Cava is Spain's most widely exported Designation of Origin sparkling wine. Last year's sales were outstanding, despite the pandemic. If you are unfamiliar with Cava, read on to learn more about this delicious celebration wine, and how I used it to celebrate the 5th New Town Art and Wine Stroll.
This past year, D.O. Cava launched a new campaign to raise awareness of this beautiful sparkling wine that will pair with any meal. It was the perfect choice for our event, especially with the new campaign to show the world how Cava is produced using a traditional method, using native grapes, aged in the bottle, and how well it pairs with any food or celebration.
The New Town Art and Wine Stroll is a neighborhood event that welcomes guests from around Saint Louis and Saint Charles area to come and walk around our beautiful and unique community. This is a ticketed event, with proceeds going to fund art scholarships for local students and local school's art departments. Invited artists are paired with a business that serves a wine sample to each of the participants. Participants show their tickets to get samples and nibble on small treats furnished by the business. The goal of the event, in addition to raising funds, is to showcase our New Town businesses and local artists. We doubled our ticket sales this year, received a City grant, had local media coverage by our City's tourism board, and were featured in a City magazine. This, in combination with the special talents of Stephen Cox (photographer and owner of Newtopia Photography) and myself, was instrumental in helping us grow the event.
At the end of the day, we invited our artists to gather in our local Town Hall for food and wine. We took this opportunity to toast them with our lovely Cavas. The first Cava was the Gran Baron Brut Cava. The grapes used were Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada. Lemon, green apple, minerals, this Cava would pair well with almost anything. I cannot wait to try it with shellfish. $7 a bottle is a steal. Our second Cava is Gelida Brut Grand Reserva 2016. Elegant with bright notes, this Brut was a winner for everyone. A little more expensive at $18, but definitely worth it. This one will go well with sushi. Our third and last Cava was Faustino Cava. This one is made with Chardonnay and Macabeo grapes. It's a soft wine, with a fine bubble, both fruity and floral, with a hint of minerals. It was divine. At $15 a bottle, it's one you should have on the ready.
We poured samples for everyone and raised our glasses to the winemakers, the vineyards... to their continued art of winemaking. We are already analyzing our event for next year. October 1, 2022. Add it to your calendar.
