Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine, is made in many different price ranges and quality levels. The best cava is a high quality wine and soon some of these better cava will be able to put a special mention on their label. The cava producers governing body has recently approved a new classification called Cava de Paraje Calificado.
The rules for this new classification will include production methods, details regarding climate and soil and a minimum ageing on lees of 36 months. Cavas Consejo Regulado estimates the number of potential Cava de Paraje Calificado to 1.5 million bottles, equivalent to 1.2% of the total cava production. Cava is made with the traditional method, thus with secondary fermentation in the bottle. 36 months of ageing corresponds to the minimum ageing period for vintage Champagne. And long ageing on the lees gives complexity to a sparkling wine. Read more on thedrinksbusiness.com.
