Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Cracking Crabs with Cava




After hauling in a huge load of crab legs, the Wine Armada sensed a challenge. We figured crab and Cava would make a great combination, but which one of Spain’s sparklers would work best?

We began our journey with Miquel Pons Brut Nature. No dosage during fermentation, makes this drier than most Cavas, but creating an intensity of flavor we all enjoyed. In fact, we thought this wine resembled Champagne more than any Cava we had previously tasted.

Montsarra Cava Brut was next on deck and dazzled us with a complex array of flavors. This more traditional Cava had a great balance of aromatics, flavor and a squeaky clean finish.

We concluded our journey with a bottle of Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Heredad Cava. This mothership of Spanish sparkling wine was a creamy, elegant symphony of citrus and minerals, with a finish that sailed on and on. Full of flavor, yet light on it’s feet.

As expected all paired quite well with the fresh steamed crab, occasionally dipped in melted butter. But the the true shining beacon of the evening was the Miquel Pons. Something about the fine texture of the wine, it’s lack of residual sugar, and citrus peel notes, made a magical merger with the crab.

Let us know when you put crab and Cava on your menu and what results from your expedition.

Salud!

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