DAN'S WINE BLOG- POWERING ALONG

Friday, July 22, 2022

The world of Sparkling Wine (Bubbly) is powering along at present with just about every type of Sparkling Wine showing significant growth in sales. Not sure whether people are celebrating or drowning their sorrows. Either way they sure seem to be doing it with Bubbles.

Everybody knows about the success of Champagne (France) and Prosecco (Italy) around the world, but very few wine drinkers in Australia are aware of Cava (Spain).

Cava ranges from ordinary commercial Bubbles right up to world-class Sparkling Wine. What makes it even more interesting is that Cava is usually made from “workman like” varieties such as Parellada Xarel-lo and Macabeo rather than noble varieties such as in Champagne – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This makes the quality of the top Cava even more outstanding given the lowly provenance of the grapes it is made from. Interestingly, to be called Cava it has to be made via the traditional method. Additionally, their prices are significantly more reasonable than those of Champagne.

The two biggest and best known Cava producers are Freixenet and Codorniu which produce massive quantities of Bubbles. They are followed by a raft of other smaller, higher quality producers, lead by the likes of Segura Viudas (Safe Widows) based just outside of Barcelona, which has been around for just on 800 years. It’s Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad Cava, is an excellent, world-class Sparkling Wine, which I have enjoyed on a number of occasions.

So why do I mention this rare, seldom seen creature in my Blog? Well, I have just learned that the Cava imports to the USA rose by 40% in 2021 to reach just a smidge under two million cases making it a serious player in the US Sparkling market. It may take a bit longer, but I suspect that Cava will also rise to prominence here in Australia over the next few years, and if I can help that trend by writing about their excellent wines?– Bonus!

Why not be ahead of the curve and try some Spanish Cava today?

Some of the more commercial Cava wines are available through Uncle Dan’s and Liquorland and are worth trying.

In Austria and Germany, Sparkling Wine is called Sekt – not to be confused with Sec, which means dry, in Sparkling Wine terms. It is quite rare to find Sekt here in Australia as the vast majority of production is consumed at home (country of origin). However, as the quality has been rising considerably over the last decade, the probability of finding Sekt in bottle shops here goes rising.?

The Poms are getting pretty good at making Bubbles or as they call it, Fizz. In the decade since I first tried the sensational Nyetimber Sparkling Wine which beat all the Champagnes in an international tasting (in Italy if I remember rightly), a growing number of excellent Fizz makers have come on the scene. The British scene is so exciting that a growing number of champagne houses have been investing in either British vineyards or British wineries.

And then there is Chandon, the French Champagne house that for around half a century has been making quality Sparkling Wines in Australia, India, USA, Argentina and more recently, China, not to mention all the great Bubbly makers here in Australia – especially the Sparkling Reds?– best in the world.

So as you can see the wine world is powering along and there is no excuse for drinking poor quality Sparkling Wine, red or white, domestic or imported.

Cheers, have a great week and stay safe!