Waitrose Cava Brut Castillo Peralda NV

From - Spaib
Grape - Perellada
Alcohol - 11.5%
Available from - Waitrose
Price - £9.39

Appearance - Clear, lemon, medium intensity, petillant

Nose - Clean, medium intensity, Citrus (lemon), stone fruit (peach), autolytic (lees).

Palate - Dry, high acid, medium alcohol, medium body, medium- intensity, medium+ length, creamy mousse.  Citrus (lemon), kernel (hazelnut).

Good quality, drink now, not suitable for further ageing.

Oz Clarke says that often wines produced in partnership with retailers can be the best value, and I would say this wine is good evidence of that.  Although Prosecco is all the rage, the time a Cava spends in contact with the lees gives it a bit of complexity and makes it an interesting alternative.  This has a good bit of citrus and acidity that makes it refreshing, but although the concentration of the fruit flavours is not particularly strong on the palate, the length is good and the complexity comes through on the finish.

Autolysis - Champagne

Champagne and Cava makers carry out secondary fermentation in the bottle, adding some extra yeast and sugar, following the primary fermentation in vats.  When the yeast dies, it goes through autolysis, also called 'self-digestion'.  Enzymes from the yeast cells are released, and they break down the cells, and release proteins and polysaccharides into the wine.

Leaving the dead yeast in the wine is called 'Sur Lie ageing' (you may have seen the words Sur Lie on a bottle of Loire Muscadet previously).

This process adds complexity to the drink, such as creamy mouth-feel; bready, toasty, yeasty flavours and reduced astringency.

Sur Lie you can't be serious?  Yes I am being serious, and don't call me Shirley.