-17 g/l Dry (Seco): 17-32 g/l Semi-Dry (Semi-Seco): 32-50 g/l Sweet (Dulce): 50+ g/l
20
Q
Important trade structures
A
4 separate business sectors, each with its own register:
- Growers
- Businesses that create base wine for Cava
- Businesses that store base wine for Cava
- Cava producers
- businesses can be registered in more than one register, up to all 4
21
Q
Important Producers
A
60% of sales in the market:
- Cordoniu
- Freixenent
Others:
- Garcia Carrion (Group)
- Cavas del Ampurdan
- ARCO-Bodegas Unidas (Group)
- Juve y Camps
- Raventos
22
Q
Permitted Vine Training/Pruning Systems
A
En Vaso En Espaldera (Trellis): Cordón (simple or double) or Vara y Pulgar (simple or double)
23
Q
History
A
- latter part of 19th century, S & E of Barcelona
- San Sadurni D’Anoia (most major player still based here)
- Cava DO established Feb. 1986
- Consejo Regulator del Cava CRC - legislative
24
Q
Grape Varieties: not used anymore
A
Subirat Parent (Malvasia)
- simple, easy
- no finesse
- vines being regrafted with superior varieties
Monastrell
- close to extinction in Cava
- red berry fruit aromas, but to high pot. ABV so wines unbalanced
- can be successful in Blanc de Noirs
25
Q
Rosado Production
A
- Grapes: Trepat, PN, Garnacha, Monastrell
- Method: Sangrado
- Masceration: 6 hours (max 15 hours) for pigment extraction
- All ferm. off skin, by law (must pressed before ferm)
- no blending of red and white base wines
26
Q
Rootstock: favorable characteristics
A
Resistance to:
- drought
- active lime
- nematodes
27
Q
Cava: Production
A
- 30,000+ ha vineyards registered as Cava
- 200 million+ bottles/year since 2000
- 2000 50/50 split domestic/export; 2014 35/65 domestic/export split
Top 5 export markets:
- Germany
- Belgium
- UK
- USA
- Japan
