Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/884376
DEPARTMENT HEADER october 2017 / the tasting panel / 1 1 1 T he first wine we tasted was sparkling, so we immedi- ately began to narrow down our options in the vast world of wine. We considered France, Spain, Italy, Germany, or perhaps Austria in the Old World; in the New World, options really just included California, Australia, and South Africa. Deciphering Old World and New World with sparkling wines can be quite challenging, so Bath and I strongly hinted that the wine was Old World. We then started to discuss the production method. For quality sparkling wine, either the traditional method (méthode Champenoise) or the tank method (Charmat method) will be employed. Secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle during the traditional method, so we would expect to notice a yeasty element to the wine. The tank method implicitly takes place in large format before being bottled to avoid interference with the floral and fruity aromatics of the wine. We decided this wine had been produced with the traditional method. Is it Champagne? Franciacorta? Crémant from France, or Cava? Does it seem like it has been on the lees for 15 months or 30-plus months, or is it younger than that? Does it show specific varietal characteristics, or is it more about the production? THE REVEAL: Jaume Serra Cristalino NV Brut, Cava, Spain 50% Macabeu/35% Paralleda/15% Xarello; 18 months on lees Hailing from the Penedès region in northeast Spain, Jaume Serra Cristalino NV Brut is a traditional method Cava—which overdelivers at a price point of $8.99. Cava is the only DO in Spain that does not imply a specific region but rather a style of wine. While the majority of Cava comes from Catalonia, where the Jaume Serra Cristalino facility lies, Cava may also be produced in the regions of Aragon, Basque Country, La Rioja, Navarra, Valencia, and Extremadura. The sparkling wine must be made in the traditional method and must spend at least nine months on the lees. Jaume Serra Cristalino belongs to the García Carrión family, which also owns the Pata Negra, Viña Arnáiz, and Don Simon brands; they have been making wine for more than 125 years. Jaume Serra Cristalino NV Brut, Cava, Spain. DECIPHERING OLD WORLD AND NEW WORLD WITH SPARKLING WINES CAN BE QUITE CHAL- LENGING, SO BATH AND I STRONGLY HINTED that the wine was Old World.