Cava hasn’t had an easy ride in the last 30 years. Most people opt for Prosecco, or Champagne if they want something a little more fancy. Poor old Cava has been seen as a ‘cheap’ alternative to Champagne, and an ‘expensive’ alternative to Prosecco, and being totally honest, the quality of some Cava has been questionable over the years. The mass production, supermarket machines chewed up something great, spat it out, and that was that, all Cava was labelled cheap and poor quality, and thus it was decided that it would reside on the bottom shelf gathering dust.

It is no secret that we love Cava at CHHQ and our argument has always been that Cava is criminally underrated. For starters, it is made in the same way as Champagne. Each of those bottles of Cava you pick up and open has been fermented in that bottle, not a big old tank like Prosecco and then bottled later. Most Prosecco tastes much of a muchness - sweet and fruity, young, and cheap - whereas Cava, like Champagne, is nuanced and unique, expressing terroir, grapes, and a sense of place, producing something really rather special. It isn’t a cheaper alternative to Champagne, but it is better value. A £15 bottle of Cava will absolutely eclipse a Prosecco of the same value, and, well, you can’t buy Champagne for £15, because, well, it’s Champagne, and they like to be expensive.

Cava can be made anywhere in Spain, though the majority of cava is made around a region called Penedés, in Catalonia, not far from Barcelona. It is very hot and dry here, and this is what adds part of Cavas uniqueness. Most traditional method sparkling wines, are made in the cooler climates of the world (France and England for example), in Penedés, grapes ripen early. This typically means they don’t have to add a “dosage” (the sweet liquor that rounds out leaner, sharper base wines), which makes for drier wines that are more versatile with food. You don’t normally get that degree of richness in champagne unless you age the wine on its lees for several years, and the growing conditions make it easier for producers to go organic.

Cava is usually made up with three local grape varietals - Macabeu (also called Macabeo or Viura), Xarel·lo, which adds acidity, earthiness, and a lime blossom aroma, and Parellada, which gives the wine green apple and citrus notes. Rosado (rosé) styles of Cava are made from the red grapes Garnacha, Monastrell, Pinot Noir, and/or the Catalan variety Trepat.

Based in Norwich and Norfolk UK, We stock two Cava’s. Francesc Ricart NV Brut, and Perelada ‘Stars’ NV Brut. Both are wildly different. Is Cava a good wine? Absolutely – these two bottles make a strong case for it.

Francesc Ricart is biscuity and savoury, having spent 18 months on the lees in the bottle. It has got yeasty, bread notes on the nose, with pretty florals, citrus and stone fruits, with a lengthy finish.

Perelada is more delicate and less savoury. It is softer, with bright and clean, citrus and orchard notes. Pretty florals show throughout, and it is dangerously smooth, with a really food friendly acidity.

Both are excellent, but both are different. If you haven’t tried Cava for a while, or normally steer clear of it, give it another go, and you will likely be surprised.