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Spanish Bubbly – The Cava Revolution and the Beginning of a Spanish Tradition!

Thanks to Josep Raventos and his fellow Catalonian friends, Spanish Bubbly (cava) has not only remained a large part of the Catalonian and Spanish culture, but it’s also blazing a trail in the International Market, leaving its “unnamed” French counterpart behind.

Josep was a member of the “Seven Creek Sages” – a group of wine producers in the late 1800s. These wine producers lived in Catalonia, off the Mediterranean in North Eastern Spain. He and his fellow sages were a kind of “wine think tank.” Their goal was to produce bubbly that would rival the best of France’s champagne (oops, I said it)! In 1872, after hundreds of meetings and experiments, Mr. Raventos produced 1000 bottles of the best bubbly yet – Spanish Champagne.

Though the “Seven Creek Sages” were original, they didn’t think of an original name for their product, hence it was called Spanish champagne. In 1970, though, the European Union outlawed the use of the term “champagne” for anything that didn’t come from the region of Champagne in France.

Because Spanish bubbly was made in cellars, the Catalonians adopted the name Spanish Cava (cava means cellar in the Catalonian language). Initially, this was a blow for cava producers, but in time, it proved to be a blessing, giving the Spanish Cava an original name to match the quality and innovation of a Spanish product. Spanish bubbly was officially out from under French champagne’s shadow. Cava it was!

Cava, though an agricultural product, didn’t have to adhere to the INDO’s Denominación de Origen rules. In 1986, though, the European Union cracked down on Spanish Bubbly, insisting that all cava have D.O. 159 villages across Spain were affected by this new law, and it wasn’t until 1992 that all 159 regions were officially recognized by INDO.

Now cava has burst onto the market like the bubbles in the bottles themselves! People worldwide are starting to ask for cava – a delicious, sparkling wine that only the Catalonians produce. Are you ready to celebrate?

Cheers!

How Cava is Made