The Wine Curmudgeon has been drinking cava, the Spanish sparkling wine, for more than 20 years. In all that time, there has been just one label that has been crappy. This consistency of quality is mind-boggling, since wine is difficult enough to do well and cava is among the most difficult of wines to make.
The tendency, given this string of success, is to take cava for granted. And, in fact, I didn't expect too much from the Naveran ($15, purchased), which I bought for dinner last weekend. I figured it would be just another well-made cava, and probably not worth the premium I paid compared to the seemingly endless number of world-class $10 cavas that exist.
So imagine my pleasant surprise when this wine delivered more than $15 worth of value. It was another knockout cava, with lots of crispness, plenty of tight bubbles, and some sweetish apple fruit. In this, it was a fuller, richer wine than the $10 bottles that I like, and well worth the extra money. I drank it with oven fried chicken, and it paired beautifully. But drink this on its own, for toasting the upcoming holidays, or anytime you want a nice glass of bubbly.
I've got a bottle in my fridge waiting for tonight. After trying seemingly endless Grower Champagnes (there are just so many), I'm looking forward to a simple Cava, long my go to sparkling wines.
Posted by: Ted | May 09, 2012 at 08:47 AM