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11/28/2001 Archived Entry: "Wine Buy: Paul Cheneau Cava Brut"

This week’s wine buy is a Spanish sparkling wine called Paul Cheneau Cava Brut. It is not bone dry, even though it is labeled brut, a word used to denote the driest of a particular company’s sparkling wines.. It is ever so slightly sweet, which makes it perfect for serving to large groups this holiday season. Everyone will like it. This cava, as in the “caves” where champagne is fermented, is made from a three-grape blend. The label tells us that this wine is a blanc de blanc, meaning white wine from white grapes.

The label also says that this bubbly was made using the methode traditionale. This means that the bubbles are added the same way they are in Champagne, France, by a second fermentation in the bottle. Carol Berman, Food Talk sommelier, explained that after the grapes ferment in tanks or barrels, they are bottled and stored in caves for another fermentation right in the bottle. Caps are added and none of the CO2 gas that is produced during fermentation is allowed to escape. Instead, the gas collects and produces the delightful bubbles in sparkling wine.

One problem in sparkling wine production is that the sediment and dead yeast (you do know, I hope, that yeast is a living microraganism) that are also byproducts of fermentation must be also removed. Madame Cliqout, as in Veuve Cliquot, invented a riddling rack used to store bottles with their necks down so the sediment could collect easily near the opening of each bottle. Every so often, the bottles are sharply twisted (or riddled) so that the unwanted material that collects on the sides of the bottle is dislodged into the necks.

Next, the neck (yes, just the neck and what’s in it) of the bottle is frozen and the sediment is allowed to pot out. The winemaker then adds a secret formula of wine to top off the bottle and corks it.

After seeing just how labor intensive making sparkling wine can be, this week’s wine buy might seem like a steal at only $8.99 a bottle. It is widely available, too.