Cava is a quality sparkling white wine produced in Northern Spain using the
"method champenoise", in other words the method of a secondary fermentation
in the bottle such as is used for Champangne. In fact the Spanish
wanted their Cava Wines to be known as "champan",the Spanish translation for champagne,
but after legal battles with the French, who claimed that this name could only be
applied to wines made in the Champagne area of France, the name Cava
was decided upon.

Cava is the Catalan for cave and it is from this area that most of
these delightful bubbly Spanish wines are produced. However Cava wines are unique
because unlike other "Denominacion de Origen" regions in Spain it is
not restricted to one particular demarcated area, and in addition to
Catalyuna it is also produced in D.O. Rioja, D.O. Navarra and D.O. Aragon.
That said however some 95% of Cava wines comes form the D.O. Penedes
in the region of Catalyuna.

After the first fermentation the wine is then bottled with a temporary cork
and stored in a horizontal position. For the wine to be classed as Cava it
must be in contact with the lees for a minimum of 9 months but this can
often be as long as 2 years. At the end of this period comes the disgorgement
process when the wine is cleaned of the yeast sediment by removing the
cork, any liquid lost at this time is replaced by wine of the year either sweet or dry
depending on the preference of the producer. The final cork is then put
in and the wine goes for labelling and despatch.

The production of Cava Wines is rigorously controlled
by the Consell Regulador del Cava to ensure that the resulting
sparkling wines are of the highest quality. The main grapes used
are Macabeu,xarello, Parellada and more recently some Chardonny varieties.

Today cava wines are receiving worldwide recognition as quality sparkling
wines suitable for many occasions and satisfying most paletes.They come
in dry,sweet and brut varieties and represent very good value for money.

About the Author

Article submitted by Ruth Polak the owner of
www.costadelsol-vacationrentals.com A web site specializing in holiday villas and
apartments on the Costa del Sol and in Rural Andalucia. You will also
find lots of information about Spain and Andalucia, in particular.

Thoughts about April Wine on December 13, 2007

Australian Wine Clubs


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Recommended April Wine Items on December 13, 2007

Chateau Gleon Montanie "Gaston Bonnes" - Corbieres "Futs de Chene"


The story of Gleon can be traced back to 778 A.D., when Charlemagne created the first Viscount of Narbonne charged with maintaining a defense against the Saracens. Gleon, at the head of the pass, become a major defense line of Charlemagne's Kingdom. This was a family owned land for over 1,000 years until the last Marquis was killed in 1830 and his wife sold the property to the Bonnes-Montanie family who have grown vines on the property since 1853. This lovely dry red wine from Corbieres, which is part of the Languedoc, is well structured and meaty with lush 'blackberry' fruit, aged in oak barriques. This top cuvee from Gleon Monatanie, France, is a perfect gift. CGMC99 CGMC99


Price: 29.99 USD



April Wine in the news for December 13, 2007

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