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Homemade Cava

A traditional méthode champenoise recipe for crafting authentic bottle-fermented Spanish sparkling wine using white grape juice and champagne yeast, with full control over sweetness and aging.
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Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 270 days
Total Time 270 days 3 hours
Servings: 12 750 ml bottles
Course: Beverage
Cuisine: Spanish
Calories: 90
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Base Wine
  • 5 gallons fresh white grape juice Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada or blend
  • 1 packet dried white wine yeast champagne strain
  • 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
  • 1/2 teaspoon potassium metabisulfite
For the Secondary Fermentation and Bottling
  • 1/4 cup white grape juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon champagne yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Equipment

  • Large glass carboy or food-grade plastic demijohn (5-10 gallons)
  • Airlock and rubber bung
  • Hydrometer
  • Thermometer (0-100°F)
  • Large sanitized pot
  • Long stirring spoon or paddle
  • Siphon hose and racking cane
  • 750 ml sparkling wine bottles (thick glass)
  • Champagne-style corks and corker machine
  • Cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer
  • Test tubes for gravity readings
  • Funnels (large and small)

Method
 

  1. Sanitize all equipment by soaking in 1 tablespoon potassium metabisulfite per gallon of water for 20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
  2. Pour 5 gallons of grape juice into a sanitized pot and heat gently to 65°F; stir in 1/2 teaspoon potassium metabisulfite.
  3. Rehydrate yeast by sprinkling packet into 80°F water, let sit 10 minutes undisturbed, then stir and wait 5 more minutes.
  4. Pitch yeast into juice, stir for 1 minute, transfer to carboy leaving 2 inches headspace, and seal with airlock.
  5. Ferment at 60–70°F for 10–14 days until bubbling slows, monitoring with hydrometer readings.
  6. Rack wine off sediment into a second sanitized carboy, install airlock and ferment/settle at cool temperature for 2–3 weeks.
  7. After 9 months total aging, dissolve 2 tablespoons sugar in 1/4 cup water, cool, rack wine into sanitized bucket and stir in sugar solution.
  8. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon champagne yeast over wine, stir gently 30 seconds, bottle in 750 ml sparkling bottles leaving 3/4" headspace, cork and seal.
  9. Age bottled cava horizontally at 55–60°F for a minimum of 3 months (6–12 months for finer bubbles) before serving.

Notes

Store bottles horizontally in a cool, dark place; serve well chilled in flute or tulip glasses.