#wineevent Vintage Gran Reserva Cavas by Pere Ventura

I’m loving this end of September, a lot of wine events in New York. And indeed, yesterday I had a joyous opportunity to attend Vintage Gran Reserva Cavas for an amazing and cozy Cava tasting afternoon where we enjoyed the Vintage collection that will be available for the first time in the United States soon. Particularly in New York, they will be available starting October 1st. In New Jersey November 1st. As I have more information I will pass it along. But let me tell you why you need to try this Gran Reserva Cava throughout my perspective and a few tasting notes of the Pere Ventura Cava.

This event took place Wednesday September 26, 2018 at Air’s Champagne Parlor in the East Village of New York City. We were fortunate enough to try this set of new released Cavas and to enjoyed a brightly warm conversation with Pere Ventura and Marta, the chief winemaker for Pere Ventura.

These Gran Vintage set of Cavas were very well paired with hors d’oeuvres such as caviar, oysters, charcuterie, brie and a broad selection of chesses. I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed the ambience, the hospitality but beyond that, to had the great opportunity to join a conversation with Pere Ventura, the sole propietor of Pere Ventura Cava.

Cava resonates a lot with my life. When I lived in Barcelona I discovered this bubbly at the hands of a producer who used to make a decent Cava. It was very economical for my low-budget student life and also my palate was not yet that refined. However, I remember that particular Cava with affection for the moments that brought and that I shared with wonderful Catalonian people. Fast-forward ten years later I realize that the quality of that Cava was not the best and that the mass production has impoverished the quality of some Cavas. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to share thoughts in this regard with Pere Ventura. He could not stress enough the fact of the inmense human effort they are making to produce a high quality Cava in the terroir of Catalonia where the rocky mountains do not allow the use of machinery and therefore harvesting and sorting process is entirely manual. I also spoke with Martha, she told me that Pere has an open door policy for new ideas and all that is reflected in his wonderful Cavas.

After sharing these facts we move into the Cava Tasting:

1.NAME: Tresor Brut Reserva
VARIETAL: 40% Xarel-lo, 40% Macabeo, 20% Parellada
COUNTRY: Spain
REGION: Barcelona, Catalonia
PRODUCER: Pere Ventura Cava
ALCOHOL: 11.5%
👀Tan rather than yellow, kind of like a shortbread cookie is the color of this Cava
👃what a bold smell of nuts, white flowers and a hint of oak
👄 definetely the Brut you can drink everyday, citrusy flavors well balanced in the mouth with a long lasting finish and perfect acidity, it reminds me of Champagne
• Marta told me she thinks of the Varietals as the Skeleton, Muscles and Soul, the Skeleton of this Cava of course is the Xarel-lo, the Muscles that provide the movement to this Cava hands down is the Macabeo and that nutty character the Parellada. This Brut is very affordable and I will say is a quality price Brut for an everyday ocassion.

2. NAME: Tresor Brut Rosé
VARIETAL: 100% Trepat
COUNTRY: Spain
REGION: Barcelona, Catalonia
PRODUCER: Pere Ventura Cava
ALCOHOL: 11.5%
👀 Pink lemonade on the eyes with a pink taffy edge
👃 Nancy Sinatra described this Wine on her song My summer wine much better than me: Strawberries cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring…
👄 What a character of red berries and red stone fruits
•According to wikipedia, Trepat is a red Spanish wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Conca de Barberà and Costers del Segre Denominación de Origen of Catalonia.

These first two Bruts are available now. After tasting those, we dig into the small plates andwe moved into tasting the exclusive tasting of the Gran Reserva Cava :

NAME: Vintage Brut Gran Reserva 2012
VARIETAL: 60% Xarel-lo, 40% Chardonnay
YEAR: 2012
COUNTRY: Spain
REGION: Barcelona, Catalonia
PRODUCER: Pere Ventura Cava
ALCOHOL: 12%
👀 A tuscan sun kind of yellow Cava with a bright pale yellow edge
👃 olfactory notes of citrus fruits with a hint of creamines and a sharp bouquet of white flowers
👄 the right amount of bubbles, creaminess of the Chardonnay, that Xarel-lo will be the party on your mouth and citrus blend with a pronounced end
•This cava is sourced from old vines with an average age of 25 years. grapes are hand harvested and sorted by hand.

NAME: Gran Vintage Gran Reserva 2012
VARIETAL:50% Macabeo, 50% Xarel-lo
YEAR: 2012
COUNTRY: Spain
REGION: Barcelona, Catalonia
PRODUCER: Pere Ventura Cava
ALCOHOL: 12%
👀 a sharp golden color with hints of silver lightning, bright and clean edge
👃 fruity, citrus, a nutty fruity smell kind of like walnuts
👄 pure silk in your mouth, a true expression of Cava int he palate with a pronounced creaminess and a medium finish. Without a doubt my favorite.
• This is an exlusive vintage, of very limited production made only in exceptional years when La Anciana and La Secreta (specific plots on the Pere Ventura estate) provided an excellent harvest.

NAME: Vintage Rosé Gran Reserva 2013
VARIETAL: 100% Pinot Noir
YEAR: 2013
COUNTRY: Spain
REGION: Barcelona, Catalonia
PRODUCER: Pere Ventura Cava
ALCOHOL: 12%
👀 A light bubblegum kind of pink color with hints of orange and a a clear blush edge
👃 Elegant rose petals bouquet and all those berries, with a light touch of that mediterranean balsamic essence
👄 A remarkable strawberry notes with a smooth finish and lovely bubbles
• This is an elegant bubbly Rosé, the Pinot Noir grapes are hand harvested from vines with an average of 20 years, not your typical wine girls night Brut Rosé. This is a luxurious one that it will pair good with a unique ocassion.

Perhaps what I considered decent ten years ago has changed now and is part of a learning process. When choosing your Cava is important that you value the producer and their methods of producing this particular bubbly wine. Pere Ventura in this regard will be an excellent choice specially for those moments that you want to share with family and friends to celebrate a memorable ocassion only with the best quality in your wine glass.