A very happy New Year from The Wine Fairy! I’m shopping for party wine in the Houston suburbs–where, to my surprise, the local Spec’s Liquor has a very respectable European wine selection. Despite the holiday rush, the sales guys are even willing to stand around and recommend a Bordeaux to pair with BBQ and Tex-Mex.
But time is short and bubbles are what’s needed. So I grab a bottle of something I know won’t disappoint: The Segura Viudas Brut Cava.
Medium lemon with a frosty, green-grey tint. Large, slow-moving bubbles meander up from the bottom of the glass. Medium aroma intensity with apple, melon, and orange zest scented with herbal notes of white pepper, coriander and straw.
In the mouth, it’s fairly dry (9 g/L dosage) with medium body and medium-plus acidity. Flavors are light on intensity and depth, but they’re pleasant: Green apple, green melon, pastry cream, and lemon.
The taste and texture are not especially yeasty for Cava. But there’s a little hint of it for the bread-heads: Light lees-iness and minerality combine for a mouth-watering flavor of stretched unbaked dough in brine–like a proper boiled bagel or pretzel. It finishes clean with lemon zest and a fine tongue-tickling fizz with decent persistence.
Segura Viuras is probably my favorite value Cava. It’s around ten bucks and delicious with salty snacks. It’s distributed everywhere. It’s perfect for an all-occasion toast and as a cocktail mixer. (Add a finger-width pour of Amontillado sherry and a lemon/orange wheel for a stupid-easy holiday drink that will have your guests asking, “What sorcery is this?”)
I served the Segura Viudas well-chilled, to cut through the humidity of a Gulf Coast Christmas. My awesome sister-in-law even lent me a wineglass with my initial etched on it, which makes any wine taste better. This is the same sister-in-law who swears she knows absolutely nothing about wine, will only drink Sutter Home Moscato, and could never blind taste…but who took one sip from my glass and said, “Huh, I’m pretty sure I’ve had this same wine in a brunch mimosa before.” She was 100% correct–I’d bet on it.
This is a smart buy–for brunch, New Year’s Eve, or anytime. A traditional-method Macabeo-based blend, aged 15 months in bottle.
Bottle: Segura Viudas Brut Cava (NV)
Variety: Macabeo (50%), Xarel·lo (30%), Parellada (20%)
ABV: 12.5%
Suggested retail: $9.99
My rating: 8.3 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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