Cava

In 1986, when Spain and Portugal joined the European Union, the EU pressured Spain to regulate the production of Cava wine, and a traditional production area was subsequently identified. Since tradition doesn't always go hand in hand with geography — and even if most Cava wine comes from the Penedès region of Catalonia — the "legal" Cava wine region is an area that is spread almost all over Spain. Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional way. It used to be called Champaña, but in the 1970s it was renamed "Cava" (Spanish for "cellar").

What most of us think we know about Cava — that it is the sparkling wine that gyropallet was invented for — is false. Cava is the first sparkling wine using a traditional method that has been documented to be remuaged using gyropallet, which — for the record  — is a machine invented by two French wine producers. Winemakers in Champagne continued to make remuage by hand, bottle by bottle, while the famous Spanish Cava producer Codorníu introduced the innovation to his winemaking process, linking the name of this system inextricably with the name of his wine.

According to Spanish wine law, Cava is a VECPRD, a Vino Espumoso de Calidad Producido en una Región Determinada ("quality sparkling wine produced in a specific region"), although, as noted, that is not quite correct: the production area of ​​this wine is not easily Cava can be made in selected municipalities of Aragon, Basque Country, Castile and León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Navarra, Rioja and the Valencian Community.

Despite this apparent indulgence, over 90% of Cava is still produced in Penedès, where it was first made in the 19th century by Don José Raventós, who was actually a champagne lover, and also the owner of the Codorníu estate. He aspired to produce a "Spanish champagne" that was nothing to envy in his French model. Despite decades of studies, investment and careful production (Cava also has production guidelines to ensure its quality, and even if they are slightly less restrictive than those for champagne, winemakers seeking top quality usually exceed those recommendations).

Meanwhile, a number of producers have established a new appellation called Corpinnat. This DO Corpinnat was founded in 2016 by a number of (high-end) producers who have distanced themselves from DO Cava mainly because of the fact that no distinction can be made in quality in the CAVA model. Corpinnat is therefore, just like Cava (or Champagne), a sparkling wine that is made via the traditionelle method, i.e. by a second fermentation in the bottle and this creates the bubbles and this is a brand name founded by a number of quality producers who wanted to distinguish With Corpinnat as protected brand (such as a Grandcru or a Grande Reserva) not only determines the region for the naming, but also the terroir and that is much more than just the area; it is also about climate, grape varieties, the vineyard and the winery. Recaredo is an example of a top producer who has joined the DO Corpinnat and therefore no longer calls his wines Cava but Corpinnat (and another famous product is Gramona).