Penedes Cava is the top sparkling wine from Spain - discover where and how it’s made in 2 top Penedes wineries

It’s impossible not to mention Spanish wine without referencing its famous sparkling wine and Spain’s answer to Champagne, Spanish Cava, one of its most important exports. 95% of Cava is produced in beautiful Cataluña - or Catalonia - most of it around the wine capital of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia in the Penedès region.

Discover how you can best experience the Cava region in Spain, by reading about our Penedes wine tour and our visit to 2 very different, but both top, Cava producers…   

Penedes Cava

Cava Spanish sparkling wine is almost exclusively produced in the Northern Spanish region of Cataluña - or in English - Catalonia. It can be produced throughout Spain but Cava is mostly made in the Penedès wine region of Catalonia, just 30 minutes west of the regional capital, Barcelona. Penedès is the most important Catalonia DO (Designation of Origin) in terms of quantity and it is the centre of the Cava industry. 

The Cava vineyards are specially in the town of San Sadurní d’Anoia and its surroundings, at an altitude of about 200m, which has earned the title of ‘Cava capital’. Here the climate is typically Mediterranean and the vineyards are protected during the harsher winters by the rocky Montserrat mountains to the north.

Spain is the second largest producer of sparkling wine in the world, second to the region of Champagne in France. It is exported all over the world and is widely regarded as offering excellent value for money, when compared to the more expensive Champagne. 

The Penedes DO

The Penedès wine region was established in 1960 and can be divided into three sub zones:

• Upper Penedes - the inner area of the region - low production but excellent quality fruits

• Middle Penedes - the southeast and the area with the greatest production

• Lower Penedes - closer to the Mediterranean

Penedès wines

Today, Penedès is one of the most famous Spanish wine producing regions, due mainly to its white grape varieties and the production of Cava. Some 90% of its vines are white, producing excellent, fresh and fruity white wines, with a moderate alcohol content. Reds are soft, with character and a velvety texture. Penedès wines are produced using traditional grape varieties, but also international grape varieties, which were introduced in recent years.

What is Cava?

Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine and is produced in the same way as French Champagne. Cava is not as sweet as Prosecco, but it doesn’t have such a strong nutty flavour as typical champagne - especially vintage Champagne.

A fundamental differentiating factor of Cava compared to Champagne is the type of grapes used. Rather than the typical mix of Burgundy grapes used for Champagne, i.e. Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier, 3 local white grapes are primarily used to make Cava. These grapes all bring their unique characteristics to the sparkling wine:

• Macabeo - brings sweetness and perfume

• Parellada - brings subtlety, freshness and scent

• Xarel·lo - brings body and structure

The Macabeo grape variety dominates most Cava blends. Other varieties are sometimes added, eg Chardonnay (about 5% of plantings)  and to produce a rosé Cava, Pinot noir, Garnacha (Grenache) and Monastrell.

What does Cava mean?

The name ‘cava’ means 'cave' or 'cellar' in both Spanish and Catalan. Caves were used during the early stages of the production of cava as places to store the wine. This word was adopted officially in the 1970s to make the distinction clear between the Spanish and the French (Champagne) sparkling wines.

The Cava DO (Designation of Origin)

Cava is defined as a 'Vino Espumoso de Calidad Producido en una Región Determinada' (quality sparkling wine produced in a designated region) and has its own ‘Cava DO’. Only those sparkling wines that have been made using the traditional style (see below),  may be called Cava, others are simply called sparkling wines, or 'vinos espumosos'.

Cava sub-zones

Some 95% of Cava is produced in Penedès in the area called ‘Comtats de Barcelona’, from vineyards around the Cava capital, San Sadurní d’Anoia  - here there are specific sub-zones of Cava production. Outside of Penedès, there are 3 other much smaller areas, one being in the Ebro Valley in the Rioja wine region.

How is Cava made?

Cava is produced according to the ‘traditional’ Champagne method. A base, still wine is made from the grapes and fermented in tanks and then the magic happens during the second fermentation, which takes place in the bottle. See here for a description of the production process.

What are the different styles of Cava?

There are many different types and styles of Cava. These differences are based on the ageing and sugar content.

In terms of ageing, you can buy a ‘Cava’ (known as ‘Cava da Guarda’), with a minimum of 9 months ageing, a ‘Cava Reserva’, which has been aged a minimum of  18 months or a ‘Gran Reserva’, which has been aged for more than 30 months. Then there is the prized Cava ‘Paraje Calificado’ - a very special Cava produced with grapes from vines from the very best single vineyard parcels - a ‘superior Cava, synonymous with exceptional quality’ which needs to age more than 36 months.

The most common style of Cava used to be ‘Brut Cava’, which has up to 12 grams of sugar per litre, however the Extra Brut and Brut Nature styles have become increasingly popular with less and no added sugar. 

This range of styles makes Cava a very versatile wine and open to lots of different food pairings.

Cava food pairing

Cava isn’t just to be served as an aperitif. In fact Cava makes an excellent wine choice for a wide variety of foods and dishes. Here is some inspiration for matching different types of Cava with different foods of the world!

Cava producers

There are now approximately 200 producers registered with the Cava Consejo Regulador de los Vinos Espumosos (Regulatory Council of Sparkling Wines). However, 2 producers dominate the Cava market - Codorníu and Freixenet - both based in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and collectively producing some 200 million bottles of Cava each year! 

These giant Cava producers are now owned by an American private equity group and Henkell of Germany respectively, which gives you some idea of the commercial dominance they have over the market. In fact, many Catalan producers are now trying to distance their sparkling wines from the competitive ‘Cava’ category, by labelling it according to other appellations, Penedès, Clàssic Penedès, Corpinnat (see later) or Conca del Rui Anoia.

Here is a comprehensive list of Cava producers.

Codorníu winery

Codorníu dates back to 1551, making it the oldest winery in Spain and it is also the spiritual home of Cava. In 1870, winemaker José Raventos began making Spanish sparkling wine by the traditional method and in 1872 established the Cordoníu brand here. Today it is the 2nd largest producer of Cava, after Freixenet.

Codorniu Winery is one of the most historic and heritage-filled wineries in the world and is the world’s most ancient producer of sparkling wine. It attracts many visitors from around the world and its winery tours are extremely popular.

Freixenet winery

Freixenet Cava dates back some 150 years and today Freixenet is the largest Cava producer in the world. In 1974 it launched its iconic and emblematic Cordón Negro wine, known the world over for its black bottle. Today it is sold in some 140 countries around the world. In 2019 Freixenet launched an Italian Prosecco range.

Similar to Cordoníu, wine tourism is extremely important to Freixenet and its winery tours also attract thousands of visitors a year from around the world.

Our Penedès Cava wine tour

During our stay in Catalonia we decided to spend a day discovering Penedès Cava and wanted to book a winery tour - the question was, which Cava wineries should we visit? 

We felt that to get a real experience of the Cava industry, we had to visit 1 of the 2 dominant brands, but we also wanted to experience something less ‘packaged’ and visit a smaller, perhaps more authentic Cava producer. We opted to visit Cordoníu rather than Freixenet, mainly because for us, they represented the origin and heritage of Cava here in Spain.

In terms of the less well-known Cava producer, we decided to book a tour with a well-established producer, Gramona, whose sparkling wines are very respected and who places a strong focus on sustainability.

The Cava capital of Sant Sadurni d'Anoia is located just 45 minutes from Barcelona. As both Codorníu and Gramona are based here we knew we had time to do both winery tours in 1 day, leaving time for a spot of lunch in between!

Read on to find out how both Cava winery tours went and how we rated them!

Gramona winery tour

The first Gramona sparkling wines were produced in the early 20th century, by Pilar Batlle and Bartolomé Gramona, whose marriage united 2 wine families, but the land here has been worked since the mid 19th century. Gramona’s reputation grew over the years, becoming known for its quality, long ageing sparkling wines. 

Today the company is led by cousins Jaume Gramona and Xavier Gramona, who are both committed to the excellence of the sparkling wines from Penedès. They produce over 1 million bottles per year, mainly of sparkling wines, but also some still and semi-dry/sweet wines. The main international markets for Gramona wines are the USA and Germany, but they are sold worldwide.

Sustainability

Gramona is also committed to and passionate about sustainability and strives to be 100% self-sufficient. In 2019 Gramona took the decision to establish a farm in the middle of the vineyards, home to chickens, geese, donkeys, sheep, horses and cows, all helping to improve the ecosystem and contributing to the environment. The horses plough the Gramona vineyards in the traditional way today.

Gramona biodynamic vineyards

Today Gramona’s vineyards are planted mainly with Xarel·lo, Macabeo, Chardonnay, and Pinot noir grapes. From 2000, Gramona has been 100% committed to caring for the land and the soils and farming organically. 

In 2014 Gramona was certified for biodynamic farming and became the first Spanish winery to obtain the ‘Biodyvin’ certification label. Additionally, in 2015, Gramona founded an association of winegrowers in Penedès (Aliances per la Terra) who work together to farm their land in the most environmentally friendly and biodynamic way.

The Gramona winery - Celler Batlle

All of Gramona’s wines are made in their own winery in the middle of the vineyards, which was opened in 2002. You can only see a third of the building from the outside, the rest is buried underground to reduce its environmental impact and energy consumption.  

Biodynamic principles are followed in the winery as well as the vineyards.

Gramona wines

Gramona is known for its aged sparkling wines, made by the traditional (Champagne) method. It produces a range of vintage wines called ‘Enoteca’  in Brut and in Brut Nature styles. Then it has a range of sparkling wines, which are still all aged for longer than is traditional. Its best-selling wine is its Imperial Brut sparkling wine.

Corpinnat label

Gramona wines are made, not according to the Cava DO appellation, but to the Corpinnat label. Gramona is a founding member of Corpinnart and there are currently 11 member wineries which produce Penedès sparkling wines according to its more exacting and stringent requirements and quality standards.

Corpinnat is a collective European Union brand established with the aim of distinguishing great sparkling wines made in the heart of the Penedès, from 100% organic grapes harvested by hand and entirely vinified on the premises of the winery.

Gramona wine tourism

Gramona offers a range of visit and tour options, including a tour of the vineyards (on foot or horseback!), the winery and the historic cellars, as well as a guided wine tasting. There is also the opportunity to enjoy wonderful, traditional food, paired with Gramona wines. Ensure to book your visit in advance.

Our tour of the historic cellars and wine tasting

We spent a fabulous morning learning all about Gramona, the history, the land and of course the wines. We were shown round the wine cellars by an excellent guide who then took us through a guided tasting of 2 sparkling wines - the Imperial 2016, the Lustros Brut Nature 2014 and a still white wine.

The price for a historical cellars tour and a tasting of 4 wines, accompanied by some appetisers, is 30 euros pp.

We absolutely loved these sparkling wines - so much so that we came away with 2 magnums of the Imperial. These are wonderful wines and great value for money!

Codorníu winery tour 

Codorníu is the story of 18 generations of a family of vine growers and  it reflects the history, tradition, passion and expertise of a family company with more than 450 years of history.  The family lived here from 1551 and were responsible for producing sparkling wine and the birth of Cava here in 1872.

Casa Codorníu is not just the original home of Cava, but the winery, designed by the modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, is a masterpiece in modernist art and was declared a National Artistic Historical Monument in 1976.

Codorníu vineyards

Codorníu farms its own vineyards in Penedès and grows Xarel·lo, Macabeo and Parellada grape varieties, with some Chardonnay and Pinot noir. In fact Codorníu has led the way in using international grape varieties in its Cava wines, being the first to introduce Chardonnay into Cava blends in 1983.

Codorníu is the largest vineyard owner in the region. 60% of its grapes are currently organically grown.

The range of Codorníu sparkling wines

Codorníu claims to have a Cava for every occasion and they’re probably right!

Firstly there is the Classic/Original range, which includes brut, extra brut, semi-dry and rosé styles, then the Anna de Codorníu range, which is probably the most iconic, well-known and distinctive expression of the Codorníu style. 

The origin of Anna de Codorníu dates back to the 16th century. 1659 was a year marked by the wedding of Anna, heir to the Codorníu dynasty and Miquel Raventós, which united 2 wine grower dynasties. Anna was the last to bear the Codorníu name. Sales of the Anna de Codorníu range started in 1984.

Finally there is a premium/prestige range.

Codorníu wine tourism

Codorníu’s wine tourism offering is extensive with several different types of visits. The 2 basic winery tours include the Discovery tour and the Iconic tour. We opted to book the Iconic tour which comprised a visit to the estate and winery, followed by a tasting of 3 ‘premium’ sparkling wines and a small selection of appetisers.

Our tour of the historic Codorníu winery and wine tasting

We gathered for our winery tour in the incredibly impressive Puig Room of the modern winery building designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch between 1895 and 1915. The vaulted cathedral-style ceiling is very typical of Catalonia.

After learning a little bit about the history of Codorníu we moved outside into the stunning gardens and past the old family house, which became a restaurant in the 1980s. We progressed through the gardens and outdoor museum space and into the old wine pressing room, another beautifully designed building, which is now the indoor museum. 

After browsing round the museum, we continued on to the main wine cellar, where we marvelled at the incredible architecture and the underground network of tunnels. After wandering through the tunnels, we boarded our little train which took us round the tunnels at speed! This really highlights what a huge underground structure the wine cellar is. 

Then finally we went down to the Cava Pío X, which is the main underground tasting room. Here we enjoyed 3 Codorníu Cava wines:

• Ars Collecta Blanc de Blancs Reserve (2.5 years ageing)

• Ars Collecta Blanc de Noirs Gran Reserva (2.5 years ageing)

• Ars Collecta Gran Rosé Reserve (2 years ageing)

These were all very good wines and it was great to taste the premium range.

Codorníu shop

Finally, the tour finished (as all good tours do!!), in the shop. This is certainly a well-stocked shop, with lots of wines and wine gifts to choose from!

The cost for the Codorníu iconic tour is 28 euros pp.

Conclusion and personal highlights

We enjoyed a fabulous day in the heart of the Penedès Cava region in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and learned a lot about Cava! We were happy to have visited both Codorníu and Gramona as it gave us a much broader insight into the Cava industry than if we had only visited either Freixenet or Codorníu. We were very impressed with the quality of the Cava wines and were really interested to hear about the efforts of Gramona, as part of Corpinnat to further raise the bar in terms of quality and sustainability.

We would recommend both winery tours, but on balance we preferred the Gramona tour, because it was more personal - we also preferred the Gramona wines! The Codorníu tour is excellent and we loved the train ride! However for us, we felt it was a bit too ‘mechanical’.

Enjoying the Penedès and Cava region

The main pursuit when visiting this part of Catalonia, is to visit the wineries. To discover these, as well as the region, rich in art, culture and nature follow the Penedès Wine and Cava Routes. 

Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and Vilafranca del Penedès are the most outstanding towns on the wine and cava route. 

In Sant Sadurní d'Anoia make time to visit the Cava Interpretation Centre, located in a wine distillery dating from 1814, which offers an excellent insight into the history and origins of Cava. The historic centre of the town, with its medieval defence tower and modernist buildings is also worth a stroll round.

For what to see and do in Catalonia see here.

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