Spain is still a source of great wine at reasonable prices. Whether it’s Sherry, Rioja or Cava, to get a wine of similar quality, made with similar care in France you need to pay a lot more.
I had a good bottle of Cava this week. It certainly wasn’t Champagne, but would easily kick the butt of any Cremant at the same price. It was a “C d’O” Castell d’Olerdola Cava Reserva from Catalonia.
With plenty of small bubbles forming an attractive mousse it certainly looked the part. It smelled autolytic with a little marmite with honey, bread, and toffee-banana with a touch of minerality.
Just off dry with good acidity and a creamy mousse, the flavours from the nose carried through well to the palate.
For £6-7, this was great value, being made by the traditional method and having had 15 months on the lees – the same as any NV champagne. As with any cheap cava it had benefited from 6 months in the bottle at home – a sensible investment.