"In the last five years, neither the word 'champagne' nor the word 'cava' has appeared in scientific studies conducted worldwide."

BarcelonaThe word fermentation It is the one that appears most frequently in scientific studies conducted in the last five years. In contrast, in previous years it was champagneand almost never the word digging"Perhaps because scientists don't believe in the brand or because the current term used is sparkling wine"," stated Dr. Mariona Gil y Cortiella in the talk Trends in scientific research on wines sparklingDr. Gil added that the two leading universities in the world in this research are the University of Reims and the University of Barcelona (UB). This took place at the Palau Moxó in Barcelona and is a prelude to Barcelona Wine Week, which will be held at Fira Barcelona from Monday, February 2nd to Wednesday, February 4th. Dr. Gil explained that one of the research areas is grape varieties, both traditional ones from each region and new ones, which "come from Brazil, one of the countries experiencing growth in production, characterized by its unique viticulture." She was referring to the fact that Brazilian vineyards typically have two harvests: one for wines and sparkling wines, and another to regulate the vine's yield. The varieties used for sparkling wines in Brazil are Syrah, Goethe, and Chenin Blanc.

Most of the xarel·lo, in the Penedès

To continue, the researcher pointed out that in 2018, compared to data analyzed prior to 2000, global consumption of sparkling wines was increasing. Data from the same year also shows that sparkling wine production is very small compared to wine production, specifically 7%.

At a tasting of base wines and a wine showcase, winemakers Xavier Nadal, Ton Mata, Agustí Torelló, Ramon Parera, and Paco de la Rosa explained how they produce their sparkling wines, focusing on the different grape varieties. Ton Mata, from Recaredo, indicated that the Xarel·lo variety covers 11,040 hectares in Spain, 10,857 of which are planted in Catalonia, representing 98% of the total. Specifically, 7,500 hectares are planted in the Penedès region. Xavi Nadal, from Bodega Nadal, commented that his daughter Mireia represents the fifth generation of the brand and is already at the helm. And finally, Paco de la Rosa, accompanied by his brother Toni, explained that Corpinnat's driving obsession, "to wage war against Champagne, to compete with them," is to make long-aged sparkling wines with traditional varieties such as Xarel·lo, Macabeo, and Parellada. "We established our first regulations in 2017, and in 2019 the Cava Designation of Origin asked us to leave," said Paco de la Rosa.