Last week was full of excitement and bubbles for the SWL team as we immersed ourselves in the tastings, presentations and various activities surrounding the Cava Meeting. This ambitious event, organised by DO Cava, brought together some of the leading national and international wine experts. Yolanda Ortiz de Arri acted as moderator and chaired the panel on cava in the international media which I had the opportunity to join.

Scroll down to read a summary of the event and the touching tribute paid to Joan Juvé Santacana by the wine industry at Juvé & Camps. Juvé Santacana has always been a staunch defender of quality and an active proponent of the internationalisation of cava.

As we compile a selection of the sparkling wines that caught our attention among the many we tasted, our recommendation this week is the Xarel.la Gran Reserva 2012 Brut Nature from Cavas Guilera. This sparkling wine combines two of the strongest trends in Penedès cava - the use of the Xarel.lo variety and extended ageing - at an unbeatable retail price of around €20.

Our winery to watch in December is Cuentaviñas, Eduardo Eguren's ambitious project in the Sonsierra area of Rioja. After many years working alongside Marcos Eguren, his father and one of Rioja's most respected winemakers, Eduardo decided to forge his own path and delve deeper into the terroirs of San Vicente de la Sonsierra.

This month we are also revealing the most popular pieces we have published at SWL in 2023. The first, entitled "The rich heritage of local varieties in Mallorca", illustrates the great interest generated by the recovery of traditional grape varieties.

Eduardo Eguren delves into Sonsierra’s terroir trough Cuentaviñas

Félix Ramírez, Eduardo Eguren's maternal grandfather, was nicknamed "peciñero" after his family's origins in Peciña (pop. 4), a picturesque hamlet of San Vicente de la Sonsierra on the foothills of Sierra de Cantabria. Whilst its location at 700 metres elevation affords breathtaking views over prized vineyards like La Canoca, the enclave’s magnificent Romanesque chapel of Santa María de la Piscina contributes a special atmosphere to the place.

Xarel.la Gran Reserva 2012 Brut Nature Espumoso

Cava Guilera is one of those small, family-run cava wineries (they produce around 40,000 bottles, all of which are Reserva or Gran Reserva) that deserves much more attention from wine aficionados and fizz lovers.

Cava Meeting

In an effort to raise awareness of the new ageing and zoning categories, DO Cava hosted #CavaMeeting in Barcelona, with leading international and national experts in the wine trade. During the two-day event, we got to taste the work of 48 bodegas, including the 15 Integral Wine Producers, who carry out the entire process of making their cavas in their cellars. There were also tasting tables with #CavasdeGuardaSuperior (aged for 18 months). Stay tuned as we will soon be publishing recommendations.

Joan Juvé Santacana

One of the highlights of the Cava Meeting held earlier this week in Barcelona was the tribute to Joan Juvé at a gala dinner held at the Juve & Camps winery in Espiells and served by Celler de Can Roca team, led by sommelier Josep Roca.

The rich heritage of local varieties in Mallorca

When I last visited Mallorca in 2018, its leading producers were moving away from international varieties and focusing on local grapes. Not only because they are more in line with the trend towards less concentrated wines, but also because they are better adapted to the challenges posed by climate change.

Wine tastings in December 2023

Unlike most of us during this month, the wine tastings agenda in December slims down considerably, but there are still a handful of interesting events, many of them involving bubbly, to enjoy wine in some of the usual places. Don’t forget to return to this page to check for updates!

Turó d’en Mota: ageing gracefully since 1999

I can't remember ever attending a vertical tasting where most of the vintages presented had not yet been released. But that is exactly what happened last October at Celler de Can Roca, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Girona, courtesy of the Mata family, owners of Recaredo.

The Garnacha landscapes of Navarra

In our second article on Garnacha from Navarra, we look at the main areas where it is grown, the different expressions of the variety and the most interesting wines we have found in each of them.