Countryandtownhouse.co.uk | 20 May 2013 

Fizz-tastic

London’s dedicated cava bar serves grown-up Spanish bubbles says Laura Ivill.

If you love a bit of bubbly then take a tour of Spain. Copa de Cava is one of London’s first cava bars, with a list that takes you from party fizz through to the refined maturity of reservas and gran reservas, all sourced from only the best producers.

It is the brainchild of restaurateur Richard Bigg, lover of all things Spanish – especially its food and wine. He opened the restaurant Camino King’s Cross in 2010 and its accompanying bijoux sherry Bar, Pepito, was the standout launch of the year, winning Time Out’s Best New Bar. Three more Caminos have followed, including Camino St Paul’s upstairs, with Copa de Cava in the basement.

He’s aiming to do for cava what he did for sherry – give us only the good stuff, and in a bodega-style cellar bar with original vaulted brickwork, tangerine leather banquettes mixed with vintage bar stools brought back from his many trips to Spain.

With a list of 28 cavas, prices range from under £5 for a glass up to £95 for a bottle, with plenty around £30 and under. Fresh seafood and a Spanish plancha for healthily grilled meats are on the menu. Try it with bubbles, just like the Spanish do.
cava.co.uk

Befuddled by brut? Our Cava guide will get you up to speed.

If cava dredges up memories of warm bucks fizz slopping down the sides of a plastic cup, then you really ought to think again. Cava is always made by the same process as champagne and takes its name from the underground caves and tunnels used for the fermentation process. The resulting range and complexity are well worth this time consuming method. 95% are produced in Penedès, Catalonia but it can be made in a handful of other regions.

BRUT

Aged for a minimum of 9 months, it is particularly fresh and fruity.

RESERVA

Takes at least 15 months to achieve its strong and intense flavour.

GRAN RESERVA

A heady 30 months later and you get a complex tipple with a long finish. It emanates aromas of bakery and confit fruit.

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