An extraordinary cava for not being Swedish

It's no coincidence that, after Saint John's Day, we chose this cava. There are two times in Catalonia when we open bottles of bubbly: Saint John's Day and New Year's Eve. Bubbly, for us, is for "the party." And it's precisely the opposite. It's for the party, but it's for every day. For breakfast, for lunch, for a snack, for dinner, for welcoming and for saying goodbye.

El Privado has always been exported to Sweden. But the Swedes, unlike us, do drink bubbly on all occasions. The winery that owned El Privado back then couldn't get the "volumes" the Swedes were asking for. In 2017, the current owners stayed on.

They bought the brand and manage everything. Today, between 70% and 80% of the bottles go to Sweden, they explain. This should give us Catalans pause. The Swedes, for example, are very fond of a glass of bubbly in the afternoon. I mentioned this in an article the other day; we could call this afternoon glass, inspired by the winegrowers of Can Bardera, "dusk."

And why does Sweden like Privado so much? First of all, because this single-varietal Chardonnay is very good. But there's another reason. Before the 17th, it was one of the first cavas to be released organically and at the same price as other cavas. Today, that's the trend. But a few years ago, it wasn't. I was speaking the other day with some of the Cava Women, who know a thing or two. "We should champion ecology, because with the climate we have, unlike Champagne, we can make it organic." In a cooler climate where fungal diseases attack, ecology is often very, very difficult. Our virtues should be glossed over.

El Privado, then, is a cava to enjoy, not just to celebrate. You'll find it in restaurants (it's a gastronomic cava) and specialty shops. If you drink it, you'll find it clean, with fine, beautiful bubbles, elegant and long. The winemaker is Sandra Esteve, an artist at her job, and at her side is the master Delfí Sanahuja, from Peralada. Discreet people are always wise.

Don't wait to celebrate; get ready to enjoy. Open the cork, raise a glass, because that's what cava is all about. A beautiful afternoon with someone who wants to listen to you and smiles while they do it. Like the Swedes.

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