Can new-breed Cava take a pop at champagne?

A big shake-up in the industry means more bang for your buck. Here’s five quality bottles to try….

Five good-value Cavas to try

Aoife Carrigy

Not so long ago, too many Cava wines here in Ireland were lean, mean and green-fruited expressions of what this versatile and potentially great wine can be. Happily, this is changing, with increasing availability of Cavas that offer value, quality and authentic expression of local grapes and place.

The Cava DO was established in the 1970s after Champagne insisted its competitors came up with their own name. Its heartland is Comtats de Barcelona, but three other zones lie east in Rioja’s Ebro Valley and south in the Levante, near Valencia, and Almendralejo, east of Lisbon.