Every few tours, a guest holds up a glass of cava at the cellar, squints at it, and asks: “so what’s actually in this?” It’s a fair question. Cava is Spain’s most important sparkling wine, the Penedès produces almost all of it, and the region sits about 40 km from Sitges. But most people who visit the cellars arrive knowing almost nothing about the three grapes that make it. This guide fixes that.
Whether you’re planning a Penedès wine tour from Sitges, doing research before a cava tasting, or just trying to make sense of what you drank last night — here’s the plain explanation, from someone who’s been guiding these tours for years.
🥂 What Is Cava, Exactly?
⚡ Quick Answer
Cava is Spanish sparkling wine made using the same bottle-fermentation method as Champagne — the bubbles form inside each individual bottle during a second fermentation, not in a pressurised tank. It comes almost entirely from the Penedès region of Catalonia, uses three indigenous white grape varieties (xarel·lo, macabeu, and parellada), and ranges from entry-level fizz to complex, multi-year aged reserves that hold their own against good Champagne.
The word cava comes from the Catalan for cellar — the underground storage spaces where bottles age on their lees before disgorgement. Around 95% of all cava comes from the Penedès plateau in Catalonia, centred on Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, roughly 35 km from Sitges.
The method is the key thing to understand. In a Cava Brut Nature or a Reserva de la Familia, you’re drinking something that spent years maturing in a bottle underground — not a quickly-pressurised tank wine. The best examples are complex, age-worthy, and considerably cheaper than equivalent Champagne. That gap in value is genuinely one of the reasons we enjoy taking people to the cellars.
🍇 The Three Classic Cava Grapes
Three indigenous Catalan white varieties make up the classic cava blend. They’ve been growing in the Penedès for centuries, and each does a different structural job in the bottle. Understanding the difference is what turns a pleasant tasting into an interesting one.
Xarel·lo
Herby, citrus-forward, firm acidity. The most characterful of the three — responsible for the freshness and complexity in any serious cava. Old-vine examples are genuinely impressive.
Macabeu
Floral, neutral, gently fruity. Adds drinkability and softness to the blend. Called Viura in Rioja and the rest of Spain. Tends to dominate in entry-level cavas.
Parellada
Green-apple freshness, delicate structure, grown above 400 m. Adds lift to the blend. Most sensitive to warm vintages — shines brightest in cooler years.
Xarel·lo — The Grape Worth Knowing
Xarel·lo (pronounced sha-REH-lo) is the most expressive of the three cava grapes — the one that gives a serious cava its character and tells you something about where it came from and how it was made.
In the glass, xarel·lo tastes of ripe lemon, dried thyme, and herbs, with firm acidity and sometimes a mineral or saline edge in cooler vintages. In old-vine examples from producers like Recaredo — a biodynamic family estate we work with in the Penedès — the complexity increases significantly. You get notes of lanolin, ripe orchard fruit, and something that unmistakably feels like soil and place.
The vines at the better Penedès estates are 40 to 60 years old. Old vines produce less fruit per plant, but what they produce is more concentrated. It’s the difference between a decent entry-level cava and a five-year Brut Nature that you’d happily drink alongside food.
🧭 Alex’s Tip
Ask for the varietal xarel·lo
At a tasting, ask to try a 100% Xarel · lo still wine alongside the cava. Most serious Penedès producers make one. It gives you the clearest picture of what the grape tastes like without bubbles — and it’s almost always the most interesting wine at the table. Once you’ve tasted it still, you’ll hear it clearly in the cava.
Macabeu and Parellada — The Blending Partners
Macabeu — the accessible one
Macabeu (also Viura in Rioja and the rest of Spain) is the blending workhorse. It’s neutral in character — floral, lightly fruity, lower in acidity — and its job is to make the cava approachable. A high-macabeu blend tends to be easy-drinking and crowd-pleasing; a low-macabeu blend gives the xarel·lo more room. Most entry-level cavas lean heavily on macabeu. The producers we work with use it more judiciously, as a softening element rather than the dominant variety.
Parellada — the high-altitude one
Parellada is the mountain grape, grown at elevations above 400 metres where cooler nights preserve the freshness the variety needs. It adds a delicate green-apple lift to the blend. In cooler vintages, it’s genuinely elegant. In very warm years, it can lose that precision. You’ll find it more in lighter, younger-style cavas than in long-aged Gran Reserves, where xarel·lo tends to dominate.
🍷 Beyond the Classic Trio: Other Penedès Varieties
The cava trio is the main event, but the Penedès DO covers a wider range of grapes than most visitors expect. For whites, Chardonnay was introduced to Catalonia by Torres — the large family winery based in Vilafranca del Penedès — in the 1970s, before international varieties were even legal under Spanish DO regulations. The Consell Regulador del Cava has since approved both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for use in the blend.
For reds, you’ll find Garnacha, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and — more interestingly — Sumoll, an indigenous red variety that nearly disappeared from Penedès vineyards but is being revived by younger producers interested in Catalan identity and lower-intervention winemaking. Torres’ Mas La Plana Cabernet is probably the region’s most internationally recognised red. A side-by-side of a traditional xarel·lo-led cava versus a Chardonnay-heavy version immediately shows you how different the same DO category can be — and it’s exactly the kind of comparison a well-structured cellar visit makes easy.
🏡 The Wineries We Visit
We work with a small number of boutique, family-run producers across the Penedès — not the big bus-tour cellars. These are places where the person who made the wine often pours it for you.
Recaredo
One of the Penedès’ most respected small cava producers. Works with old-vine xarel·lo and macabeu, producing long-aged Brut Natures with no dosage added. The benchmark for what serious cava can be.
Romagosa Torné
A welcoming family winery we’ve been visiting for years. Excellent for first-time cava visits — warm, personal, and not intimidating. The back-road cycle to get here is one of our favourite routes.
Caves Rovellats
A beautiful traditional cava estate with impressive underground cellars. Makes classic-style cavas and is particularly good for group visits and celebratory occasions.
Parès Baltà
Organic family winery producing both cava and still Penedès wines. Known for a biodynamic approach and a strong range of xarel·lo-forward whites.
🚴 What You Taste on a Penedès Wine Tour from Sitges
A well-structured Penedès wine tour from Sitges typically takes in two producers: a cava house near Sant Sadurní d’Anoia — the town that accounts for roughly 80% of all Spanish cava — and a still-wine estate inland towards Vilafranca. Together they show you the same grapes behaving differently: once with bubbles, once without.
Most guests arrive knowing roughly what cava is. Fewer realise that the best cavas — a long-aged Reserva de la Familia or Recaredo’s Brut Nature — use exactly the same production method as Champagne and are aged for years, not months. Sitting in a cellar in Sant Sadurní and comparing a standard non-vintage against a five-year reserve is one of those tastings that changes your reference point for sparkling wine.
If you’d rather ride to the cellars than drive, our Cycling for Vino tour takes guests through the vineyards on bikes via quiet, mostly flat country roads. Free hotel pick-up from Sitges is included, and the tasting is guided by a sommelier. Not a cyclist? The same experience runs as Driving for Vino. For a private group experience built around your dates, have a look at our private wine tours from Sitges.
Don’t skip the still wines
Every serious Penedès cava producer also makes at least one still xarel·lo. Tasting the varietal wine next to the cava made from the same grape makes the whole thing click — you stop tasting “fizz” and start tasting a place. Ask for it specifically; they don’t always pour it by default.
📅 When to Visit the Penedès Wine Region
The Penedès is worth visiting year-round. But the timing changes what you see — and occasionally what’s happening at the winery when you arrive.
| Period | Conditions | What’s Happening | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late Aug – Oct | Warm, 24–28°C | Grape harvest underway. Pressing may be happening at the winery during your visit. Vineyards at peak visual drama. | Best |
| April – June | Mild, 18–24°C | Vines in leaf, wildflowers in the vineyards. Comfortable for cycling. Cellar visits unhurried — fewer groups than summer. | Excellent |
| July – August | Hot, 28–34°C | Peak season. The cellars are underground and cool — a relief in August. Busier tasting rooms, but the vines look full. | Good |
| November – March | Cool, 10–16°C | Vines dormant, landscape less dramatic. Cellar visits identical in quality — often the quietest and most personal tastings of the year. | Fine |
The harvest runs from late August — parellada first, from the cooler higher-altitude vineyards — through to early October, when xarel·lo and macabeu come in on the lower plateau. September is the best month: harvest activity, warm weather, and fewer tourists than August.
🏆 Want to Taste This for Yourself?
We run sommelier-led private Penedès wine tours from Sitges — by bike, by minibus, or both — with free hotel pick-up and tastings at boutique family cellars.
No bus groups. No generic scripts. Small groups, good wine, and a guide who’s been visiting these cellars for years.
Available for couples, groups, hen dos, and corporate teams.
❓ Penedès Cava & Wine: Frequently Asked Questions
The questions guests ask most often on our wine tours — answered directly.
What grapes are used to make cava?
Cava is traditionally made from three indigenous Catalan white grape varieties: xarel·lo, macabeu (also called Viura), and parellada. Xarel·lo provides body and herby citrus character; macabeu adds floral lightness and drinkability; parellada contributes fresh acidity and green-apple lift from higher-altitude vineyards. The Consell Regulador del Cava has also approved Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for use in the blend.
Where is cava produced in Spain?
Around 95% of all Spanish cava is produced in the Penedès region of Catalonia, centred on the town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, approximately 35–40 km inland from Sitges and 45 km southwest of Barcelona. The Penedès plateau’s dry, warm climate and well-drained soils are ideal for the three classic cava grape varieties.
What does xarel·lo taste like?
Xarel·lo is the most characterful of the three cava grapes. It tastes of ripe lemon, dried thyme, and herbs, with firm acidity and sometimes a mineral or saline edge. In old-vine examples from producers like Recaredo in the Penedès, the complexity increases considerably, with notes of lanolin and ripe orchard fruit alongside the citrus.
What is the difference between cava and Champagne?
Both cava and Champagne are made using the same traditional method (Méthode Traditionnelle), where the second fermentation that creates the bubbles happens inside each bottle. The key differences are the grape varieties — cava uses xarel·lo, macabeu, and parellada from Catalonia; Champagne uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier from France — plus the soil and climate. High-quality Reserva and Gran Reserva cavas are comparable in complexity to mid-range Champagne at a considerably lower price.
How far is the Penedès wine region from Sitges?
Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, the main cava-producing town, is about 30–35 km from Sitges — roughly 30 minutes by car. Vilafranca del Penedès, the regional capital, is about 35–40 km away. Both are easy half-day trips from Sitges, independently or on a guided Penedès wine tour with Easy Cycling Sitges.
Can you cycle to the Penedès wineries from Sitges?
Yes. Easy Cycling Sitges runs a Cycling for Vino tour that takes guests by bike to family wineries in the Penedès on quiet, mostly flat country roads. Free hotel pick-up from Sitges is included, and the wine tasting is guided by a sommelier. Guests who prefer not to cycle can take the Driving for Vino tour instead.
When is the best time to visit the Penedès wine region?
The two best periods are the grape harvest (late August to early October), when pressing may be happening at the winery during your visit, and spring (April to June), when the vines are in leaf and temperatures are comfortable for cycling. September is particularly good: harvest activity, warm weather, and fewer tourists than August.
What is the difference between Penedès and Priorat wine?
Penedès is best known for cava and approachable still wines made from xarel·lo, macabeu, and parellada. Priorat is one of Spain’s most prestigious red wine regions, producing powerful, mineral-driven reds from old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena grown on distinctive licorella (slate) soils. Penedès is about 40 km from Sitges; Priorat is roughly 100–120 km further southwest.
