Do You Guys Know What Cava Is?

The other day Carrie and I got a text out of the blue from our oldest daughter.

“Do you guys know what Cava is?”

Despite growing up in a winery family, she’s never really been into wine. So seeing that question pop up on our phones definitely got our attention.

Carrie answered first. “Spanish sparkling wine. Delish.” I added, “Made like Champagne.” We each got a little heart emoji back. She was coming home for the Fourth of July, so we figured we’d have a bottle waiting for her. We like to encourage wine discovery after all.

Carrie and Holly’s trip to Costco came up empty. Since our daughter was stopping in Folsom on the way home, I asked if she’d swing by Total Wine. My phone buzzed with a picture of a huge wall of Cava. Rather than trying to identify bottles from a cell phone photo, I asked ChatGPT, “What’s a good entry-level Cava at Total Wine?” It gave me three recommendations. Then I asked, “brioche?” I was looking for a something with a little more of that Champagne-like character. I know… kind of silly after asking for an entry-level bottle. It explained that if I was looking for more pronounced brioche, toast and pastry notes, I should step up to Juvé & Camps Reserva de la Familia Brut Nature because it spends more time aging on its lees. It mentioned toasted hazelnut, baked apple, lemon peel and a creamier mousse.

Something clicked. I remembered that name from TV.

I had watched Eva Longoria visit Juvé & Camps on Searching for Spain. During the episode, one of the family members explained that when they first started making traditional-method sparkling wine, most people preferred sweet wines. Their dry Cava wasn’t exactly a commercial success, so they mostly made it for themselves because it was the style they loved to drink. Eventually the rest of the world caught up. I like that philosophy.

That’s the bottle that came home.

We opened it on Independence Day. The wine was crisp and balanced. I got apple, marzipan, honey, minerality and jasmine. Carrie immediately said, “Warm baking spice,” and I thought yes, cardamom. The promised brioche was there, but not in a big way. Not bad for a twenty-dollar bottle.

The next day I asked our daughter what she thought of the Cava. “Good. Better than I expected.” Maybe her wine palate is growing.

Wine discovery is changing. It used to come from shelf talkers, magazine reviews or the person stocking the wine aisle. Now it might begin with a text from your daughter, a conversation with AI or a Spanish travel show.

And because it was the Fourth of July? Naturally, I let the cork fly across the backyard like a firework.

Josh Bendick
Co-winemaker