There’s a New Sparkle to Spain’s Cava and Corpinnat

For decades, Cava was the dependable workhorse of the wine bar: reliable, ubiquitous, and, if I’m being honest, often uninspiring. Even in Spain, 90% of Cava sells for under 10 euros per bottle. The issue has always been one of geography. Unlike Champagne, which is a place, Cava is a method. You can make it in Catalonia, of course, but also in pockets of Rioja, Valencia, and even Extremadura. This multi-regional approach to an appellation has long frustrated small producers who believed that it obscured the quality and potential of small-scale sparkling winemaking in Penedès, where the style originated.

To its credit, the DO (Denominación de Origen) for Cava has undergone a much-needed architectural overhaul in recent years. The introduction of additional designations such as Cava de Guarda Superior, which requires organic farming and longer aging, and Classic Penedès, which is a defined geographical area within Penedés, is a clear signal that the authorities have finally realized the potential of Spanish sparkling wine.

For some, however, the pace of change was too slow. In 2017, a band of six small Cava producers staged what can be described as a polite revolution. They abandoned the DO Cava entirely to form a new label entirely: Corpinnat (literally, "born in the heart of Penedès"). Corpinnat isn’t just a label; it’s a manifesto of place and process. All the producers are in the historic center of Penedès and have committed to making sparkling wine from 100% organic, hand-harvested grapes. Vinification and aging must occur at the winery, and the minimum time the wine spends on the lees in bottle prior to disgorgement is 18 months, which exceeds that for Cava (and Champagne, too). The goal is to emphasize terroir specificity, sustainability, and artisanal production, and today the group has expanded to nineteen wineries.

This isn’t to say, however, that those who chose to stay within the DO Cava appellation are all industrial producers. To the contrary, the quality arising from small, family-owned wineries has never been better. These are wines made in the traditional method, aged just as long (if not longer) than Champagne, and offered at incredibly reasonable prices. If you haven’t had Cava in a while–or tried a Corpinnat–here are some selections that will probably surprise you with just how good they are:

2019 Recaredo "Terrers" Brut Nature Corpinnat (Cava) $38.99 94WA
2017 Recaredo "Serral del Vell" Gran Reserva Brut Nature Corpinnat (Cava) $74.99 95WA 95TA
2020 Celler Pardas "Hermós" Brut Nature Corpinnat (Cava) $44.98 95WA
2023 Mas Candi Reserva Brut Nature Corpinnat (Cava) $27.99
2019 Avinyo Reserva Brut Nature Cava Penedès $27.99 91VN
2021 Pere Mata "Cupada" Brut Nature Reserva Cava Penedès $21.99 91TA