Cava Wine Information and Facts

Cava Tour

Cava wines are sparkling wines made in the same tradition as those of Champagne. After the wine undergoes fermentation it is poured into heavy-duty wine bottles. The winemaker adds a mixture of sugar and yeast to the wine so that the wine will undergo a second fermentation. The bottle is then capped. Because the bottle is capped, carbon dioxide gas (product of fermentation) is trapped in the bottle. These are the bubbles in sparkling wine.

Cava literally means underground cellar.

Most of Spain’s Cava wine is made in the Penedes wine region just south of Barcelona.

The three most commonly used grapes in Cava are ones seldom used elsewhere. They are Macabeo (Viura), Xarello, and Parellada. Chardonnay is beginning to be used more as some vineyards have been replanted with the Chardonnay grape.

While in Barcelona, if you want to sip Cava, simply say to the server, Cava por favor. Usually you will be served a small bottle of Cava.