Trumpets play, and men and women proudly sing their hearts out. Flags fly across the normally sleepy plaça in the small town of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, while dancing couples twirl their way through the crowds. Children busily stamp grapes in huge wooden barrels, and fill silver goblets with the juice. Then suddenly everything falls silent. On the balcony of the Casa Consistorial, the newly elected Cava Queen appears in a long white dress and waves to the masses. She is met with applause and cries, and several dozen men form a six-storey human pyramid up to the Queen’s balcony. A young boy scurries up and presents her highness with a silver chalice of grape juice. Applause and cries ring out once more as her majesty gracefully takes a sip, before the crowd is again sent into raptures. This is the high point of the Semana del Cava, and now the frothy drink can flow freely among the crowds below.

Cava is Spain’s answer to champagne – and is produced in exactly the same way, but with different varieties of grape. Seven Spanish regions boast their own cava, though the Penedès region in Catalonia, south east of Barcelona, accounts for by far the largest proportion of what is produced (95 percent). Sparkling wine has been produced here since the mid-19th century.

Sheltered by the surrounding mountains, parts of Penedès reach up to 800 metres in altitude and the region is covered almost entirely in vineyards. Right in the centre is the cava capital of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, home to “Cava Week” every October as a celebration of the completion of the harvest. The region offers the ideal conditions for wine growing: the climate is mild (temperatures never drop below 12°C), rain is restricted to springtime and autumn, the earth contains clay and chalk (excellent for water conservation), and summer morning dew provides vital moisture. Despite this, the harvest at the end of August is not for the fainthearted: the grapes must be picked as quickly and in as cool temperatures as possible, so that the juice in the fruit doesn’t start to cook. When transported, it is essential that the grapes are not damaged, while a number of vines grow on slopes or on terracing and must be harvested by hand.

The production process for cava is strictly regulated to ensure consistent quality: after pressing, the first fermentation is carried out in stainless steel tanks between 13 and 18°C, with each variety of grape fermented separately. Blending follows, in which grapes from different crops and varieties are mixed together. After filtering and low-temperature stabilizing, the second fermentation begins: here, the cuvée, or blend, is poured into bottles with a sugar and yeast liqueur, and firmly sealed. The yeast transforms the sugar into alcohol, and has a major impact on the character of the wine. Then it’s a matter of waiting. Cava must be left to mature for at least nine months before it can be sold, with higher quality varieties stored in the bottle for up to three years.

During storage, the bottles are laid on their sides on a wooden riddling rack (girasol) or an iron gyropalette. In the last three weeks of the maturation process, the bottles areregularly turned – either by hand or automatically – until the yeast collects in the neck of the bottle. This is the exciting part: the neck is quick frozen in liquid nitrogen, and the crown cork removed, with the yeast shooting out the bottle with a bang. The space it previously occupied is filled with some older wine, and with up to 50 grams of sugar per litre. The exact composition is different at every bodega and is a strictly guarded secret, as it affects flavour considerably.

The Spanish sparkling white is particularly special due to the blend of the different grapes. Five white and four red varieties are permitted: Xarel-lo for example, gives the wine character, aroma and body, Macabeo offers softness, freshness and fruitiness, Parellada provides delicacy and elegance, and Chardonnay lends acidity and richness. Whether a birth, wedding, or anniversary, whenever Spaniards celebrate, they celebrate with cava: the period between Christmas and New Year alone accounts for half of the yearly consumption. The simple reason for ist popularity is that cava is ready to drink as soon as it leaves the cellar – unlike champagne, it doesn’t improve with storage. ¡Salud!