Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Vintage Cava Brut Rosé 2008

This is a good bargain. Made for Sainsbury's by Codorniu, it is a deep pink colour with good red-fruit flavours and a noticeable richness about it. Interestingly the main grape varieties are the Champagne Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Only these two are mentioned on the label but there's a good chance it also includes some Spanish varieties.

Considering Sainsbury's also sells Codorniu NV rosé Cava for £11.99, do you think it's any better than this? I seriously doubt it.

Sainsbury's

Taste the Difference Vintage Cava Brut Rosé 2008

DO Cava, Spain

£6.99

3/5

Freixenet Elyssia Gran Brut Cava NV

This upmarket Cava is a blend of the Champagne-variety grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as well as traditional Cava varieties Parellada and Macabeo.

Nice packaging and presentation, but would the wine measure up? I don't really think it did. It had an elusive, lemony (some said peachy) nose and I thought it had a faint whiff of rubber, which I've noticed before in cheaper Cava. On the palate it was pleasant but unspectacular - the mild fruitiness never building up to much and fading on the finish.

I also purchased a bottle of the Pinot Noir rosé version, which has a sticker on the bottle that proclaims 'Best Cava in the world'. Not sure what that's all about, but will be sure to investigate!

Freixenet

Elyssia Gran Brut Cava

DO Cava, Spain

Waitrose

£9.99 (£14.99)

2.5/5

Sainsbury's Vintage Cava 2006

I'm not sure what the difference between this Cava and the usual "Taste the Difference" Vintage Cava we usually see from Sainsbury's is, but this particular one seems to be the offering from said supermarket for this year's Vintage Cava half-price silly season (along with the usual suspect, Clos Monistrol).

This is the 3rd vintage cava that I've blogged about in the past couple of weeks, and I don't have much to add, frankly. This one is actually made by Cordoniu, one of the largest, if not the largest, cava producers in Spain.

So, was 2006 such a good year for Cava that they decided to produce a vintage wine, as they do in other regions such as Champagne? I guess it was. Have you ever seen a Cava vintage chart? No? Me neither. I have also seen vintage cavas for 2003, 2005, and 2007. 2007? Considering this post was written in late 2008, I guess there is no requirement to age on the lees, or cellar for any great length of time.

I'm not trying to have a go at Cava here. I don't know enough about it really, and information is sparse. If anyone can fill me in on the details of vintage Cava requirements and production I'd love to hear it. Until then, to me it is a cheap and cheerful bubbly that is perpetually sold for half-price.

Sainsbury's
Vintage Cava 2006
DO Cava, Spain
Sainsbury's
£4.99 (£9.99)
3/5

Freixenet Vintage Especial 2007

Apologies for the photo, it's not exactly correct. I couldn't find one for this wine, and in fact I couldn't find anything about this wine at all on the internet, not even from Freixenet's website.

Going by what's on the label, this is a vintage cava made entirely from local grape varieties (Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada), and that's about all I could gather.

It's a good wine, if a little lacking in character. It's tempting to say that these types of wines are a good cheap alternative to Champagne, but they are not really in the same league so I don't think they should be compared. In their own right they make a fun, uncomplicated aperitif or party wine as long as you are not looking to impress royalty.

I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between this and Freixenet's Cordon Negro NV cava, but who cares. At this price it's worth grabbing a couple of bottles for those occasions that warrant this type of wine.

Freixenet
Vintage Especial 2007
DO Cava, Spain
Tesco
£4.99 (£9.99)
3/5

Clos Monistrol Vintage Cava 2005

Fancy a good bubbly for no particular reason and don't want to break the bank? This is your wine. And you're in luck because it's permanently on sale for £4.99 at Sainsbury's! It never sells for full price! What a great supermarket!

All sarcasm aside, this IS a good wine. For some bizarre reason it shows up on Sainbury's shelves for £4.99 every few months, at "half price". Have you ever seen it for full price? I haven't. Perhaps it's exclusive to Sainsbury's, which is not unheard of. Either way, I shouldn't complain. Every time I see it I buy it because I know it's a reliable traditional method fizz for a ridiculously cheap price.

So is it any good? Yes. Made from Chardonnay and a bunch of indigenous grapes (Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada), it's a smooth, dry sparkler without any of the rubbery flavours present in other cavas in this price range (i.e. cheap NV Condorniu, Freixnet).

Like I said, whenever I see it I buy it, and so should you.

UPDATE: Yes, they do sell it for full price. I actually looked, and there it was on the bottom shelf with the rest of the sparkling wines, mere millimeters from the floor, for £9.99.

Marques de Monistrol
Clos Monistrol Extra Brut Vintage 2005
DO Cava, Spain
Sainsbury's
£4.99 (£9.99)
3/5