Pere Mata Cupada Rosé Cava: Finesse in a Glass (#WorldWineTravel)

If I were taking a trip to Catalonia (Catalunya), Pere Mata is one winemaker I’d love to meet.

Actually, I couldn’t find much online about this “adorable and nutty professor of cava,” as one blogger describes him, or the Pere Mata Cupada Rosé Cava in my glass. So I reached out to “Professor” Mata and was grateful when he responded within 24 hours. Gracias, señor!

Mata farms more than 12 acres in the town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia in the heart of the Penedès, Spain. Sant Sadurní, which enjoys a Mediterranean climate with moderate rainfall, is known as the Cava Capital of Spain. The area is home to more than 80 Cava producers.

Winemaking in these hills south and west of Barcelona dates back to 1872. Mata started his career in 1998 when he purchased about 7½ acres of vines and built the Mata I Coloma winery. His first vintage was 2000. In addition to growing his own organic grapes, he partners with various other organic farmers.

Elegant, precise, light yet creamy, Mata’s Cupada Rosé Cava is a sparkling wine I could sip all day – and definitely one I’m pleased to feature for the next #WorldWineTravel Twitter chat on Saturday, Feb. 27, starting at 8 am ET/11 am PT. You’re invited to join the #WorldWineTravel bloggers as we talk all things Catalonia –Cava, Penedès, Priorat, and much more. Simply follow the hashtag.

What is Cava?

Often referred to as Spain’s answer to Champagne, Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine made in the same traditional method (método tradicional) as Champagne – that is, secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle.

Catalonia is responsible for approximately 85-95% of all Cava made in Spain, but the Cava Protected Designation of Origin (DO) covers all Cava-producing regions (including Aragon, Navarra, Rioja, Pais Vasco, Valencia, and Extremadura). Most winemakers use the traditional white grapes: Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a few other grapes also are permitted. Because the name Cava, which means “cave” or “underground cellar” in Spanish, is protected, winemakers are not required to state their DO status on the label.

Mechanized bottle-turning or riddling was invented in these Spanish wineries. This automated process, using a device introduced in the 1970s and known as a gyropalette, contributes to the comparatively low price of Cava compared to Champagne. But watch out! Quality differs depending on the amount of time Cava spends aging on the lees (spent yeast cells). Lees aging or autolysis enriches the wine by adding savory, bready notes and body. That’s why Cava is more like Champagne than Prosecco, the Italian sparkling wine. Prosecco typically doesn’t undergo long lees aging.

Cava Reserva requires a minimum of 15 months aging on the lees, the same requirement as non-vintage Champagne. For Gran Reserva, the required aging time is 30 months or more (similar to vintage Champagne). In 2016, the regulators added a Cava de Paraje Calificado designation that applies to single-vineyard wines aged on the lees for at least 36 months. More changes are in store beginning with the 2020 vintage: Minimum aging time for Cava Reserva wine will increase to 18 months. In addition, all Cava Reserva and Gran Reserva wine will have to be organically farmed from vines at least 10 years old.

Cava is produced at various sweetness levels ranging from bone-dry Brut Nature to Brut (up to 12 grams per liter of residual sugar) to Dulce (more than 50 grams per liter of residual sugar) and levels in between.

The making of rosé (rosado) Cava follows the same method used for non-rosé Cava. The main difference is that it begins with a base wine, which, according to DO regulations, must contain at least 25% permitted red grapes: Garnacha, Monastrell, Pinot Noir, and Trepat. Of these, Trepat can only be used in Cava rosado, not other Cava.

The wine – 2017 Mata I Coloma ‘Pere Mata’ Cupada Rosé Cava Reserva
74% Garnacha, 26% Xarel-lo

From the winemaker:
“The Garnacha is from a rented vineyard called ‘el Llop,’ at 650 meters (2,132 feet) high, planted in 2012. The Xarel-lo is from own vineyard called ‘Cal Curraler’ planted in 1993.

“As you know, the Xarel-lo is a white grape. In Europe it’s forbidden to make blends between white and rosé or red wines. Only there is an exception, Champagne. So we have to make co-fermentation to make a rosé with some white grapes.

“Garnacha is harvested in early September, fermented with indigenous yeast (not spontaneous fermentation), and in the middle of September we harvest the Xarel-lo and add it to the Garnacha while it is fermenting. I want a very subtle rosé wine, so I do not make skin contact with the must. I want to avoid tannins in the wine. We don’t need to have skin contact to have a nice pink color. The skin is very ripe and gives to the must some color immediately in the presurage [pressing]. As the Garnacha is a young vineyard, I prefer to add some Xarel-lo to the coupage [blend] to give some structure to the wine.

“The wine is filtered and stabilized. For the second fermentation in bottle we use commercial yeast. It is aged a minimum of 15 months before disgorgement. It’s a Brut Nature for the disgorgements to US. No sugar is added at disgorgements. All our wines are made with organic grapes and our wines are certified organic in Europe.”

My tasting notes: Pours a pale strawberry shade of pink. Lots of small, persistent bubbles. On the nose, I get strawberries, oranges, and rose petals. The palate is dry and creamy, but not bready or yeasty like other Cava, and with plenty of freshly picked strawberries. Finishes in orange zest and a squeeze of lemon. Medium acidity. Medium+ finish. Alcohol: 11.5%. Price: $18 (higher than most Cava, but worth it!).

Suggested pairings: In our house, we love tinned fish: sardines, tuna, herring. Fish in a can is easy, versatile, budget-conscious, and tasty. I add some of my favorite ingredients – good-quality olive oil, squeezed lemon, fresh garlic, chopped parsley, basil or thyme, a shake of red pepper flakes, sea salt, ground black pepper – et voilà! Find recipes for my linguine and sardines or tuna and Cannellini bean salad (pictured above) on this page. Both dishes will pair amicably with any Cava.

Better yet, I strongly recommend a fried and salty Tortilla Española (Spanish egg and potato omelette) or potato gnocchi in sage butter topped with lemon zest and grated Parmesan. This was my first Tortilla Española. Frankly, it could have been crispier, but it was delicious with the Cava rosado. In my recipe, I adjust for mistakes. As for the gnocchi (pictured above), OMG – with sautéed, garlicky swiss chard, the pairing was nothing short of amazing. Try it!

We’ve got lots of bloggers hopping on this virtual flight to Catalonia. There’s room for you, too! Check out the posts below and please join us for the chat.

• Allison and Chris from Advinetures look at Cava: Spain’s Answer to Champagne.
• Andrea from The Quirky Cork enjoys Tapas with Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava.
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares Pollo a la Catalana + Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat 2019.
• David from Cooking Chat shines with Mushroom Fricassee and Red Wine from Priorat.
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator brings Sparkling Wine Secrets: Catalonia Cava from Marqués de Cáceres with Spanish Chorizo Kale Bean Stew.
• Jeff from Food Wine Click looks at Exploring the Variety of Still Wines from Catalunya.
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass showcases Pere Mata Cupada Rosé Cava: Finesse in a Glass.
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest posts Beyond Cava: Loxarel and Gramona Organic Sparkling Wines.
• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog waxes poetic about A Taste of Can Descregut; Grower Spanish Sparkling Wine From The Corazón del Penedès.
• Melanie from Wining With Mel muses about Innovative Winemaking in Catalunya’s Penedès: Torres Gran Coronas Reserva.
• Nicole from Somm’s Table pens On a Hilltop in Priorat.
• Payal from Keep The Peas joins with Bartender’s Choice from Priorat.
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles focused on Priorat DOQ in Spain’s Cataluña Region and Franck Massard’s 2015 Humilitat.
• Steve from Children of the Grape describes Cava by the Sea.
• Susannah from Avvinare thinks about Two Key Areas in Catalonia Wine Scene: Cava and Priorat.
• Terri from Our Good Life dished about Chicken Empanadas and Azimut Cava.
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on The Farm adds Enjoying Tapas with Spanish Wines from Catalonia.