Many times, when a customer comes into the shop, they ask us for “a cava”. We take it for granted that they are asking for a sparkling wine from the D.O. Cava, but did you know that this wine region is spread all over Spain, within other regions, and that it is not the same to ask for one cava than another? Indeed, you can find sparkling wines from the D.O. Cava (from now on, simply “cava”) in several places of the country separated even by hundreds of kilometers.
All wine regions (you name it: D.O.Ca. Rioja, D.O. Ribeira Sacra, D.O. Terra Alta, etc.) are based in their region. Cava, however, can be produced in many places, and if it meets the required conditions, it will have the Designation of Origin Cava. Thus, we can find D.O. Cava within these wine regions: D.O. Penedés, D.O. Tarragona, D.O. Conca de Barberà, D.O. Catalunya, D.O. Alella, D.O. Cariñena, D.O. Campo de Borja, D.O.Ca. Rioja, D.O. Utiel-Requena, D.O. Ribera del Guadiana y D.O. Ribera del Duero.
That is why, when a customer looks for a cava, we ask about their preferred region, or the kind of nuances they like. A cava made in the dry and hot D.O. Ribera del Guadiana is not the same as a cava made in the Mediterranean D.O. Utiel-Requena or under the winter cold of D.O. Ribera del Duero. To know where the cava we are buying is from, it is best to look at the label on the back. Here are some examples:
You may have noticed that half of the D.O.s where we can find cava are in Catalonia. The so-called “Catalan cava” is, indeed, the most frequent in stores and supermarkets, and it is also the most frequent in our store. In addition, in recent years there has emerged a wine region of sparkling wines that is not D.O. Cava, but that is also in Catalonia: Corpinnat (“Cor-“: “heart”, “-pinnat”: “from Penedès”), and even another new region, Classic Penedès, with its own conditions of elaboration. By the way, in our store we have a great selection of D.O. Cava from Catalonia (and the rest of Spain), as well as Corpinnat and Classic Penedès:
On the other hand, not all sparkling wines produced in Spain belong to the D.O. Cava. Sparkling wine is a way of categorizing wines, on the same level as red wine, white wine, rosé wine, vermouth and fortified wine. Great sparkling wines are also produced in other regions such as Murcia, Galicia or the Canary Islands, to name a few.
In conclusion, remember that the sparkling wines of the D.O. Cava are produced in many parts of Spain, not only in Catalonia, as many mistakenly believe. In our store you will find a great selection of cavas.
