Josep was the owner of the famous Cordoniu winery in the Penedes region. During his travels in the Champagne region, he fell in love with the local Champagne. Upon returning home, he purchased Champagne-making equipment and began producing sparkling wine using the traditional Champagne method.
Authentic Champagne comes from the Champagne region, located in northern France, with a cool climate. The grape varieties used for Champagne production are three: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. At that time, Spain did not have these three grape varieties, so Josep used local grape varieties as substitutes, namely Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. Subsequently, other local wineries followed suit.
Just as Hong Kong people gather for dim sum on weekends, Spaniards often come together for lunch after Sunday mass. During lunch, Josep and local winemakers discussed a bold plan—to establish Penedes as Spain's "Champagne region".
In the early days, Spanish "Champagne" was labeled with terms such as "Champan", "Champana", "Xampany", or "Spanish Champagne". In the 1980s, the European Union suggested that Penedes winemakers establish a dedicated naming system for the region, rather than merely developing under the aura of Champagne. Local winemakers adopted this suggestion and, after discussions, decided to use the name "Cava". The term "Cava" is easy to pronounce and means "cellar" in Catalan.
Cava can come from multiple regions in Spain, but 95% of it comes from Penedes. The town of Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, about 27 miles from Barcelona, celebrates the "Cava Festival" every October. People elect the "Cava Queen", who is crowned by a representative of the town, and then the "Cava Queen" rides in a royal carriage like royalty through the town. Cava has become a part of Spanish tradition, with Spaniards bestowing communion soaked in Cava during infant baptisms.
Like Champagne, Cava can be blended from base wines of different vintages or made from high-quality single vintage base wines. The sweetness of Cava ranges from dry to sweet, with the most popular style being dry (Brut). Cava is typically made from white grape varieties, classified as "Blanc de Blancs", but it also includes a few rosé Cavas made from red grape varieties. Adding Chardonnay during the production of Cava can enhance its elegance and body. Just as the cola industry is dominated by two giants, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the Cava industry also has two major players: Freixenet and Cordoniu.