Inspired by Barcelona’s Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria – the quintessentially Catalan market destination where locals (and tourists alike) gather to eat, shop and gossip. Mercat Cava aims to evoke the same spirit of community, liveliness, and tradition. The Cava is made using traditional methods in the cellars of El Xamfra, where Francisco Dominguez hand crafts every bottle with the utmost attention and care. The Mercat Cava spends a minimum of 18 months aging on its lees and is finished with a very low dosage, allowing the chalky soils on which the old indigenous vines are grown, to shine through on the palate.
In 1872, Josep Raventos began experimenting with Spanish wines made in the same manner as was being done in Champagne, France – and hence, CAVA was born. But unlike Champagne, the DO Cava designation is defined by a specific practice of winemaking, rather than a region where wine is made. There are over six regions with the DO Cava status, though over 90% of production is from the Penedes region. The town of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia is the unofficial Cava capital in the heart of Penedes, home of many top producers, including El Xamfra.
