This week’s a pretty good one for any of you out there are struggling a bit with your palate to start off with. I’m going to just assume that Cava is one of those drinks that most if not all of you will have had in the past. You’re not going to have to wander round the aisles like a blue-arsed fly trying to read all the labels, you know what you’re after, you’re comfortable with it already, and you can have a good go at working out all the different smells and tastes yourselves.
That’s not to say that I’m not going to write a few pointers and maybes for you to keep an eye (or a nose in this case) out for.
As with most sparkling wines, the aim of the game is to keep the acidity up. That means when you drink it you’ll get nicely refreshed, ready for the next bite or sip or whatever you’re doing at the time. How they do this is by making sure they select sights where it’s not too hot, so expect them near the coast or up a hill somewhere. They’ll also pick the grapes as early as possible to keep that acidity, so don’t expect too much alcohol, or too many really tropical fruit flavours.
It’s probably easier just to say you’re expecting a lowish alcohol drink, with green or stone fruit flavours, and a high level of refreshing acidity.
But what about that traditional method technique for adding the bubbles? Well there should be some bread smells and tastes from the yeast, and also with Cava (not that I’ve never noticed this but I’ll keep sniffing) a slight rubbery smell to it as well. I’d imagine it’s not too unpleasant otherwise no bugger would drink would they?
Seems a bit weird to be hoping my wine this week smells of rubber.
Cheers
Previous Posts in #NWTW Week 25
#NWTW Week 25: So What’s So Different About Cava?
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