Cava
Spanish traditional-method sparkling wine, mostly made in the Penedès region of Catalonia, from local grapes (Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada).
Cava is Spain's answer to Champagne, produced by the same traditional method (second fermentation in the bottle) but from a different grape mix and a warmer climate. Roughly 95% of cava comes from the Penedès region southwest of Barcelona. The local grape trinity is Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada, though Chardonnay and Pinot Noir also turn up in modern blends. The category covers everything from cheap supermarket bottles to ambitious single-vineyard cuvées; the top-end label, Cava de Paraje Calificado, was created in 2017 for site-specific bottles aged at least 36 months. A breakaway producer group, Corpinnat, left the DO Cava in 2019 to operate under stricter sourcing and aging rules.
How it's served
Cold, in a flute or a regular white-wine glass. Standard with calçotades, oysters, jamón and as an aperitif. Often served at midday in Catalan bars alongside vermut.
Regional variation
Penedès is the heartland, with the towns of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and Vilafranca del Penedès as the centres of production. Smaller cava zones exist in Rioja, Aragón, Valencia and Extremadura, but they're a fraction of the volume. Corpinnat is a separate Penedès-only certification with stricter rules; Classic Penedès is a third local route under the DO Penedès rather than DO Cava.
- Origin
- Penedès, Catalonia
- Etymology
- From the Spanish/Catalan cava, meaning 'cellar' or 'cave,' a reference to the cool underground rooms where the bottles age.
Where to try it in Barcelona
2 restaurants on Guidavera mention cava in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between cava and Champagne?
Both are made by the traditional method (second fermentation in the bottle). The differences are grapes, climate and region: Champagne uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier from a cool northern French climate; cava uses Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada, mostly from the warmer Penedès in Catalonia.
What does 'brut' mean on a cava label?
A measure of dryness. Brut Nature has no added sugar; Extra Brut and Brut are dry; Semi-Seco is off-dry; Dulce is sweet. Most modern cava is Brut or Brut Nature. The sweeter styles are mostly older-style or dessert use.
What's Corpinnat?
A breakaway group of nine Penedès cava producers who left the DO Cava in 2019 to operate under stricter rules: 100% Penedès grapes, organic farming, longer aging, hand-picked harvest. Corpinnat bottles aren't legally cava anymore; they're sold under the Corpinnat label.
Related terms
- VermutAromatized fortified wine. In Barcelona it doubles as a midday social ritual: a glass of vermouth on tap, an olive, a snack, around noon.
- PenedèsCatalan wine region southwest of Barcelona, the heartland of cava production and a serious zone for both white and red still wines.
- Denominación de Origen (DO)Spain's protected geographical indication system for wine and food. Sets rules on what can be made where, how, and from what.
- CalçotA long, sweet spring onion from Catalonia, charred whole over vine wood and dipped in romesco.
- EmpordàCatalan wine region in the far northeast near the French border. Garnacha-led reds, fresh whites, and the sweet dessert wine Garnatxa de l'Empordà.
- SangríaSpanish wine punch of red wine, chopped fruit, sugar, brandy and citrus, served cold by the jug. Touristy in Spain, hugely popular abroad.
- TurrónSpanish almond nougat eaten at Christmas. Two main styles: Jijona (soft, blended) and Alicante (hard, with whole almonds).