Dare to get dirty

Perhaps you, fellow wine lovers, have seen a bottle of wine called Cabró in supermarkets. Nobody gives you so much for around five euros. This is the famous offspring of today's winery, Finca Emendis, but what we have in our glasses isn't the famous offspring. Salvador Vallès, Marta's father, whom I'm speaking with and whom I'll introduce to you shortly, has been making cava, primarily, for some time now. He always said he wanted to make cava. It was his dream. But Marta Vallès's grandfather died when his son, and Marta's father, was nineteen, so he started working in construction to support his mother, Cecilia Ferrer, and his three younger siblings. He worked hard, saved money, and in 2006 bought the farmhouse next to his house. The Puigmoltó farmhouse, which had a vineyard. He began making cava in the farmhouse's small, home-based winery. The first harvest was in 2006 and the first vintage in 2007. One of the white wines they made was Trio (the traditional Cava blend), which, aside from changing a lot, will be the last one released this year. "El Cabró has been a huge hit, I don't think I have any complaints about it, quite the opposite," says Marta, "but we feel more like Cava producers than winemakers."

So, let's talk about Cava, but first about those who make it, and especially Marta. She, with her husband, Rafa Crespi (and their young son, Gabriel, a year and a half old), is carrying on the family business. Her father is "in theory" retired, but that's not entirely true, and now he's overseeing the winery's expansion. Mom handles the finances. Marta Vallès has a restaurant at the winery itself, which you've probably heard of: Viñedos de Lilith, where they hold tastings. Yes! It came out in Card gameBy Marc Ribas. And where is it? Marta says that's the hardest question. "Our municipality is Castellet i la Gornal, on the outskirts of a very small village called Sant Marçal, but we don't belong to it." They're in the Alt Penedès region.

"I opened the restaurant in 2020, with the idea of doing something very healthy. But then I had Gabriel and the restaurant's hours... I was in the kitchen, and now I juggle both. What you'll find, if you come, is a fusion of what it used to be and more traditional cuisine."

"Start with cava and end with cava"

Today's Cava, which she's recommending, is a Cava that can be enjoyed as a welcome drink, with starters, with the traditional Catalan stew (escudella), or with sweet desserts. It's a "sucio" (dirty). It's aged for 18 months and is the traditional blend. Why a "sucio"? Óscar Barrado, the winery's oenologist, says: "I always say I like to start and finish with Cava. When you welcome guests with a glass of Cava, you see their faces light up. It goes well with the ham to start... With the stew... With the meat... People usually order "sucio," but they usually order the sweet "sucio," which we like." You'll see that it has perfect acidity and a rich texture, which, as Óscar says, will work for everything.

"I'm a firm believer that Cava should be everywhere. With every meal," Marta adds. "And let me tell you something. I'm 32, and I used to think cava was for older people. This means either I've gotten old or cava has become fashionable among young people."

Well, I'd say cava is increasingly becoming the drink of young people. Christmas is coming, and they're selling thank-you and camaraderie dinners. Give them the pleasure of sharing this bottle, let its fine bubbles light up their eyes and hearts. And raise a toast.