Cava wine and Champagne – The differences and similarities explained

From http://www.espanishwines.com/spanish-wine/cava-wine-and-champagne-the-differences-and-similaritiesexplained-2:

For starters, I should specify what I mean by “Champagne.” I mean the actual French sparkling wine that is produced in only a few regions of France that is regulated by the laws and standards something like a D.O. of France. If the sparkling wine is not made in the region then it really is not Champagne (even if American wineries label it as such). These definitions were set in the 1920′s when a treaty signed by all European wine-producing countries defined set regions within each country that could only produce a particular label of wine. For example, only French sparkling wine made in the Champagne region can be called “Champagne.” Hence the only sparkling wines produced in the Cava D.O.’s (of which there are 6) of Spain can only be called “Cava.” I should note the Cava D.O.’s are not actual D.O. regions named Cava. Confusing, I know, but, the Cava D.O. is more a set a rules that define how to make Cava wine. Now any other D.O. can make Cava as long as the production follows Cava D.O. guidelines. For example, the Penedès D.O. south of Barcelona produces Cava, so it is also a Cava D.O. Understand now? Any sparkling wines made outside of the Cava regions cannot be called Cava. Believe it nor not there are other sparkling wines made in Spain that are not Cava! I won’t go into that yet though. Note: any American wineries that label their sparkling wines as “Champagne” is not really Champagne. I guess if I was producing wine outside of Europe and had a choice to either call your sparkling wine “Sparkling Wine” or “Champagne” I would call it “Champagne” too. It sounds a little better doesn’t it? I feel sorry for those wineries, since they will now have to come up with something else. A new name perhaps?

Now that we have that clear, let me get into the difference between Champagne, the French sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France, and Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine produced in the Cava D.O. regions.

- Oddly enough the production processes of both Champagne and Cava are exactly the same. The grapes are picked earlier than normal due to their decreased sugar levels decreased juice pH (higher acidity).The initial (and very unpleasant due to its higher-than-normal acidity) wines produced after the primary fermentation stage of each separate grape are then combined in their proper percentages producing what is called a “cuvée”. The cuvée in then placed in the bottle along with several more grams of yeast and sugar (to increase the amount of yeast fermentation) to undergo a second fermentation. The capping is done using a crown cap, similar to a beer bottle cap, with a seal. The bottle is then racked horizontally to age and ferment a.k.a. aging on lees. After this stage the lees (yeast sediment) is pelleted in the neck of the bottle via gyropalettes in a process called riddling and thenrid of via disgorging, where a little of the liquid above the yeast pellet is frozen in the neck and then removed. Afterwards, through a process called dosage, a little extra sucrose is added along with preservatives (usually sulfur dioxide) and then capped off with the mushroom cork and wire (always turned 6 times) cap.

- Both the Champagne region of France and the Cava D.O.’s of Spain produce quality rose sparkling wines.

- Both Champagne and Cava can include Chardonnay (white) and Pinot Noir (red) grapes, although the use of these grapes in Spain are in the experimental stage.

After extensive amounts of researching I could not find any other similarities (please correct me if I’m wrong however). Although I guess I could say that both sparkling wines are produced in Europe….

Now onto the differences….

- For the most part, the types of grapes used in each sparkling wine and the combinations of each grape used are different. The only grapes that can be used in champagne are Chardonnay (white grapes) and Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier (both red grapes) Most champagnes are produced using a combination of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The primary grapes used in Cava are Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo, all white grapes.

- Champagne is exclusively produced in the Champagne region of France, a region in the northeast of France that include the cities or Troyes and Reims. Oddly enough, the average altitude in this region is quite high, as well as the average temperature (50°F) which the ripening process for grapes quite more difficult than normal. This difficulty is offset by the use of forests around the vineyards keeping the temperature down and increasing the soil moisture to aid the grape-ripening process. An image is shown below.

- Cava wine is produced in differing regions across Spain however, roughly 95% of the sparkling wine is produced in the D.O. of Penedès in the south central region of Catalonia. The D.O. of Penedès is subdivided into 3 sub D.O.’s starting from the coastline (Bajo Penedès) to the center (Medio Penedès) where the majority of the grapes are harvested, and finally to the north (Alt Penedès) where the highest quality grapes are grown. The separations are due to the differing climates within Penedès.

This is a basic review of the differences between Champagne and Cava sparkling wines. If you have anything to add, you’re more than welcome to add any additional info in the comment section below.

Jake Nieminen