If wine trade body the Institut del Cava gets its way, pub customers will be indulging in the Spanish tradition of toasting to the weekend each Friday night with a glass of the bubbly.
However realistic this campaign may be, Spanish sparkling wine cava is a cheaper yet credible alternative to champagne this summer. "There are many sparkling wines to choose from in the UK. For top quality premium sparkle at a reasonable price, it doesn't get any better than Cava," says Cava Institut director María del Mar Torres. Cava's high quality makes for the perfect summer drink and adds immense value to the feel good alfresco experience."
Here is a guide to sourcing and selling the sparkle.
What is Cava?
Cava is a sparkling wine produced in designated areas of northern Spain.
The secondary fermentation and aging take place in the same bottle that the consumer uncorks - a traditional method that produces the bubbles in a natural way.
There are different types of cava, defined by how long the wine is aged during its second fermentation:
• Cava - aged a minimum of nine months
• Cava Reserva - aged at least 15 months
• Cava Gran Reserva - aged at least 30 months
Cavas can also be classified by their sugar content:
• Brut Nature - no added sugar
• Extra Brut - up to six grams of sugar per litre
• Brut - up to 15 grams of sugar per litre
• Extra Dry - 12 to 20 grams of sugar per litre
• Dry - 17 to 35 grams of sugar per litre
• Demisec - 33 to 50 grams of sugar per litre
• Sweet - more than 50 grams of sugar per litre
Cava with food
Cava serves as a perfect accompaniment to the four main flavour groups (salt, sweet, bitter and acidic) while also complementing fatty foods, as the carbon dioxide bubbles help to refresh the palate.
Pasta - the neutral flavour of pasta makes it easy to combine with almost any variety of cava.
Recommended: Cava Brut Nature, Brut, Extra Brut Reserva
Rice - one of the best matches. This is a clear example of cava as a "conductor" of flavours. Cava goes particularly well with paellas and risottos.
Recommended: Cava Brut, Extra Brut, Rosé
Fish - a particularly good combination with fatty fish, as the effect of the carbon dioxide balances the greasy sensation in the mouth. Meatier fish such as tuna also goes very well with cava.
Recommended: Cava Brut Nature/Brut, Cava Reserva Brut Nature/Brut
Meat - cava goes well with poultry and white meats. It is also a tasty accompaniment to lamb and stews.
Recommended: Cava Brut Nature, Brut Gran Reserva, Rosé
Desserts - light, sweet desserts and acidic red fruits match nicely with cavas that are drier. The flavours of long aged varieties are a perfect match with desserts in general, and sweet cavas are a pleasant accompaniment to custard-based or creamy dishes.
Recommended: Cava Brut, Demi-sec, Sweet, Rosé