Sparkling wines can be very different depending on the grape variety used, the production method, their sweetness, the color... but, if they have something in common, it is the glamor that surrounds them.
This selection from 'The La Vanguardia Wine Guide 2024', directed by Lluís Tolosa, includes 17 bubble wines whose market is increasingly broader and diversified. All of them have ratings above 90 points and even special recognitions such as the Best Value for Money or the Wine Identity Award.
In addition, the Best Sparkling Wine Award is held by Enoteca Turó d'en Mota 1999 from Recaredo (Corpinnat), which challenges all known limits in sparkling wines with 23 years of aging and a score of 100 points.
The most impressive tasting this year was offered by Recaredo to celebrate 25 harvests of its iconic Turó d’en Mota. More grand, impossible, the vertical tasting of his 25 vintages at El Celler de Can Roca, paired with 25 dishes with three Michelin stars.
First we tasted 14 unpublished vintages (2023-2010). They have not yet been released on the market, since they come out with 13 years of aging. Tasting them without finishing is a privilege, you can see the complexity that the long aging gives them. Vintage 2023, for example, is the base wine, in barrel, it allows you to see the body and aging potential. 2020 allows us to see the incorporation of Hungarian oak. In 2017 the use of native yeasts begins. The 2016, for me, perfectionist and promising, like the 2010, which will be released at the beginning of 2024.
Since 2009, there are already vintages that are on the market (2009-1999). I would highlight 2006. But I felt the big leap in 2002, full of evolution and maturity. To finish, Turó d’en Mota 1999, with 23 years of aging, impressive, fresher than other previous vintages. Symbol of the origin, of the concept, a single-vineyard xarel·lo, from 1940, with never-before-seen aging. And the great news, they have 150 bottles left, which they present as Enoteca 1999 Turó d'en Mota, challenging the known limits in sparkling wines: 23 years of aging. As Pitu Roca said, “a unique moment in the history of Spanish wine.”
Sadly, days later Antoni Mata Casanovas (1942-2023), president of Recaredo and pioneer of terroir sparkling wines with long aging, died. It is a pity that he will not be able to accompany us on the centenary of Recaredo (1924-2024).
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Mas del Serral has once again been the protagonist in one of the most prestigious specialized magazines in the world. The British Andrew Jefford has dedicated three entire pages to it in The World of Fine Wine magazine, explaining its history and the vertical tasting of five of its vintages.
The article is especially relevant, because almost every time we write about sparkling wines in this magazine it is to refer to the best producers of Champagne. Andrew Jefford considers Mas del Serral to be “the coronation of Pepe Raventós, one of the most unconventional and forward-thinking winemakers in Catalonia.”
Everything that makes Mas de Serral unique is a plot, a vintage and a time. It is a sparkling wine from a single plot, Clos del Serral, planted in 1954. There are 1.92 hectares of xarel lo and black bastardo in co-plantation, worked following the guidelines of biodynamic agriculture and machinery-free cultivation, manually and with Hispanic horses. Breton.
This 2012 harvest went through manual selection, grain by grain, in the Mas del Serral garage. It was fermented in stainless steel and cement tanks, with indigenous yeasts from the vineyard. Its timing was exact and precise, 100 months of aging in the bottle on its own lees.
It expresses the austerity of the old Xarel·lo vineyards, with the salinity and minerality of the calcareous soils with an abundance of marine fossils. Pepe Raventós himself assures that “after 10 years of aging, it could still age 25 more years.” He achieved success in the three projects of the Raventós family: Raventós i Blanc, Can Sumoi i Vins Pepe Raventós.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Llopart has celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Leopardi, born four decades ago in homage to Bernardus Leopardi, who in the 14th century inherited the current Can Llopart de Subirats estate, with vineyards documented in a Latin parchment dated 1385. In In the same family farm, in 1887, they began to produce their first bottles of sparkling wines.
Pere Llopart Vilarós, and Jacinta, conceived this sparkling wine in 1983, at that time with 6 years of aging, corresponding to its 1976 harvest. Forty years after going on the market, they wanted to celebrate it with a special edition in Magnum format (1.5 liters) of Llopart Leopardi Magnum Brut Nature 2013, in a limited edition of only 334 bottles.
The celebration has also included the inauguration of the new Enoteca Familiar Llopart space, where they keep around 300 bottles of each vintage, of this brand and other of its most emblematic historical brands, such as Lanzat Familiar and Llopart Original 1887.
The Leopardi is a Corpinnat Brut Nature from the Pere de Can Ros vineyard and the Isidoro vineyard. They are vines from their magnificent estate of 500 hectares of vineyards and forests, where they have 102 hectares of their own vineyards. Assembly 45% xarel·lo, 40% macabeu, 15% parellada with more than 60 months of aging in the bottle. Complex, elegant and balanced. It expresses ripe white fruit wrapped in fine citrus touches, but stands out above all for its broad spicy, toasted notes, with hints of pastries. Maximum quality at a very reasonable price.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
A tiring day ends. One more day, seven grape harvesters, after more than ten hours of hard work, return home. The backs suffer and the hands get a little more calloused. It is the work of manual harvesting, the most respectful and qualitative, but also the most sacrificed. All in all, the day has been fruitful, never better said, because 1,600 kg of grapes arrive in boxes and in perfect conditions at the cooperative. The tractor driver smiles and unloads them into the reception hopper to direct them towards the fermentation tank.
A few moments later a large trailer arrives with about 15,000 kg of grapes. It is a little damaged by the mechanical harvest, which is rougher and slightly breaks the skin. It is a less fresh, less juicy grape. The tractor driver follows the winery's instructions and unloads into the same hopper as his colleague and the grapes go to the same fermentation tank. Same price. Nothing makes sense.
This frequent situation made Xavier Bernet and Cristina García decide to make their own sparkling wine in 2003. The project started from scratch, because no one in their family had made it before. They were just country people.
Since then, the Júlia Bernet winery has been dedicated to quality and belongs to the prestigious Corpinnat. It is a microwinery in the upper area of Penedès that produces a total of 30,000 top-level bottles. All Brut Nature. 20 years have passed and they have positioned themselves at the top, convincing sommeliers and having the best wine lists. For me, they are some of the most delicate and delicious bubbles that the heart of Penedès offers.
Author: Ferran Centelles
Great news from Parés Baltà, one of my favorite wineries, always a safe bet, both for its wines and its cavas. If I had to define them with a single adjective: healthy wines. It is something that is very noticeable when drinking their wines and cavas.
Historically, it is made with the three native and traditional varieties of cava: xarel·lo, macabeo and parellada, using the same blend that my grandfather used to make with his favorite Cal Miret vineyards, which they wanted to recover in honor of the family's history and from the cava region.
It represents many of the highest categories of DO Cava: Gran Reserva, Brut Nature, Guarda Superior and Elaborador Integral. Result of ecological and biodynamic cultivation of their own farms.
Manual harvest and gentle pressing, making each variety separately. Minimum aging of 36 months. Made with minimal intervention, suitable for vegans.
Perfect balance between freshness and complexity. Fine bubble, very well integrated, unctuous, reminiscent of ripe white fruit, candied fruit, aging on lees, nuts, sweet spices and pastry notes, agile and cheerful on the palate, with a fresh and dry, balsamic, Mediterranean herb finish. . Really excellent value for money.
One more example of the inexhaustible creativity of his two winemakers, also sisters-in-law, Marta Casas and Maria Elena Jiménez. Històric is not just another novelty in its wide range of wines and cavas, it is a perfectly defined and balanced cava, very well made, which in a short time, I am sure, will be a great Parés Baltà classic.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Pale pinks are in fashion, but oenologically they are not easy to obtain. Ask her winemaker, Anna Velázquez, who with 25 years of experience makes wines where the focus is on freshness and delicacy.
Vardon Kennett is Familia Torres' subtle bubbles winery, led by the fifth generation: Miguel and Mireia Torres. The farmhouse was inhabited at the beginning of the 19th century by a maritime merchant, Daniel Vardon Kennett, who changed the course of his life for the love of his wife, staying to make wines in Mediona. It is the romantic story behind this bottle, with the undulations of the glass and the shape of the label recalling the waves of the sea.
Pinot noir from its own high-altitude vineyards, with 39 months on lees in the bottle itself. Delicate on the nose, fruity notes of cherry, floral nuances of white rose petals and light herbaceous background. The same thing happens to his older brother, Cuvée Esplendor, which has the style of great champagnes, with freshness without giving up the complexity that aging gives them.
In the hermitage of Santa Margarida d'Agulladolç, restored in 1988 by Familia Torres, there is the headstone that whispers: "D. Daniel Vardon Kennett, British subject, merchant and landowner, native of the island of Guernsey, died on the 12th of January 1835, at the age of 54. Mourning his unfortunate loss, the conjugal tenderness of Doña María Francisca de Ferrer, a native of Barcelona, put this marble to his remains.” Because the name of this sparkling wine is masculine, but the value is. female.
Author: Meritxell Falgueras
This year is very special for the Juvé Family Reserve
This year it celebrates its 50 vintages, with special packaging and the pride of being the best-selling Gran Reserva Brut Nature cava in the world, it has a lot of merit with this level of quality.
Furthermore, the anniversary celebration has come with a great gift. The Reserva de la Familia 2018 has entered the Top 100 of the prestigious North American magazine Wine Spectator, after the blind tasting of 9,200 wines from around the world. It has been placed among the 50 best wines in the world, in position 43, the best positioned of the six Spanish wines included on the list and the only Spanish sparkling wine. Admirable, affordable and essential this year. Lluís Tolosa
Ars Collecta is the most exclusive series of high-end cavas from Codorníu. As they themselves say, it is inspired by the art of collecting and collecting art. It is a series of high-end cavas that has already accumulated more than 350 national and international awards.
For me, the most seductive and irresistible is the Ars Collecta Gran Rosé. It is a rosé cava of great quality and elegance, but above all it shows the differentiated identity of Codorníu, because it expresses the vineyards, the climates and the varieties grown on its different properties.
It is made basically with pinot noir, with which Codorníu has a long experience in its large farms in Raimat, in the Lerida region of Segrià, where the interior Mediterranean climate shows its more continental influence. This variety brings elegance, red fruits, freshness, low alcohol content and aging potential.
It is complemented with trepat, also fruity and of low grade, cultivated in the Barberà Basin, also with an interior Mediterranean climate with continental influence, where they have their winery Abadía de Poblet, in the monastery of Poblet. And it is refined with xarelello from the central plain of the Penedès, where Codorníu has its historical headquarters, in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, with a typically Mediterranean climate, which brings the virtues of this white variety, freshness, acidity and aging capacity.
Great Rosé in all its expression. Perfectionist, elegant and glamorous. Perfume of blackberries and raspberries, subtle citrus freshness, fine creamy notes and light nuances of aging. For very special dinners.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Every year we attend one of the events of the Corpinnat Gastronomic Festival. In this third edition we went to one of the dinners organized at the Finca Nadal de la Boadella, in this case with the gastronomic proposal of the Can Valls restaurant (Sant Martí Sapresa, Girona).
Xavi Nadal and Silvia Velencoso are excellent hosts and know how to create a magical atmosphere at the dinners they organize in the garden of the family farmhouse. Can Nadal de la Boadella is a historic estate that is already registered in the name of the Nadal family in a notarial parchment from the year 1510. They have never stopped cultivating vines and making wines, even during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), when Part of the property was expropriated from them to be used as an airfield.
In the 1940s, Ramon Nadal replanted the vineyards on that abandoned airfield, built the underground cellars and produced his first Brut cava, which is why they date back to 1943. Today they have more than 100 hectares distributed in more than 40 vineyards, especially of white native varieties, with which they make Xarel·lo whites, sweet botrytis wines and a wide range of sparkling wines.
Only the most exceptional and wild Macabeo harvests earn the right to become Salvatge Brut Nature. Different, because of its Maccabee spine, so unusual. Smooth and fresh, despite its long aging in the bottle. It stands out for its fine and well-integrated bubble. Ripe white fruit, citrus freshness and final notes of aging, with faint memories of pastries. Ideal with Iberian ham, versatile and gastronomic.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Can Parellada is one of the most extensive and beautiful properties in Penedès, with 110 hectares of vineyards, olive trees and cypresses that recall the undulating landscape of Tuscany.
The origin of the estate dates back to the 11th century, as testified by its Romanesque chapel. In the 19th century, Pablo Parellada married the daughter of the Marquis of Naveran and acquired the property. After phylloxera, he replanted the farm with the Montonec or Montonega variety, today better known as Parellada, they say that in memory of his surname, although philologists relate the etymological origin with Parella, due to the symmetrical pairing of the clusters in this variety.
The estate was inherited by his son Pablo Parellada de Naveran, and then passed to his daughter Antonia (hence Cuvée Antonia), married to the Swiss René Gillieron. In 1975 they reactivated wine production and in 1984 they founded Cavas Naveran with their son Michel Gillieron Parellada de Naveran, an oenologist from the École d'Algéniurs de Changins (Switzerland), which has established the family wine project.
They export largely to Europe, Japan and the United States, where they have earned a good reputation. Rober Parker himself ranked Perles Roses as the best rosé cava in Spain in 2010. Now they have just received a well-deserved 93 points from Wine Enthusiast.
100% pinot noir rosé cava, inspired by his travels to the Champagne region. Pioneers in the cultivation of this variety in the Penedès, since 1999. Pale salmon color with fine pink pearls very well integrated. Soft, light and elegant. Red fruits, watermelon, orange citrus notes and dry finish with nuances of aging. For any occasion.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
There are many reasons why Terra de Asorei deserves the 2024 Wine Identity Award. First, for its own reason for being. The winemaking tradition in the Val do Salnés has always been maintained by winegrowers and small family wineries. But there came a time when the big companies prevailed, and the small winemakers had to reinvent themselves.
Terra de Asorei is the union of six families of winegrowers with family wineries. They joined in 2008 at the initiative of journalist Xosé Ramón Durán, Roque for friends. They have been exporting together since 2011 and ended up creating their own joint winery in 2015, adding 60 hectares of Albariño, which they produce in every possible way. They make a dozen Albariños with the Terra de Asorei, Nai and Pazo Torrado brands. The exception is its Terra de Asorei Espadeiro, a red variety dominant in the 18th century in the Val do Salnés, when there were more espadeiro than albariño. There are still some 50-year-old vines in Cambados and Padrenda-Meaño. As the poet Ramón Cabanillas (1876-1959) said, espadeiro is the wine of the country, “the blood of the heart of our land…, the Celtic wine and the Galician soul.”
And there are still more. Its Brut Terra de Asorei is the maximum expression of a 100% Albariño sparkling wine from Rías Baixas. Fine and abundant bubbles, white fruit, aromatic herbs, pastries and cake. Gold Medal year after year in Luís Paadín's Galician Wine Guide. And proud Acio de Ouro for the Best Sparkling Wine of Galicia 2023. Its six “A”s symbolize six families and six strengths: Adega, Albariño, Auténtico, Atlántico, Arte y Amor.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Can Sala is a winery that represents the origins of the Ferrer family since 1851 and with great experience in its land, especially in the production of sparkling wines, offering us this Can Sala blessed by patience. This patience is the key to its complexity and the fine, creamy bubble that these cavas offer, with the Qualified Paraje Cava category. In fact, they only make local cavas. Its blend is Parellada and Xarel·lo, the first grape gives it more finesse and subtlety and the second helps make this long aging of at least 10 years with a natural cork stopper possible.
The process carried out in the winery and the key to success has not changed in the last 100 years, although the knowledge of this family in their project has evolved. Its color is slightly golden due to this long rest or aging. Its bubbling is fine, small, delicate and crackles at sight. Its aromas are mainly responsible for revealing its age. Harmonious nose where ripe white fruit, apple and pear type, come together, with aromas of bakery, confectionery, smoked, brioche, sweet spices and dried fruits.
The palate is very creamy and fresh throughout. It once again shows the white fruit in the mouth and the aging notes are responsible for blessing its finish. Long and complex. It is a very gastronomic cava that will delight the most demanding palate in sparkling wines. I wouldn't recommend enjoying it too cold.
Author: María José Huertas
Cuvée D.S. It is one of the most emblematic cavas of Freixenet. Created in 1969 in honor of Doña Dolores Sala, president of the company from its founding until her death (1914-1978).
Dolors Sala Vivé was born in 1889, during the hard years of phylloxera. She soon became an only child, because her three male brothers died prematurely. At the end of the 19th century, no one thought that a woman could run such a complex company.
Trained in oenology and business studies, she began a relationship with Pere Ferrer Bosch, the youngest of the La Freixeneda estate, which is why they called him Freixenet. They married in 1911 and formed a great team. Dolors was a winemaker ahead of her time, an expert in blending and a pioneer in creating a Brut Reserva in 1930. Together they made bubbles fashionable among the Catalan bourgeoisie.
But the anarchists killed her husband and shortly after her first-born son disappeared. During the Civil War (1936-1939) and the post-war period, Dolors had to assume management, with the support of her daughter Pilar Ferrer Sala, until her youngest son, José Ferrer Sala, joined the business.
The Cuvée D.S. It is only made in suitable vintages. This 2019 vintage is the 27th vintage selected since 1969. Gran Reserva Brut, ambassador of the Vintage concept. After 30 months of aging, it shows fine and abundant bubbles, white fruit, lemony notes and a finish of toasted bread and brioche.
Also in his memory, the Freixenet cavas in Mexico are called Finca Doña Dolores, Cavas Sala Vivé, where I recommend the Querétaro Wine and Cheese Route.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Did you know that Pét-Nat is a French term that refers to Pétillant Naturel, the sparkling wines made by the Ancestral Method? Ancestral sparkling wines are not simply a trend, but are here to stay. They are already a reality, quite a few are made in Catalonia and they are of great quality.
Unlike the traditional method of making sparkling wines, such as cava or champagne, Pét-Nat uses the Ancestral Method, which involves bottling the wine before fermentation stops completely. This allows the carbon produced during fermentation to be trapped in the bottle, creating a fine, natural bubble.
The Pujol-Busquets family (Alta Alella) has created the Celler de les Aus to produce their natural wines, in this case a tasty, crunchy and surprising white pansa. The wine is made from organic grapes selected from our own vineyards, which are grown following sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, very healthy grapes.
What catches my attention about the wine is that it goes on the market covered with the same crown cap from the end of fermentation, without filtering, without disgorging and without added sulfur. It is a dry and refreshing sparkling wine, slightly bitter and herbaceous in the mouth, where the flavors of green almonds are a hit. This production method gives it complexity and structure. The natural wines from Celler de les Aus cannot be missing from your home if you want to expand your knowledge and enjoy exciting oenological experiences.
Author: Zoltan Nagy
This is the rosé cava that we normally drink at home. There is always a bottle in the fridge, to open at any time. There cannot be a more personal recommendation. It is the cava that we drink with my family on a daily basis. Awarded a Gold Medal in the Young Rosé Sparkling category at the Vinari 2023 awards and a Silver Medal at the Barcelona Rosé 2023 awards. Excellent quality at a very good price.
In addition, it is a deeply indigenous cava, 100% trepat from Conca de Barberà. Pale salmon color with very well integrated bubbles. Soft, light and fresh. Very easy to drink. Red berries, floral notes, fresh citrus and faint nuances of aging, all simple and well integrated. Ideal as a welcome drink, with appetizers and light meals, especially suitable with rice and great with sushi.
I also like it as a way of responsible consumption, I like to choose wines from cooperatives. Behind each bottle there is a lot of history and many families of winegrowers. Cellers Domenys is a cooperative founded in 1917 in Sant Jaume dels Domenys (Baix Penedès), which today brings together seven cooperatives, 500 members and more than 2,500 hectares of vineyards.
Tres Naus cava is made in their modernist winery in Rocafort de Queralt, named after the three warehouses built in 1918, 1931 and 1947 by the architect César Martinell. Declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest and a pioneer of the so-called cathedrals of wine. The rehabilitation that we are planning, in which I have the pleasure of participating, will be one of the largest wine tourism projects in Catalonia, we will explain it very soon.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
This last year I have attended several meetings with La Carretera del Vi, the association that brings together a dozen wineries with wine tourism offers along this historic road, where in the past the wines from the Penedès interior were transported to the distribution centers, the Vilafranca del Penedès railway and the Sitges piers.
We had the first meeting in Colet, a family winery with a winemaking tradition since 1783, when they were sharecroppers and took care of the vineyards and livestock of the Hacienda Romaní, in Sant Martí Sarroca, precisely the town at the beginning of La Carretera del Vi.
In 1984 they acquired the lands they had always worked and in 1992 they began to produce their first wines with their own brand, which is why in 2022 they celebrated their 30th anniversary with producers and in 2024 they could celebrate their 40th anniversary as owners.
All their sparkling wines are Clàssic Penedès, made by the traditional method, 100% DO Penedès, 100% organic and 100% Reserve, indicating the date of disgorgement and vintage on the label.
Colet Aniversari was created by the brothers Sergi and Olga Colet for this celebration. Xarel·lo from old vines, 100% Xarel·lo like its Màgic Extra Brut, further exploring its single-varietal elaborations, and also launching a more modern image. “It is a copy of what we are,” says the winemaker himself, Sergi Colet. “Austerity and rusticity, a dry brut nature, with a balance between the density of the wine and the acidity.” You can also notice the partial aging in a concrete egg, which gives it creaminess and depth.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
This Brut Nature Rosé is one of the three wines and four cavas that make up the Naturelovers collection by Montesquius, very differentiated from the rest of its products by this unique, fresh and carefree image, inspired by nature.
The main characteristic of this cava is freshness. It is a very spring-like cava, smooth and easy to drink, with small, abundant and playful bubbles. Notes of red fruits predominate, with hints of strawberries and raspberries, only at the end do the faint nuances of aging appear, all very well placed and balanced. It is a magnificent welcome drink and pairs well with appetizers, smoked meats, pastas, fish and Japanese food.
Its differential feature is the blend of Monastrell and Garnacha Negra, which gives it a double load of fruit and makes it doubly Mediterranean. After being aged for a minimum of 15 months in the bottle, it acquires the category of Reserve, although its freshness does not seem so, it gives the sensation of being younger, until the good integration of the bubble and the soft nuances of aging are perceived, very in the end. Brut Nature, without added sugar, naturally sweet, due to the Monastrell and Garnacha varieties, but it is not fruity, the finish is dry, with soft nuances of dried fruits, with hints of hazelnuts.
Montesquius is one of the centuries-old cellars in the center of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, with historic underground cellars, excavated in 1918, which were later expanded in 1944 and 1992. Currently with a wide range of wine tourism, ideal to come and try it in the same cellars.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
