Meeting a Rebel in Cava Country
Let me tell you a story about un Rebelde Español, a Spanish Rebel. His name is Pepe Raventós and he’s a rather different kind of wine maker. Pepe’s family have been making wine for a very long time. The first documentation dates back to 1497 but Pepe believes his ancestors have actually been making wine for much longer than that. All that history and experience has certainly paid off, today his winery Raventós i Blanc is the most respected sparkling wine producer in all of Spain.
Pepe’s grandfather helped create the Cava DO, or Denominación de Origen which essentially means a particular wine region. They were the very first to create sparkling wine in Spain and in 1986 were successful in lobbying for a specific designation. So you could say this winery is where it all started for Cava. Pepe’s Grandfather had a vision for creating some of the best wines in the world right here in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, just outside of Barcelona.
Then things took a bit of a turn for the worse. All of a sudden Cava became the cheap fizz of choice and people didn’t care about the taste, the only thing that mattered was the price. While there were many great Cava producers, over the years Pepe watched in dismay as the name Cava was attached to some truly awful bulk wines. The Cava DO also grew to cover an absolute huge area with no focus on grapes that are native to Spain or the type of terroir specific to any region. I bet you’ve had some of these bloody awful wines yourself (I won’t mention any names but it may come in a black bottle!) and many of you have probably declared that you don’t like Cava. I felt the same way - particularly the morning after when I'd be feeling as rough as a badgers arse. But I digress.
Back to our Spanish Rebel. Finally in 2012, Pepe said enough is enough. Even though his Grandfather had created the Cava DO and was one of the leading pioneers of the Cava brand, Pepe was dismayed at what the name had come to mean. He made the bold decision to secede from the Cava DO and step away from the Cava name. [Side note from Mr. T: The Cava DO is the only DO in Spain that covers a style of wine - traditional method sparkling wine - rather than a geographical region. While 95% of Cava is produced in Penedes in Catalunya, you're allowed to make Cava in other areas, such as Rioja.]
I imagine you'd have to have quite a rebellious streak to make a decision like that, to go against the tide and stand up for what you believe in, especially when the future of your winery is at stake.
But then Pepe is no run of the mill winemaker. This is a guy who’s been flying in the face of tradition and doing things differently for quite a while. Rather than take the easy route and follow directly in his Grandfather’s and Father’s footsteps making the same kind of wine in the same town, he branched out. He trained with some of the best winemakers in Bordeaux, Loire Valley, and Alsace. He was a social worker for five years working with the elderly. He went to live in New York with his young family, and while he was there investigated how the restaurants and sommeliers learn about wines. He was curious, inquisitive and not afraid of change.
When he came back to Spain and became the winemaker at Raventós i Blanc, he decided to do things differently. For a start, he’s working to create a new DO called Conca del Riu Anoia which would have strict requirements to ensure quality and sustainability. He only farms biodynamically and uses horses, donkeys and sheep in the vineyard. He only uses grapes that are indigenous to the area, so you really get a taste of what the wines in this region are supposed to be like. The bottles are left to age for at least 18 months rather than just 9 for Cava. Pepe focuses on animals, insects and plants that make up the ecosystem in the vineyard, which he says has a vital impact on the wines. He’s obsessive about quality and is constantly experimenting with new ideas. All of these things make such a difference to how the wines taste and how you feel when you drink them.
The reason I tell you all this is because if you’re like me, you’ll have been missing out on great sparkling wine from Spain all this time. I would have never known about Raventos i Blanc if I hadn’t been lucky enough to visit the winery (of course Mr T knows all about it because he’s a man who knows about most things wine related, but I haven't a clue). If I hadn’t shaken Pepe’s hand, talked to him and his team about his approach to wine, and toured his beautiful vineyard, I would not have understood what makes this place so special. And I would have never closed my eyes, tasted his wines and known the delight of wine that is made with such care and attention that you can almost taste the soil and the sunshine.
So now that I have, I can tell you with full authority to give these incredible wines a go. Even if you say you don’t like Cava that’s ok, because it’s not Cava. You can forget all of those two for one bottles of Cava you've had down the Rat and Parrot. This my friends is not that. You can find Pepe’s wines in the US, UK and many other places and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the cost. And when you crack open the bottle and sit back to enjoy a glass or two, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. You'll feel like you're standing in the vineyard in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia.
No doubt our rebel still has quite the fight on his hands to create the new DO, these things tend to get terribly complicated and political for many reasons which is a shame. But I do know one thing. After seeing his passion first hand, if anyone can do it, it’s Pepe. We’ll be cheering him on with a glass of wine in hand.
