The premium category for Spanish Cava

A columnist for Decanter magazine, Andrew Jeffords called for Catalonia to discuss innovations in the Spanish wine classification category Paraje de Cava (cava de Paraje)

Here is the problem.

Cheap cava is called cava. And “Enoteca Brut Nature” from Gramona, a bottle of which is sold in London for £160 – also cava. At the same time, budget pop world renown, and high-quality sparkling – no.

The Cava has no Grands CRUs or premiers CRUs or sub-regions, no class prestige cuvée, no explicit marketing of the detuning large houses from small growers-producers.

There is just cava.

And not necessarily even use grapes grown within Catalonia, in particular the limestone soils of the hills of the Penedes, not to mention using only local varieties.

In the list of the 241 manufacturer of Cava (for 2015) – the entire map of Spain from Extremadura to the land of the Basques, including Rioja. In the list of permitted varieties – the ubiquitous Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (but no Pinot Meunier, oddly enough).

The appellation (DO Cava) is quite young – only since 1986. And the volume of production is quite impressive. In the end, as a wine brand cava is not too place. Few consumers know how cool can be this wine, and can be really expressive, his relationship with the terroir. Often buy it as a cheap alternative to champagne.

“In all wines, – the President of the governing Board in the cave, there is the premium category. This is necessary from the point of view of the image, and the logic of quality control. The pyramid quality should be top”. Wines from cava this top is. But she’s lost in the fog.

The first step to finding clarity – a system in which you can highlight the aspects of quality. In June 2016 the government finally proposed a system, called Cava de Paraje.

Paraje (Paraje) is translated as “place”, “territory”.

Some interpret it as a “separate household” (single estate), but in fact, this “single vineyard” (single vineyard) – a section of land.

As options were considered, but were rejected: heredad (in fact, the economy), finca (estate, manor), parcela (put) and Pago (land).

The presentation of the new class among the requirements was:

• the maximum yield per hectare 8000 kg or 48 GL
• 36 months minimum aging in bottle
• only vintage wine
• dry – only Brut and above (land)
• the vines are older than 10 years
• the established procedure certification sites
• organoleptic requirements to the base and finished wines

However, later, there were several intriguing moments. The most important of them – a condition in which the category of Cava de Paraje can only use the manufacturers beneficiosa at least 85% of its raw materials. I.e., those who mainly use the purchase – and there are many – will be left out.

The vineyard, claiming the status of Paraje must be in 100% possession of the manufacturer and beneficiates separately at least three of the last harvest. Acidification of wine is prohibited (for standard Cava is valid), and the natural acidity of the finished wine should not be below 5.5 g / l (tartaric acid), while for the standard wines cava, this requirement has recently been lowered to 5 g / L.

Plus, Pedro Bonet, President of the governing Council of the cava, was made in Madrid of the category assignment Cava de Paraje the status of third Spain “qualified” appellation (DOC) – like Rioja and Priorat. To the casual observer this may seem insignificant bureaucratic detail, but for industry it is a serious matter.

I asked Pedro Bonete why the class Cava del Paraje Calificado are not restricted only to local varieties. Here’s what he said: “We talked a lot on this topic. A matter of principle, Yes. But the fact that other varieties are permitted current rules DO Cava, and to prohibit them legally problematic.” So why not go ahead and create a new DO with the new rules? “Then get that class Kava itself will become ordinary, second-rate wine. And that’s wrong.”

I spoke with those new rules will affect the most – with manufacturers trying to make cava of the highest quality.

“The initiative overall is good, says Tone of Recaredo Mata. But personally I need a little more. I am very ambitious and I would like a separate appellation for sparkling wine specifically from our region. But I understand that is a tough question, because cava is made and 1,000 km from us. Otherwise, I agree with them. Only the Council should better work on defining what they understand by the word paraje”.

Pulp Gramona (Gramona manufacturer) supports the inclusion of non-local varieties in the allowed list. “I’m 5 years he studied in Burgundy and totally convinced that sparkling wines, these French varieties can be excellent. From local them different is that they not always can provide good results. This year we were hoping to announce 100% Chardonnay for Paraje, but understand that you will not be able to do that: the quality would be high enough”.

Codorníu, which owns huge areas of vineyards (3500 ha), could become a serious player in the category of Cava de Paraje. Here, too, are actively supporting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And also lobbied – unsuccessfully – bar minimum level of natural acidity 7.5 g / L.

The plot settings will be key. And approved they will be, apparently, on a very difficult scheme. Manufacturers will be obliged to “defend” their areas before the selection Committee, consisting of Spanish wine experts and journalists, like oral exams for a PhD.

But it is obvious that at this stage even the key players differ in their understanding of what needs to be paraje.

Turó d’en Mota from the manufacturer Recaredo taken Pedro Boneta (head of the Managing Council for cava) as a model for the proposed scheme. This is a plot of less than one hectare. The company has several separate small areas that it intends to submit to the approval procedure. It is a classic model – the Catalan equivalent of, say, Burgundy “climate” or champagne Clos du Mesnil.

Gramona – on the contrary, expects to receive a label Paraje with the words ‘Origen de Gramona’ for all the wines that the family submit for approval (in total 30 ha). And it’s a sort of system of Bordeaux grand vin, only with fewer vineyards.

You should also recognize that Paraje – not the best Spanish word for foreigners. “J”, contrary to the expectations of the majority, pronounced like the Russian “X”. C “Pago” such problems would not have arisen.

However, the fault is always happening. And in my opinion, it is still the best news for Cava in recent history. A long overdue initiative that opens for producers the potential to convey to consumers the concept of outstanding sparkling wines with all the complexity, purity and distinctive “minerality” for what it’s capable of.