The 7 Best Cava Sparkling Wine From Spain to Buy Now
Juve & Camps, Avinyo, Segura Viudas
The name Cava comes from the Catalan word for “cellar,” because to conform with the D.O. Cava rules, all bottles bearing the name “Cava” must be aged on their lees for at least nine months. The requirements for Reserva and Gran Reserva are even longer with Reserva at 18 months and Gran Reserva at 30 months.
Josep Raventos I Fatjo is widely credited with bringing the traditional method of making sparkling wine from Champagne to Catalonia and his son Manuel Raventos I Domenech is said to be the one who established the standard blend of three native grapes that are still used to this day. The three white grape varieties are Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada. Macabeo adds floral aromas to the finished wine, while Xarel-lo adds body, and Parellada adds fruit flavors. In addition to these three grapes, the Cava D.O. also allows winemakers to use Monastrell, Trepat, Garnacha, Subirat Parent, and the two traditional French varieties used to make Champagne: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
A few years back, Cava production reached 200 million bottles with 70 percent exported to the United States, Japan, and Switzerland and only 30 percent remaining in Spain for domestic consumption. Cava can be produced in four separate areas around Spain, but 95 percent is made in the Comtats de Barcelona D.O.
With a few weeks left of summer we’re still enjoying crisp, cold, sparkling wines and these Cavas are really hitting all the right spots. Here are the seven best Cavas to drink right now.
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Avinyo 2016 La Ticota Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava D.O.
Image Credit: Avinyo The Esteve family makes their Cava in an old farmhouse in Avinyonet del Penedes. All of their wines are produced on property with estate-grown organic grapes, aged in their cellars, and bottled in their farmhouse. Their 2016 is drinking beautifully right now at the 10-year mark. It is golden yellow with great persistence and bubbles and aromas of anise, peach, and toasted almond. It is lively and bubbly on the tongue with flavors of apricot, marzipan, and yellow peach.
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Juve & Camps 2018 Gran Juve Gran Reserva Cava D.O.
Image Credit: Juve & Camps The founding family of Juve & Camps is now in their fourth generation in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia. Their first wine was released in 1921 by Joan Juve and his wife Teresa Camps. Their sons got involved in the business and built a new winery on the edge of their town and implemented then modern ideas like pneumatic pressing and temperature control. Their 2018 is lively in the glass with very small bubbles and aromas of anise, hazelnut, and white peach. Lively in the mouth, it offers flavors of toasted almonds, white flowers, and white stone fruits.
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Cavas Naveran 2021 Perles Roses Cava D.O.
Image Credit: Cavas Naveran Don Pablo Parellada de Naveran planted vines on the site of an ancient church built in the 1100s. His direct descendant Michel Gilleron Parellada de Navaran founded Cavas Naveran in 1984 and to this day continues to make well-respected, high-quality Cava. Cavas Naveran 2021 Perles Roses Cava is light pink in the glass with tiny bubbles and aromas of strawberry, red raspberry, and Fuji apple that continue to flavors of red fruits, apple, and a touch of almond paste in the finish.
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Roger Goulart NV Organic Cava Brut Reserva D.O.
Image Credit: Roger Goulart Founded in 1882 by the Canals family, Roger Goulart winery is in the town of Sant Esteve Sesrovires in the Alto Penedes region of northeastern Spain. The family hired architect Ignasi Mas i Morell—a contemporary of Antonio Gaudi—and his design is quite impressive. The winery has more than 3,000 feet of underground cellars that are 100 feet below ground. This stunning Cava is made from organic grapes and has aromas of lemon, lime, freshly baked bread, and green apple with flavors of white peach, focaccia, and crisp lemon-lime in the finish.
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Segura Viudas NV Reserva Heredad Cava Brut D.O.
Image Credit: Segura Viudas Segura Viudas was built on land once owned by the monks of Sant Cugat, one of the most important monasteries in the Barcelona area. In the 1950s the farmhouse and estate of Can Esbert de Raïm was purchased by the Segura brothers. This iconic Heredad premium cava was first produced in 1969 and the delicious cava housed in a distinctive metal clad bottle remains popular in Spain and the rest of the world. It has enticing aromas of candied ginger, white peach, and honeysuckle petal that transform to flavors of honeycomb, peach, apricot, and orange zest in the mid palate.
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Pere Ventura 2018 Gran Reserva Cava D.O.
Image Credit: Pere Ventura Pere Ventura grew up in a family that was involved in the wine business for multiple generations, so when he started his eponymous winery, no one was surprised. He makes mouthwatering cava and is also a genius when it comes to bottle design and packaging, so a gift of his cava is always well received. His 2018 Gran Reserva has aromas of citrus blossom, focaccia, and white peach with flavors of Fuji apple, lemon zest, and jasmine flowers.
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Agusti Torello Mata Kripta 2015 Brut Nature Gran Reserva D.O.
Image Credit: Agusti Torello Mata Kripta was founded by Agusti Torello Mata in the town of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia and is widely considered to be one of the best producers in the region. Their wines are consistently rated highly by both consumers and critics. Most of their Cava comes in a traditional thick-walled glass bottle but this unique bottle is shaped like an ancient amphora with a pointed bottom so it must be served in an ice bucket. This cava was made in 2015 when Kripta was a part of the D.O. Cava but recently they have left the D.O. and joined the Corpinnat collective. It has persistent bubbles and aromas of baked apple, honeysuckle, and freshly baked pizza crust. It is lively on the tongue with flavors of pear, apple, and white citrus blossom.
