In an area where residents argue on Facebook about which Red Lobster offers a better dining experience, itâs kinda surprising that Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota and, yes, Lakeland(!) are actually carving out a collective culinary identity worthy of attention.
Cava is not âChampagneâ and neither is California sparkling wine, even if it is called âChampagne.â We donât need to go into great detail about the history of Champagne here, but it is probably helpful to know the basics of Champagne to then understand Cava. There are 3 traditional grapes used in Champagne. They can be used individually, or they can be used 2 or 3 together. The basic, traditional blend of Champagne is of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. They are grapes that are indigenous to the Champagne region of France.
Pinot meunier is sometimes added to enhance the character of the wine. The following is a brief description of those three grape varieties followed by a breakdown of grapes used in other sparklers from around the globe. Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varieties to be cultivated for the purpose of making wine. Ancient Romans knew this grape as Helvenacia Minor and used it to make wine as early as the first century AD.