Premium Spanish sparkling: Panel tasting results
As the high scores show, you’ll find many excellent-value, well-matured and characterful sparkling wines from within the Cava DO and beyond
Christine Parkinson, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Valentin Radosav tasted 93 wines, with 8 Outstanding and 49 Highly Recommended.
Premium Spanish sparkling: Panel tasting scores
93 wines tasted
Exceptional 0
Outstanding 8
Highly recommended 49
Recommended 36
Commended 0
Fair 0
Poor 0
Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their Spanish sparkling wines produced according to the traditional (secondary fermentation in bottle) or ancestral (single fermentation in bottle) methods, and priced above €17 in the domestic market, or equivalent in GBP or USD in those markets
Premium Spanish sparkling turned out to be a wide-ranging brief, capturing wines from several parts of Spain, vinified in both the traditional and ancestral methods and available at a range of price points. As Sarah Jane Evans MW said: ‘This tasting was [just] a snapshot.’
Pét-nat wines were tasted from various appellations and, as expected, were among the youngest in the line-up, typically from the 2021 and 2022 vintages. These were textural, often a touch smoky or saline, and the best showed vivid detail.
While the quality varied, the panel had no difficulty finding an outstanding example. ‘A delightful surprise,’ is how Valentin Radosav described the performance of the ancestral-method wines.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Premium Spanish sparkling panel tasting
At the opposite end of the scale, Corpinnat, Gran Reserva Cava and Classic Penedès all flew the flag for traditional-method sparkling with extended maturation, many having spent five years on lees – and some more than 10.
Such long ageing typically comes with a top-end price tag, but Radosav saw good value: ‘There is some very interesting premium sparkling at around £25 – expressive, well defined and vivid, with the lovely complexity of maturation.’
Cava Gran Reserva and the Corpinnat designation were particularly good sources of well-priced, long-aged wines. The few rosado expressions, across categories, seemed charming but generally less ageworthy.
A Catalan tapestry
An intriguing element of this tasting was the fractured and overlapping nature of the designations within Catalonia. There was much discussion about whether we could spot any differences between top-end Cava (especially Cava de Paraje Calificado – meaning literally ‘qualified location’), Corpinnat and Classic Penedès. In short, we could not.
There was one unifying factor for Catalonia, however: quality. Seven of the eight Outstanding wines were Catalonian. Radosav observed: ‘Quality has increased. I feel more confident recommending sparkling from those designations.’
Evans agreed: ‘No doubt, the specific terroirs of Catalonia, especially Penedès, have something special to offer. There is real creativity to be found in Classic Penedès, Cava and Corpinnat.’
See all the wines from the Premium Spanish sparkling panel tasting
Local flavour
Indigenous grape varieties dominated, as expected. Corpinnat wines leaned heavily on Xarel·lo, but they weren’t the only wines to do so.
Xarel·lo is considered to be the most ageworthy of the traditional Cava varieties, so it was no surprise to see it prevalent in wines with extended maturation, including some varietal wines. These tended to be powerful, with lots of depth and a real sense of place.
Macabeu/Macabeo was also widespread, but we found plenty of other varieties, too: Montónega was particularly interesting, with its apple and floral notes and a clear ability to age; a lone Albariño was good enough to suggest that sparkling wine from Rías Baixas is worth a closer look.
Evans concluded: ‘This tasting showed impressive diversity; winemakers are working with different varieties and terroirs to express their styles. More than 60% of the wines were rated Highly recommended or Outstanding – and deservedly so.’
Premium Spanish sparkling panel tasting scores
Wines were tasted blind
The judges
Christine Parkinson is co-founder of Brimful Drinks and of the World Alcohol-Free Awards. A wine and sake specialist, she was formerly at Michelin-starred Hakkasan Group for 18 years as group head of wine. Numerous career awards include The Caterer’s Wine & Spirits Ambassador Catey in 2018.
Sarah Jane Evans MW is a Decanter contributing editor and Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. Her latest book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain is scheduled for release in May 2025 (£35 Académie du Vin Library.
Valentin Radosav is learning and development manager for 5-star hotels in London. A qualified Advanced Sommelier and a DWWA judge, he was formerly head sommelier at Michelin-starred Gymkhana restaurant in Mayfair, having also previously worked at other top venues in the UK and Dubai.
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