Cava - The Spanish Champagne and Spain On The Road Again

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There is one thing I can never pass up -- a glass of champagne. While watching a wonderful new show called Spain On The Road Again (on PBS) I re-discovered this wonderful champagne or rather sparkling wine -- Cava.

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Cava, made by the Champagne method, is a very acceptable alternative to French champagne and, it should be said, much better value for money. Almost all cava is produced in Catalonia, especially the Penedés region, although eight different provinces are included in the production area.

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Like champagne, cava comes in different degrees of sweetness. The following are the categories according to sugar content, although the characteristics of different wines may mean one manufacturer's seco tastes as sweet as another's semi-seco:

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Brut Nature - (no added sugar) up to 3 g per litre

Extra Brut - up to 6 g per litre

Brut - up to 15 g per litre

Extra seco - between 12 and 20 g per litre

Seco - between 17 and 35 g per litre

Semi-seco - between 33 and 50 g per litre

Dulce - more than 50 g per litre

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Cava does not improve with being kept, indeed it deteriorates with age: buy it, store upright in a cool, not cold, place, for as little time as possible, and drink it, preferably in the same week. Remember that the sweeter the cava, the cooler it needs to be served: a brut nature can be served practically at room temperature, but a semi-seco should be well chilled.
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One of the best-known makes is Freixenet. My husband helped with their add campaign last year, so we received a couple of bottles free. We all loved it, and thought the flavor was amazing, but in the hustle, and bustle of the holiday season -- I had forgotten about it. Watching the show the other night I was reminded, and so... if we aren't lucky enough to come by it the same way as we did last year -- it will still definitely be on our Thanksgiving table!!

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¡Salud!
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About the show

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The series, Spain…On The Road Again is a lighthearted food, wine, and scenery intensive show that brings you the best Spain has to offer in all three categories. And when you’ve got hosts such as famed actress Gwyneth Paltrow; the Iron Chef, Mario Batali; Spanish actress and linguist Claudia Bassols; and New York Times writer Mark Bittman, combined with the sometimes breathtaking beauty, the wonderful food and the robust wines of Spain (not to mention the famed Spanish sun), you’ve got a can’t-miss show that bathes you in gustatory opulence.

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Gwyneth Paltrow - Mario Batali - Mark Bittman - Claudia Bassols

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Review Courtesy of Bloggers Critics Magazine.