Cava Jaume Giro i Giro is a passionate Cava producer in the township of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia. The family wine estate is currently in the custodianship of Ramon Giro i Gramona. Ramon Giro i Mata established the wine estate in 1926. It is very safe to say that this family respects their wines and their traditions. Particularly in the care of Ramon Giro i Gramona.  The wine range that Jaume Giro i Giro offer is undoubtedly testimony to this. This includes the collection of bombonetta along the walls as a reminder of some of those traditions. These are a wonderfully colourful reminder.

Organic

More proof of that respect for their wine is that most of their wines are certified as organic wine. Those that are not, will no doubt be in future vintages. It is likely due to the extended ageing of the Cavas that there is a slight lag in some of the wines being certified organic. The vineyards where the grapes for their wines grow are in both Penedes and in Priorat. Penedes wine region is now 100% organic production. Significantly, this means any Cava produced around Sant Sadurni d’Anoia is now organic. 

The family don’t just produce Cava, but produce still wines as well. And at cellar door, you can also pick up their more traditional offerings too. These include the very special Mistela and Vi Ranci wines.

Cava

Cava is, of course, a style of wine that winemakers use the traditional method of sparkling wine to make. In other words, they make the wine using similar methods that winemakers use in Champagne. Although, you might expect that there are quite a few differences between the two styles of sparkling wine. 

Firstly, Cava traditionally uses native Catalonian grape varieties. These include the focus grapes Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada. Winelovers might know Macabeo as Viura from Rioja. Now however, grapes that are not native to Spain can also feature in Cava. Grapes such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  The focus grapes in Champagne are, of course, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. 

To find out more about Xarel-lo, please read Xarel-lo : The grape with the X factor & why we love it!

Ripeness is key

It goes without saying that a major difference is also the ripeness that can be achieved in Penedes. This means that the grapes don’t tend to require as long on lees (dead yeast cells) to develop complexity, texture and stability. The minimum time that a Cava spends on lees is 9 months. Incidentally, these wines carry the terms Cava de Guarda on the label. 

All the Cava wines under the Cava Jaume Giro i Giro label are at least Cava Reserva level. These wines spend 18 months at least on lees. Some spend much longer. Many of the Cavas are also Brut Nature Cavas. This means that Ramon does not add any additional sugar to the wines after the second fermentation. These wines are ripe enough to telling their own story without any additional sweetness.

To find out more about lees, please read ‘What are lees?’

Over recent years, there has been an increase in the availability of Brut Nature sparkling wines. It is certainly not a new technique, but it is getting more popular with winemakers. 

For more information about Brut Nature (or Zero dosage) in relation to Champagne, which have relevance to Cava production too, please read Zero dosage Champagnes: Are they better? Why Choose them?

About those Bombonetta

One of Cava Jaume Giro i Giro’s Cava wines features a Bombonetta on the label. This is one of the family’s traditional wine making fermentation glass bottles. If you meet Ramon at the cellar door, he will tell you all about how these were used by his father. While that Cava is not made using a Bombonetta, it is celebrating that history through the Cava bottle’s magnificent curves. 

Bombones/ Bombonetta / Damajuana are used to ferment Vi Ranci. Winemakers might know these bottles as demijohns in other parts of the world.  The wine bakes outdoors in the sun in these glass bottles and also sits there throughout winter too. This technique produces a ‘Maderised’ wine that is heavily oxidated. It is like many other oxidated fortified wines, however using this process, the oxidation happens quickly.  

Cellar Door

If you are visiting Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, this is one Cava house that you need on your list to visit. The range is extensive and I would recommend a tour with tasting. However, there are times of the year when you can also visit their Cava bar and sit and enjoy something from the BBQ to eat with their Cavas. 

Check out the website for more details.

Here is a selection of wines from this producer

Cava Jaume Giro i Giro Elaboracio Artesana

(Brut Nature) €17 at cellar door.

This Cava Reserva is a blend of 50% Xarel-lo, 25% Macabeo and 25% Parellada. All grapes and production have organic certification for this wine. The wine spends at least 23 months in contact with its dead yeast cells, or ‘lees’. 

The wine has fine bubbles and is elegant with a more medium body. It is dry and it is detailed in its complexity. Yeasty biscuits and apples, nuts and citrus abound in this wine. The finish lingers with dried apple, stonefruit and nuts. 

This really is a wine that you should linger over as it unfurls in your glass. Plus, it is remarkable value, particularly at cellar door.  

Cava Jaume Giro i Giro Selecte

(Brut Nature) €33 at cellar door.

The Selecte is another wine where all grapes and production have organic certification. It is also another wine that is ‘Brut Nature’. This blend is 30% Xarel-lo, 30% Macabeo, 30% Parellada. That last 10% of the blend is Chardonnay.

The Selecte spends at least 100 months resting on its lees. That is over 8 years. It is a ‘Gran Reserva’Cava. This additional time on lees enhances the complexity and gives an exquisite sense of richness to the wine. 

This Cava leads with pastry, nuts, apples, stonefruit with a lemon citrus backbone. It is fleshy and fuller in body. It is a creamy mouthful. Of course, it is still fresh and refreshing. The finish on this Cava is toasty nuts and baked apple wrapped in a saline minerality. It really is a complex wine that is irresistible.

Cava Jaume Giro i Giro Gran Reserva Mistela

This is a sweet wine that has been fortified. The grapes here are 100%Xarel-lo. It is a pronounced wine with flavours and aromas of caramel, apples and some minerality is there for extra interest. The flavours last long in the mouth but it is still an elegantly medium body wine. 

Cava Jaume Giro i Giro Vi Ranci

This is a dry Oloroso style fortified wine. It has around 16-17% alcohol by volume. As you may expect, the wine has intense aromas of fig, apple and a cheesy rancio aromas. The flavours are lingering and of caramel and dried figs.  This is the type of wine that is made in Bombonetta and then in oak barrels. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a wine to savour and one to enjoy with appetisers and mature or blue cheeses.