The Auswine Forum

Was wondering if there are any forumites who are knowledgeable on all things Cava?

I have tried one recently which had some decent complexity and was made in a slightly oxidised style, seemed like a good alternative if you didn't want to cough up for champagne.

Any producers worth hunting down?

The best ones come from Fiji but they taste pretty awful.

Gary W wrote:The best ones come from Fiji but they taste pretty awful.

Not if you drink enough of it.

Gary W wrote:The best ones come from Fiji but they taste pretty awful.

Thats what I thought too when I saw the title.

Unfortunately, what I would call a good cava (complex with autolysis but without the earth and burnt rubber) is almost as expensive as the equivalent champagne

I've had the real deal on a remote Vanuatu island called Tanna. Tanna is an island pretty made of volcanic rock, and as such the soils are very fertile. The Cava made there is very potent and still made in the traditional way.

Drank from the same cava bar that the locals drank at, so I know I got the good stuff. Definitely one of the worst tasting drinks I have ever tasted. Cloudy and looks like muddy water, earthy and gritty. For those of you who have ever been to a cava bar, you'll notice that everybody is spitting after drinking their cava. It leaves a pretty bad taste in your mouth. I recommend having snacks to get the taste out of your mouth.

After the first one my tongue pretty much went numb. After the second I started getting pins and needles throughout my body. After the third (and last) I was completely spaced out. Could barely walk. I was content to sit in a chair in my beach shack with the lights off. Couldn't handle noise or conversations. All I wanted to do was sit there and listen to the waves lightly roll against the beach.

I developed a new appreciation for why the local village men on the island didn't have a strong work ethic. All they did was drink cava and spend the rest of the day spaced out.

But no, never had the drink cava like champagne One day maybe...

I'll generally pick a good Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG over a Cava, as people don't seem to know the differences between a good one and a bad one. So the prices, where I can find them, tend to be fairly cheap. That being said, you can pick up a Limoux for a song compared to the equivalent Champagne.

vovo wrote:

Gary W wrote:The best ones come from Fiji but they taste pretty awful.

That's what I thought too when I saw the title.

That's what I too thought on seeing the title. We are going to Fiji for a week soon and will try some although I believe you need to drink a lot to get the hit. Chuggalug.

In the USA for a few weeks now and the shop next door to our apartment is a smoke shop. Wall to wall bongs. Makes your eyes go red just thinking about them....

Carl

Cloth Ears wrote:That being said, you can pick up a Limoux for a song compared to the equivalent Champagne.

Any particular producers you would recommend?

winetastic wrote:Any particular producers you would recommend?

Not an expert, and there's not much around, but these are OK:
Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux from Dan's. 2012 was excellent but the 2013 is still OK.
Sieur d'Arques Grande Cuvée NV from Dan's is also quite good - I'd put it against most NV Champagnes. Also comes in magnum at a 50% premium!
From 1st Choice, you can sometimes get Fleur de la Vallee Blanquette de Limoux. 2013 now, but 2012 was quite good.
L'Eglise Saint-Martin Blanquette de Limoux Nv is OK - not sure where you can find it now (I think it was 1st Choice before).
Le Moulin Blanquette Limoux NV is good also, but it's getting up around the price of cheap Champagne.

Caveat emptor!!! All except the last one are less than $20 (last year, all were less than $15).

Big difference between Cremant de Limoux (not Blanquette which is 90% Mauzac rather than Chardonnay) and Cava (some have traditional varieties dominant, others Chardonnay) or Champagne is the time on lees.

The big tell for Champagne and Gran Reserva Cava and Franciacorta is the prominent autolysis aromas. Limoux is legislated at 9 months and that's what they do because any longer and they're pricing themselves out of the market. Champagne minimum is 15 months for NV and most houses would keep for longer, pushing the complexity up as well as the price.

Acceptable fizz at a reasonable price? Yes. Tastes like Champagne? Not even close.

And here is yet another Cave drinker, you'll see her soon after the beginning of the film clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i07pIUdIz8

Cheers.........................Mahmoud.