{"title":"Gramona","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt's easy to think of Cava as a poor man's Champagne. But put that prejudice aside and discover Gramona!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGramona is no mere Champagne substitute. It's a wine of terroir that could only come from rugged Catalonia. In fact, Gramona is the third (and final) installment in our homage to Penedès' great Xarel-lo grape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGramona brings us full circle to Xarel-lo's roots, so to speak, since up until the beginning of this century the grape was used almost exclusively in sparkling wine. Gramona's example is one of the best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd not just one of the \"best\" Cavas—it's one of the best sparkling wines anywhere, including Champagne. Gramona served its 2000 vintage in a blind tasting, among top Champagnes. When the labels were revealed, the collected wine pros had chosen the 2000 Krug as their second favorite wine. The top wine? Gramona.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, Gramona's Cava has very little in common with the industrial product that floods shelves from here to Barcelona. Gramona grows their grapes biodynamically. They emphasize Xarel-lo in their blend, which we've learned makes unique and delicious wines in Penedès. winemaking is strictly artisanal. The \"liqueur d'expedition\" (the wine that is added after disgorging the yeast to refill the bottle) comes from a solera that is over a century old!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThen there is aging. Gramona keeps their Imperial for five years before release. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough it's made in (what used to be called) the \"Champagne Method,\" don't imagine that great Cava will taste like Champagne. No, Champagne and Cava are a thousand kilometers apart. Literally. While Champagne is at the northern extreme of the wine world, Cava is Mediterranean; while you might find chalk, steel, and graphite in Champagne, the Gramona is more about salt, the sea breeze, and wildflowers. Both terroirs are great. But they are also unique, and therefore so are their great wines. And for this, the world is a much better place.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/sf.flatiron-wines.com\/collections\/gramona.oembed","provider":"Flatiron SF","version":"1.0","type":"link"}