4 CATALAN CAVAS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
This post is a contribution of our good friend Zoltan Csaba Nagy, a Transylvanian sommelier, writer, journalist and food guide at Food Lover Tour, living in Barcelona since 2010.
For many people, cava is the exclusive drink of the summer. The subtle tingling in the nose caused by cavas is the anticipation of a pleasant evening for couples, friends or family.
In Spain, we usually enjoy cava at the beach, at a rural property or in a cool terrace, as a conclusion to a meal or as an appetizer combined with oysters or some other unique Spanish tapas like ham, cheese, olives or fuet (traditional Catalan pork cold cut).
Let’s take a look at four kinds of outstanding Catalan cava from diverse wineries, with different elaborations that will allow perceiving the particular tastes offered by each variety.
Enoteca Gramona 2001, which is described as “a validation of high-flying cava, a real demonstration of excellence, complexity and finesse,” has obtained the highest score – 99 points (a qualification obtained by only five wines in 27 editions of the guide, which has never awarded a 100), and is the best sparkling wine in the guide’s history. The Guía Penin describes this achievement as “the culmination of a process that began many years ago in the Gramona winery, the demonstration that this Catalan cava house’s decision to adopt long-ageing was bound to produce results never seen before”.
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Castellroig JOSEP COCA Xarel·lo 100% Reserva Familiar
This Catalan cava is based on the solidity of the terroirs (Boja, Calma, Torró and Rigolet) with a premature tendency, moderately deep and evolved soils dominating, giving extraordinary maturity to the grape, which in turn results in a rigorous, greatly typical maturity, with balanced acidity, floral and long lasting.
It has a very fine bubble formation, and intense and complex aroma of white fruit, ripe, touched with toasted notes and dried fruits. Full in the month, outstanding structure and round. Makes you fall in love during a special night.
Recaredo Brut de Brut is a completely dry brut nature cava with no added sugar. Made from 51% Xarel·lo and 49% Macabeu from organic agriculture. No chemical herbicides or insecticides are used. Only natural organic fertilizer used. The harvest is done completely by hand to maintain the properties of the grapes used for a long-aged cava.
Recommended serving Brut de Brut at around 10°C and opening the bottle a few minutes before serving.
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Llopart Rose – Microcosmos
An ample and sophisticated rosé fruit of the particular geological location and microclimate of the Can Llopart estate.Made from two grape varieties Pinot noir 85% Monastrell 15% has a bright pink-redcurrant color with subtle brick tones. Complex aroma of wild red fruits blended with toasted nuances from its long bottle fermentation. Harmonious on the palate with a broad tasty elegance and the perfect effervescence. A long and creamy aftertaste.
CHEERS!!!
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ABOUT ZOLTAN CSABA NAGY
Tattooed and multifaceted, Zoltan would like to see a tattooed president one day. Fan of the only team in history that has managed to win three championships the same year twice. He was born in Transylvania (near the Carpathians) the same year that the Berlin Wall was torn down, in a family with five brothers. He was always skilled with languages: he speaks and writes five of them, and is now learning Chinese. It is said of him that he’s “a restless lad with tons of energy”. In 2010 he was adopted by Barcelona. He likes to learn about wine, and he dedicates himself to this wonderful world as a columnist in different publications around the world. At the moment he is also writing a book.