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- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Was first made in 1872 by José Raventós in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia.
Also comes in red androsado. Garnacha, Monastrell, Pinot Noir and Trepat
grapes are variously involved.
Must spend nine months on its lees before being disgorged. Most is left to mature
for longer:reservaCava for at least 18 months andgran reservafor 30.
Is produced to varying tastes.Extra brutis the driest, with just 6gm of sugar per litre,
anddulcethe sweetest with 50gm per litre.
Has become a staple tipple at baptism celebrations; even newborns are given a sup.
Va l e n c i aandMurciaare usually lumped together by
wine lovers, collectively dubbed the Levant because
this is where the sun rises (levantarse)first.Theregion’s
sustained heat precludes many truly great wines, but
lakes of palatable table wine are made.The Alicante
DO is known for its sweet whites made from Moscatel,
but the region is dominated by the Valencia DO.
Whites here tend to be fresh and undemanding, made
primarily with the Merseguera grape.The Monastrell
vine dominates red production throughout the Levant.
Many lack the oomph of reds elsewhere and tend to be
drunk asjovenes.However,theUtiel-Requenaand
Jumilla regions do harbour reds with more backbone.
In Utiel-Requena too they makedoble pasta,traditionally
ablendingwineproducedbyplacingasecondgrape
batch over the skins of a first fermentation.
Did you know that Cava...
The old ones are the best
For centuries Alicante
produced a legendary
wine called Fondillón.
Strong (usually between
16 and 18 per cent abv),
aged for a minimum of
eight years and with a
nutty, gloopy character,
it disappeared from the
Spanish repertoire for 50
years in the 20thcentury.
Luckily some canny
vintner kept the recipe
and today it’s back in
production, made these
days by over-ripening
Monastrell grapes and
putting them through a
similar process to that
used in sherry production.
Apparently it hits a peak
aged about 20. Some are
dry, some sweet – it all
depends on how sweet
the grapes were.
