Cava Cava
Sommelier India|September/October 2017

On a visit to Catalonia in Spain, Vikram Achanta takes a train to Cordorníu winery, the world’s oldest and second-largest producer of bottle-fermented sparkling wine

Vikram Achanta
Cava Cava

As I roll through the Catalan countryside by train with the Pyrenees in the far distance, the town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia announces itself via grape-laden vineyards. As the train slides into the station, I can’t help but notice Freixenet, a major cava producer’s facilities on one side of the platform. But it is to Codorníu that I am heading for my induction into the world of Cava, which is two kilometres from the station. I arrive a good 90 minutes before my 10am tour. So I have enough time for a croissant and a coffee in a café in the sleepy city centre with a mournful looking dog outside and a startlingly pretty waitress. Today is also one of the biggest days in Christianity, Easter Sunday, marking the end of Lent, a period in which Christians fast or give up a popular food or vice.

With still time to kill I decide to walk to Codorníu guided by Google maps. Cava producers dot every corner of the town, inviting you in for a tasting, which is not surprising, given that cava, is one of the most popular types of sparkling wine in the world, along with prosecco from Italy. Soon enough, I’m crossing a busy highway to head down Avenida Jaume de Codorníu, a pretty country lane, with vineyards on both sides named Raventós, a name I was soon to become familiar with. The lane leads to an impressive gate bearing the name of Codorníu and across the road is the Raventós winery.

This story is from the September/October 2017 edition of Sommelier India.

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This story is from the September/October 2017 edition of Sommelier India.

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