Review: Marqués de Cáceres, Cava, Brut

There’s an old idiom about having “Champagne taste on a a beer budget,” that is to say you like expensive things but you don’t have the money to afford those things. Suffering from this affliction is one of the things that drove me to start Cheap Wine Ratings. I literally have Champagne taste on a beer budget. But I truly believe — in fact, I know — there are wine bargains to be found that taste nearly as good , if not absolutely as good, as more expensive wines.

Indeed, Champagne can get rather pricey. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the luxury of a fine sparkling wine without paying an arm and a leg. That’s where Cava comes in.

Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain produced using the traditional method, that is also used to produce Champagne. While I’m sure you could find some expensive Cava, in general the Cava market is riddled with great bargains, like this one.

Although I think it’s a great alternative, I can’t say Cava is exactly like Champagne. There are some definite differences. The grape varieties used is one of those differences. Cava is made with Spanish wine varieties, like  Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel·lo, and those are the grapes you’ll find in this bottle of Cava from Marqués de Cáceres.

Cava is not just the name of the wine, but is also the name of the Denominación de Origen (DO) where it is produced. Although Marqués de Cáceres is probably best known for their wines from Rioja, they also produce some wines from other regions of Spain, like Cava. The grapes for this Cava were grown in the Penedès area within the Cava DO.

The aromas are a nice combination of floral, herbs, almonds, baked apples and lime. It delivers a creamy and bubbly mouthfeel with lemon, apple and mineral flavors. The finish offers a nice salinity. This bubbly is quite a bargain.

Wine: Marqués de Cáceres, Cava, Brut
Varieties: 50% Xarel.lo, 30% Macabeo, 20% Parellada
Vintage: non-vintage
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 88
Average price: $14.99
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.