Barb Wild’s Weekly Pick Is CAVA

Barb Wild has been sipping again and in this week’s post she shares a great pick – VARIAS – CAVA GENUI Brut! Check out  The Good Wine Gal site, and her previous picks here.

From Barb (PS – yep we’re a day late again posting…but we try) – Cassandra

Happy Wine Wednesday! It used to be called Hump Day but that never really appealed for a couple of reasons which I think are obvious.  My belief is you get what you focus on – so I’m focusing on wine.

Isolation started for me March 10. In that time I have increased the size of my cellar –which is a fancy way of saying boxes in my closet. It also means I have few expenses other than wine. I’ve been buying wine to support local BC Wineries, wine to support the Happy Hour zoom call I host at 5 pm daily and wine to support our “Six Nights of Wine with Mark Shipway” that I moderate on Thursday evenings at 8 pm. It’s no wonder Visa called to increase my limit. Conclusion: You know you are living the good life when the only expenses you have are food and wine.

This week’s wine is from Spain. I celebrated International Cava Day on April 23. This is an initiative started by my Hungarian friends who live in Sant Sidurni d’Anoia which is just 20 minutes north and west of Barcelona. The initiative celebrates a community of 17,000 people who host 80 Cava tasting rooms in their midst. If you like bubbles, good food and art, this town may well be one of the best kept secrets in wine and a place you must visit.

Last Thursday I was on a mission to buy a bottle of Cava that I could saber in celebration. As I live in the burbs, I headed to the nearest BC Liquor Store. Retailers have set up social distancing in stores by having us observe the red dots on the floor and BCL is no exception. The plexi-glass barrier offered protection and visual contact which made it something to comment on and laugh about during this time of seriousness.

The selection of Cava was limited to classics like Codorniu, Freixenet, Segura Viudas and a few others with prices ranging from $13 to $35. The black bottle Freixenet Condon Negro was chilling in the fridge which was tempting, but I found a label I hadn’t seen before VARIAS – CAVA GENUI Brut Nature at $14.99.

One of the things I looked for on the label was proof that VARIUS was located in Sant Sidruni d’Anoia, the Cava Capital of Spain. Authenticity matters! You see the designation for Cava has been subverted to  sparkling wine made in the traditional champagne method anywhere in Spain. This leads to quality variations, giving Cava somewhat of an inconsistent reputation. For me the heart of Cava is in this town that honors its history and holds high the standards of quality cava production – Sant Sidurni d’Anoia.

Cava is traditionally made from three classic grape varieties: Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel-lo and unless you already speak Spanish, don’t even try! These are white grapes that have high acidity, early ripening and bring delicate flavours and aromas (ripe mashed lemons, blanched almonds, over fresh croissants) that bring an identifiable character to the glass, with hallmarks of freshness and fine bubbles.  It was however “Brut Nature” on the label that what drew me in. When this appears on the label of a bottle of sparkling wine it means that the sweetness factor is 0 – bone dry.

To celebrate Cava Day I invited the neighborhood over, chilled the bottle down, grabbed a kitchen knife and headed into the garden, which served as a great backdrop to sabering my carefully selected bottle. I can report success – as the cap shot into the garden with the foaming white bubbles following close behind. Having saber hundreds of bottles I can honestly say that each saber offers a unique experience. That’s why it’s so exciting. With a clean break, I filled glasses and we socially distanced our “Salud” and sipped our bubbles. A little manchego cheese with crackers seemed fitting.

A few days later a heckler posted that I was sharing fake news. That in fact every day is Cava day. How could I disagree with that? Go get a bottle! Leave the sabering to professionals, but find some nice glasses, appreciate the aromas and flavours, observe the fine bubbles and nosh on a little Spanish cheese with crackers and you’ll be celebrating wine Wednesday in style.

Life is short! Drink Cava.