I was lucky enough to visit Spain recently. After spending a couple days in Barcelona (pictures and stories to come later), I joined a group outside the city. Our mission was simple - drink all the cava.
One of my favorite wineries on the visit was Mascaró. Like most of the wineries we visited, it is family owned. They are led by the matriarch Ms. Monserrat Mascaró, Co-owner & Oenologist.
We were led on an amazing tour by one of the staff, Maria, who explained that 30% of the business was cava related. About 40% of their cava is consumed in Catalonia. They produce about 100,000 bottles of cava and 300,000-400,000 bottles of brandy a year.
The wines and cavas are grown in Mascaró’s Mas Miquel vineyards.
The facility we toured was considered an urban winery located in the downtown area of Penedès. The location was along a path that linked the city center to the train station.
One of my favorite cavas was Cuvee Antonio Mascaró. It is a Cava Gran Reserva Brut Nature which means no dosage added with an aging time of 30 months or longer. This cava could be enjoyed as an appertif, but paired spectacularly with our lunch. The nose was aromatic with nutty and some minor floral notes. The cava danced in the mouth with fine bubbles and creamy notes. Would you believe it is super affordable as well?
I ended up buying a bottle of the Brandy X.O. Ego. I knew I would be hard pressed to find he something of that quality back home at the same price point. It was incredibly smooth and refined with slight vanilla and toasty notes.