Cava, Corpinnat, champagne… which bubbles to choose this festive season?

More bottles of bubbly are opened at Christmas than in the whole rest of the year.
And the same question almost always comes up in front of the shelf: cava, Corpinnat or champagne? And what exactly is a crémant or a pet-nat?

You don’t need to be an expert to choose well. Here’s a plain-English guide.

Two ways to make bubbles

Traditional method. First a base wine is made, and then a second fermentation takes place inside the bottle itself. That’s where the bubbles come from. The wine then rests on its yeasts for months or years: the longer it rests, the finer the bubbles and the more you get those aromas of bread, brioche and nuts. Cava, Corpinnat, champagne and crémant are all made this way.

Ancestral method. This is the oldest one. The wine is bottled before its one and only fermentation has finished: the yeasts complete the job inside the bottle and the gas stays trapped. This is how pet-nats are made.

What changes from one to another is where they’re made, which grapes are used and which rules apply.

Cava

Cava is Spain’s best-known sparkling wine. Most of it is made in the Penedès, near Barcelona, although the appellation also covers other parts of Spain.

• Main grapes: macabeo, xarel·lo and parellada. There are also cavas with chardonnay or pinot noir, and rosés made with trepat.
• Minimum ageing: 9 months in bottle. A Reserva spends at least 18 months and a Gran Reserva at least 30.
• The upside: huge variety, from young, fresh cavas for an aperitif to Gran Reservas with real depth.

Corpinnat

Corpinnat is a collective brand created in 2018 by a group of Penedès winemakers who wanted to go a step further. Their wines no longer carry the word cava on the label.

• Organic grapes, picked by hand.
• Grapes from the Penedès, mainly local varieties: xarel·lo, macabeo and parellada.
• All the wine is made at the estate itself.
• At least 18 months of ageing in bottle.

In the glass they tend to be sparkling wines with plenty of character and a strong sense of place.
A good choice if you want something special without going to France.

Champagne

Champagne can only be called champagne if it comes from the Champagne region in north-eastern France.

• Grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.
• Minimum ageing: 15 months in bottle; vintage champagnes, at least 3 years.
• A cool climate that gives it very lively acidity and very fine bubbles.

Two terms you’ll see on the label: blanc de blancs (white grapes only, fresher and more delicate) and blanc de noirs (black grapes only, fuller-bodied).

Crémant

Crémant is the name for French sparkling wines made by the traditional method outside the Champagne region. There’s crémant from Alsace, Burgundy, the Loire, the Jura, Limoux and Bordeaux, among others.

• Grapes: depend on the region. In Burgundy, chardonnay and pinot noir, as in Champagne; in the Loire, chenin blanc; in Alsace, pinot blanc, riesling or auxerrois.
• Hand-picked grapes and at least 9 months of ageing in bottle.
• The upside: very close to champagne in style and finesse, often for a lot less money.

If you love champagne but want to surprise people with something different, it’s a safe bet.

Pet-nat and ancestral

Pet-nat is short for pétillant naturel, French for “naturally sparkling”. It’s made using the ancestral method: a single fermentation that finishes inside the bottle. “Ancestral” is the traditional name (in Limoux, in the south of France, it has been made this way for centuries); “pet-nat” is the name that has become fashionable.

• Softer bubbles and less pressure than cava or champagne.
• Often not disgorged, so it can look a little cloudy from the yeast sediment. That’s normal.
• Usually sealed with a crown cap, like a beer.
• In the glass: fruit, freshness and a slightly rustic edge. Easy, uncomplicated drinking.

Some excellent ancestral-method wines are made in the Penedès and other parts of Catalonia too, often by small producers.

Brut nature, brut, semi-seco… what does it mean?

It tells you how much sugar the sparkling wine contains. From driest to sweetest:

• Brut nature: no added sugar. The driest.
• Extra brut and brut: dry. Brut is the most common.
• Extra dry and dry (seco): a touch of sweetness starts to show.
• Semi-dry (semiseco) and sweet (dulce): for dessert.

Pet-nats rarely carry these terms on the label. They’re usually dry, although some keep a hint of the grape’s natural sweetness.

Which one for each moment

For the aperitif and seafood

A young brut nature cava or Corpinnat, or a blanc de blancs champagne. Fresh, dry and light. If it’s a casual get-together, a pet-nat.

To go with the whole meal

A Gran Reserva, a longer-aged Corpinnat or a blanc de noirs champagne. They have plenty of body for cannelloni, baked fish or turkey.

To impress without spending a fortune

A crémant from Burgundy or the Loire. Fine, elegant bubbles, and a good story to tell at the table.

For the midnight toast

Here the table decides. If tastes vary, a well-balanced brut never fails.

With turrón and Christmas sweets

A semi-dry. A brut nature tastes bitter next to turrón, and the sweetness of the dessert overwhelms it.

How to serve it

• Between 6 and 8 °C. Never in the freezer: an ice bucket with water and ice for 20 minutes is better.
• Open it quietly. Hold the cork and turn the bottle, not the cork. It should sigh, not bang.
• If it’s a pet-nat, open it well chilled and with the bottle slightly tilted: sometimes it’s eager to get out. If there’s sediment, you can pour it clear or gently turn the bottle to mix it in; it’s a matter of taste.
• Glass: a white wine glass is better than a very narrow flute. You’ll get much more of the aromas.

Bubbles, always

Coco Chanel summed it up in one line:

“I only drink champagne on two occasions: when I am in love and when I am not.”

— Coco Chanel

We feel the same way about bubbles in general. You don’t need midnight bells or a big occasion: a cava with fried fish on a Friday, a pet-nat with Sunday vermouth, a crémant with pizza, or a champagne just because.

Their acidity and bubbles refresh the palate and go with almost anything: seafood, fried food, rice dishes, cheese… The holidays are a great excuse to start. But there’s no need to wait for the next ones.

Come and choose it at the shop

At the shop we have cavas, Corpinnat, champagnes, crémants and pet-nats for every taste and budget, from small producers and big houses alike.

Tell us what you’ll be eating, how many of you there will be and how much you’d like to spend, and we’ll help you choose.
We’re in the Eixample: Carrer de la Diputació 163.

Can’t make it? Write to us and we’ll deliver it.

Looking for gifts for clients or your team? Take a look at our corporate wine gifts.