What are the three main Cava producing regions?
Penedes, Lleida and Tarragona
What is the Penedes region climate?
Mediterranean with bright, sunny summers, mild winters and moderate rainfall spread throughout the year.
Summer nights are chilly at higher altitudes (700-800m), producing wines with intense flavours and higher acidity.
What soil types are found in Penedes, and how do they affect the growing environment?
Alluvial and clay at lower altitudes.
Stony slay and granite sub-soils at higher altitudes.
All relatively poor in nutrients, adequate drainage and water retention making them suitable for viticulture.
How do soil types affect wine style?
Macabeo-based wines from grapes grown at higher altitude have more flavour and higher acidity than grapes closer to sea; they age well.
They provide many blending opportunities to producers.
What is the Lleida region climate and topography?
Mediterranean at lower altitude.
Continental influences at higher altitudes.
Mountainous with slopes and high plain (100-700m)
How do irrigation systems affect growing conditions in Lleida?
Water from the Pyrenees turned this semi-desert into a productive vineyard land.
It provides frost protection in spring.
What is the Tarragona region climate and topography?
Mediterranean with low lying or undulating hills.
What variety makes Cava Rosado?
Trepat - local to Conca del Babera, strawberry flavours and high acidity.
What role do the Cantabrian Mountains play?
They protect the region from excessive rainfall coming from the Atlantic.
Grapes grown at higher altitude have higher acidity, making them well-suited for quality sparkling wine.
What are the main varieties used for Cava?
Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada (+Chardonnay)
How do the different varieties impact winemaking?
They are picked at different times, over 1-2 week period to gain different characteristics and provide different base wines for blending.
Macabeo characteristics
- aka Viura
- 36% vineyard plantings
- Planted 100-300m asl in Penedes
- Planted at higher alt. in Rioja and Lleida
- Late budding = less prone to spring frost
- First picked
- High yielding
- Susceptible to botrytis bunch rot and bacterial blight
- Light intensity apple and lemon aromas and flavours
Xarel-lo characteristics
- 25% plantings
- Planted at sea level
- Planted as high as 400s asl in Penedes
- Indigenous to Cataluña
- Mid-budding = prone to spring frost
- Mid-ripening
- Susceptible to powdery and downy mildew
- Greengage and gooseberry notes, herbal (fennel) notes
- Earthy when over-ripe
- Good affinity to oak
Parella characteristics
- 20% plantings
- Planted on higher sites in Penedes
- Indigenous to Cataluna
- Lowest yielding
- Latest ripening
- Best vineyards at high altitudes = long-ripening season to reach flavour maturity without excessive potential alcohol.
- Adds finesse and floral notes
- Early budding = prone to spring frost
- Susceptible to powdery mildew
Chardonnay characteristics
- 9% plantings
- Adds body, richness and finesse
- Clone and rootstocks are important to balance ripeness and potential alcohol
What other varieties are used to Cava Rosado?
- Garnacha Tinta
- Pinot Noir = single varietal - blanc de noir
- Monastrell (Mataro)
Why are low-density vineyards with moderately high yields ideal?
Because they produce low intensity flavoured based wines.
Why is irrigation important?
To relieve hydric stress and protect future viability of vineyards.
What role do rootstocks play?
They are chosen for lime tolerance and to control vigour. Macabeo tends to grow excessive shoots and leaves and produces little fruit if planted on the wrong rootstock.
How do misty humid mornings affect growing environment and how is fruit quality guaranteed?
Botrytis and downy mildew hasard.
Copper and sulfur sprays.
Canopy management measures - removing leaves on north side of rows to aid circulation and reduce shade.
Is full phenolic ripeness needed for Cava?
No. The juice is extracted quickly to avoid excessive phenolic pick up.
How doe botrytis affect the quality of wine?
Too high a level can have a negative effect on yeast in secondary fermentation process.
What are the considerations of mechanical vs. hand picking?
Hand-picking: Widely scattered ownerships, fragmented vineyards located on uneven terrain, fruit hand selected in the vineyard, avoiding splitting and microbial spilage by using small crates - for high quality wines.
Mechanical: Night picking, tech. improvements allowing whole berry picking, increased quality at lower price point.
Why are pneumatic presses used?
To maintain wine quality by avoiding extraction of phenolics.
