Cava is made by a mixture of different sort of grapes.This mixing is the wine base. The production of champagne comes from the fermentation of such unfermented grape juice.

There is a great variety of grapes used for the making of champagne : Macabeo, Xarel.lo, Parellada, Chardonnays, Pinot, Noir, etc. We will deal with the first three sort of grapes being the most traditional and used in the making of all the different kinds of champagnes. The latter mentioned above are of French origin.

Macabeo is a wine of not much proof grading. However, it gives champagne its fragrance and flavour . Xarel.lo has a stronger proof and it is thicker. In fact it is meant to thicken champagne. Parellada is a mild wine, with a stronger proof than Macabeo, which gives the champagne bouquet.

The mixing of the three kinds of grapes, with the right proportions given by an onoelogist, will be the base for a second fermentation. This fermentation is already made inside the same champagne bottle just ready to be consumed.Some sugar and yeast are added to this base to the liking of the onoelogist. He is the wine specialist and he usually keeps his own formulas secretly by which he achieves different bouquets.

Thanks to this natural or endogenous fermentation, when the yeast and sugar go through this process, natural carbonic gas is produced. Then, hermetic caps are put on the bottles. These caps are called "screw-tops", and they are usually made of stainless steel. Next step will be to store bottles in desk-shaped wood wine racks in the basement. Here, a miracle will take place thanks to a combination of darkness, dead silence and right temperature. The latter must be about 10/15 degrees, and darkness is essential during champagne processing.

To be catalogued as champagne botlles, these have to remain a minimum of nine months in the cellar. The more it mellows there, the more quality it obtains. Naturally, once the hermetic cap of the bottle is opened , it is not recommended to keep it for more than a year.

A few weeks before removing the hermetic caps and getting the bottles ready for their use, these will be turned upside down in their desks.These desks are prepared to facilitate a gradual 1/8 turning. This being so, all the sediments (dregs) from the fermentation will be deposited in the bottleneck. Thus, after this period of waiting, bottles will be ready for their last process: the hermetic caps (screw-tops) will be opened and substituted by a cork.

In ancient times this opening process used to be made by hand and it was required many skills and ability to do so. When the hermetic caps were being pulled out , being under high atmosferic pressure, a small quantity of liquid used to shoot out from it taking some sediments and dregs with it. The cork bottle process was made with the help of some rudimentary machines called "hammer machines".

Nowadays, this process is made in freezers , where bottlenecks are submerged to get frozen. Right then their caps are pulled out by the help of suction machines and their own liquid pressure. Screw-tops are removed together with the icy caps where there are all the impurities in.

Finally, there it comes the most secretive part , where each oenologist gives their personal and well kept formula. At this point, a "xarop" (syrup) , a bit of liquour ( in any case a differential personal touch), and sugar are added ; the sugar that was added during the second fermentation was consumed by the yeast and this was the cause for the carbonic gas.It depends on the amount of sugar we add to it to obtain a wide variety of champagnes : Nature, Brut, Dry, Semi-Dry and Sweet.

The last step will be to put a cork by means of an automatic process. This cork is fastened to a wire that prevents any accidental uncorking due to the pressure contained in the bottle.

The final product goes through a strict control of quality which cannot be made by machines. This control is made by visual inspection ; every bottle is looked against the light in order to check that there are no impurities in them and therefore they are completely clean. After that, a lead wrapper cap is put to protect the cork and the wire. Lastly, we put a label on the bottle.

All the bottles are kept in a cardboard carton to protect them from any damage during their transport. They are usually sold in boxes of twelve

The identification or brand of the champagne goes written on the cork or label. An example of this identification is as it follows: Champagne has a star of 4 sharp ends; Sparkling wine:a triangle or a dash.

HOW TO MAKE A GOOD TASTING: Try to keep the bottles in an horizontal position or turn them upside down. Drink the champagne with a temperature of 4/6 degrees at the most. Make use of of long champagne glasses so as to appreciate its bouquet much better. A good champagne must form bubbles on the top of the glass. Once the bottle is uncork, keep it cold in an ice-tray. Its colour must be transparent, quite pale and with a fruit aftertaste. Cxhampagne shoiuld be sipped, appreciating all its quality.