Leslie Sbrocco, host of Taste This, basks in the beauty of wine country with Eva Bertran of Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards. The two share their knowledge of Spanish sparkling wines and dish on their favorite savory pairings.
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Cava Info:
- While more familiar grape varieties such as Chardonnay are sometime used in the making of cava, Xarel-lo, Macabeo, and Paralleda are the indigenous grape varieties unique to creating the structure and acidity of the wine.
- The name “cava” comes from the Catalan word meaning "cave" or "cellar" - where the wine was traditionally aged.
- Cava is made using the same process as Champagne, where a second fermentation occurs in the bottle when sugar and yeast are added to the still wine and then corked.
- Up until 1970, cava was called "Spanish Champagne." Cava producers changed the name due to the law forbidding the use of the term for sparkling wine produced outside the Champagne region of France.