I studied in Spain and loved every minute. 12 years ago, when I got married, I wanted cava at my reception instead of champagne. The venue has to search for it a little bit at that time, as we got married in Central Wisconsin, which is not known for its Spanish influences, but everyone at the reception loved it and still asks for it even today. “What was that special ‘champagne’ you had at your wedding?? I forgot the name.” And the answer is always and will always be, cava 💗.
My tio introduced me to Spanish cava and I fell in love! It truly is a delightful wine and goes great with so many Spanish dishes. Now I'm hungry for tapas!
Yum! I confess I didn’t know that cava is produced with a modified methode champenoise. I’ll have to drink more of it, regardless of what its various feuding makers call it. (And no, I don’t bother with Prosecco. Big tanks with injected CO2 - no thanks.)
In fairness, when I made the same comment about Prosecco on Facebook, a sommelier friend replied: “Might want to update your view of Prosecco. Massive changes, facilitated by new DOC/G regulations, have catapulted Prosecco’s quality from uniformly pleasant to—sometimes—wow! Look to the region’s best inner zone, Valdobbiadene DOCG for a real surprise. Sometimes the ugly duckling becomes a swan. Bottoms up!”
Injecting CO2 in Prosecco is not a valid fact. In actuality, it is produced in stainless steel tanks. However, quality prosecco undergoes a second fermentation (adding yeast and sugar in the tank), which produces co2. Champagne undergoes a second fermentation as well (adding yeast and sugar) however, in the bottle that also produces co2. It is the second fermentation that produces co2 in both production methods. Quality Prosecco has this designation - Prosecco Superiore DOCG. The grapes are different. Champagne is made from the Chardonnay or Pinot Noir...sometimes both. Prosecco is made from the Glera grape (original from Slovenia and sometimes called the Prosecco grape). All sparkling wines...Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, Franciacorta can be delicious. Try them all.
Thanks for the correction and clarification! Like my sommelier friend, you’re giving me new and better info, and I appreciate it. And I’m 100% in favor of taking the advice you give in your last sentence. 🥂
I spent a summer working with children near Villafranca Del Penedes - it was an absolutely lovely summer, and I visited the Freixenet caves there. Do you know if the programme will be picked up in the UK?
Unrelated to this post, but we dined at E tonight at the cosmopolitan and it was fantastic. Your staff, from hostess to bus was top notch. We will be back!
I studied in Spain and loved every minute. 12 years ago, when I got married, I wanted cava at my reception instead of champagne. The venue has to search for it a little bit at that time, as we got married in Central Wisconsin, which is not known for its Spanish influences, but everyone at the reception loved it and still asks for it even today. “What was that special ‘champagne’ you had at your wedding?? I forgot the name.” And the answer is always and will always be, cava 💗.
My tio introduced me to Spanish cava and I fell in love! It truly is a delightful wine and goes great with so many Spanish dishes. Now I'm hungry for tapas!
Yum! I confess I didn’t know that cava is produced with a modified methode champenoise. I’ll have to drink more of it, regardless of what its various feuding makers call it. (And no, I don’t bother with Prosecco. Big tanks with injected CO2 - no thanks.)
I didn't know that about Prosecco; great to be made aware. Thanks! I love cava.
In fairness, when I made the same comment about Prosecco on Facebook, a sommelier friend replied: “Might want to update your view of Prosecco. Massive changes, facilitated by new DOC/G regulations, have catapulted Prosecco’s quality from uniformly pleasant to—sometimes—wow! Look to the region’s best inner zone, Valdobbiadene DOCG for a real surprise. Sometimes the ugly duckling becomes a swan. Bottoms up!”
Good to hear!
Injecting CO2 in Prosecco is not a valid fact. In actuality, it is produced in stainless steel tanks. However, quality prosecco undergoes a second fermentation (adding yeast and sugar in the tank), which produces co2. Champagne undergoes a second fermentation as well (adding yeast and sugar) however, in the bottle that also produces co2. It is the second fermentation that produces co2 in both production methods. Quality Prosecco has this designation - Prosecco Superiore DOCG. The grapes are different. Champagne is made from the Chardonnay or Pinot Noir...sometimes both. Prosecco is made from the Glera grape (original from Slovenia and sometimes called the Prosecco grape). All sparkling wines...Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, Franciacorta can be delicious. Try them all.
Thanks for the correction and clarification! Like my sommelier friend, you’re giving me new and better info, and I appreciate it. And I’m 100% in favor of taking the advice you give in your last sentence. 🥂
I spent a summer working with children near Villafranca Del Penedes - it was an absolutely lovely summer, and I visited the Freixenet caves there. Do you know if the programme will be picked up in the UK?
Unrelated to this post, but we dined at E tonight at the cosmopolitan and it was fantastic. Your staff, from hostess to bus was top notch. We will be back!
I love Cava. But, I do think it is becoming confusing with all of the new geo DO's. Let's keep this beautiful wine simple.