There is a question that surfaces more and more frequently in conversations about Catalan sparkling wine: what exactly are you buying when you pick up a bottle that no longer says Cava on the label, but comes from the same vineyards, the same families and the same cellars you have always trusted?
That question sits at the heart of this third chapter in the series. The two producers featured here (Celler Kripta and Juvé & Camps) were among Cava‘s most respected names when the wines discussed below were made. Both have since joined Corpinnat, a collective EU brand that represents a stricter, more geographically focused vision of what Penedès sparkling wine can be.
Before getting to the wines, it is worth understanding what Corpinnat actually is, and why it matters.
Corpinnat – Heart of the Penedès
The name itself tells you something. Corpinnat means “heart of Penedès” in Catalan – cor for heart, pinnat from the etymological root Pinnae, referring to the stony, cracked landscape that defines the region.
Corpinnat is a collective EU brand, established in 2017 by six founding wineries, with the goal of distinguishing great sparkling wines made in the heart of the Penedès.
How does it compare to Cava? The two share the same Traditional Method, many of the same grape varieties and, at the top end, a shared commitment to long ageing. But the differences in approach are significant. Unlike the pan-Spanish Cava DO, which covers some 38,000 hectares spread across the main four regions (Comtats de Barcelona, Valle del Ebro, Viñedos de Almendralejo, Zona de Requena), Corpinnat is tightly delimited to a core area of 997 square kilometres, including the entire or a part of the following regions: Alt Penedès, Alt Camp, Baix Penedès, Garraf, Baix Llobregat and Anoia. Its rules require manual harvesting, 100% organic certified grapes (historical varieties), estate vinification, a minimum of 18 months ageing, and a guaranteed minimum price for grape growers; that last point, often overlooked, has real implications for the sustainability of the vineyards themselves.
The requirements of the Corpinnat brand were fundamentally incompatible with the broader, more inclusive framework of the DO. Also, It is worth noting that Corpinnat currently comprises of 22 wineries producing more than 5 million bottles, with a combined turnover of €60 million, with annual audits, including a harvest visit, as part of the entry and compliance requirements. 3 million bottles of Corpinnat were sold in 2025, with 79% of sales made in Catalonia and Spain, and the rest marketed in 64 countries.
None of this makes Cava a lesser category. The DO has undergone substantial reform in recent years, with the Cava de Guarda Superior classifications bringing much tighter requirements for Reserva and Gran Reserva wines and the introduction of the new category Cava de Paraje Calificado. The two approaches are complementary rather than competing. What they share is more important than what divides them: the Traditional Method, the same indigenous varieties (Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada cover 82% of the vineyards under the DO), and a conviction that this corner of Catalonia produces sparkling wine worth taking seriously.
Celler Kripta – Trepat – Brut – Reserva – 2021
100% Trepat
To understand Celler Kripta is to understand a family story that runs deeper than most. The philosophy is built around native varieties and complete estate control. All grapes are vinified entirely on the estate, and the winery has been working with its own selected yeasts since 2018; strains isolated through micro-vinification from the most representative plots, reactivated with each harvest. Intervention is minimal; the wine is clarified using natural settling and low sulphite additions.
The Trepat is the most unexpected wine in the range. Trepat is a native Catalan red variety and here it is used to produce a rosé sparkling wine from the Ubac estate in Sant Joan de Mediona. The vineyard sits in the Vall d’Anoia-Foix region, where altitude and hillside breezes define freshness and aromatics. The grapes are macerated on the skins for around eight hours to extract colour and aroma.
What arrives in the glass is a rosé sparkling wine of a vivid cherry-pink colour with violet hues; the mousse is fine and persistent. The nose is unambiguous with notes of ripe strawberry, pomegranate, and raspberry, with a subtle herbal note that keeps it grounded. On the palate, it is fresh, lively and driven by natural acidity, with well-integrated bubbles that carry the fruit right through to a clean, long finish. Pair it with anchovies, cold cuts, grilled vegetables or anything with a little spice.
Juvé & Camps – Milesimé Xarel·lo – 2018 – L’Olivera – Gran Reserva – Brut Nature
100% Xarel·lo
Juvé & Camps works at a different scale – 271 hectares of organic vineyards, 6 levels of subterranean tunnels, a winemaking history that goes back to 1921 – but the ambition is the same: sparkling wine that looks at long ageing.
The Milesimé Xarel·lo is a single-vineyard wine from a specific plot within the Espiells estate. L’Olivera is an east-facing plot with deep, sandy soils rich in organic matter, located between 170 and 200 metres above sea level. The 2018 harvest benefited from a wet spring that followed an extreme drought, producing grapes of exceptional concentration and balance.
Aged for over five years on the lees, it is smoky and intense on the nose, with aromas of star anise and grapefruit, honey and walnut, with a liquorice thread running through, a textured palate and a creamy mousse. This is Xarel·lo, slightly removed from its more immediately recognisable profile: the bright, saline, green-fruit character of a young wine has given way to something deeper and more contemplative. There is still acidity and backbone, but now there is also a savouriness and complexity that belong to a different spectrum entirely. The finish is long and defined, with a lingering tangy note.
It pairs naturally with aged cheeses, white truffle dishes or rich, slow-cooked fish preparations that need a wine with grip and substance.
A Note on What the Label Says, and What it Does Not
Both wines reviewed here were tasted as Cava DO productions. Both producers have since moved to Corpinnat, and their current releases carry that brand instead. If you are looking for them in wine shops today, search under Corpinnat: the winemaking philosophy has not changed, but the label has.
What this series has tried to show, across three chapters, is that the Penedès and the wider Cava Region produce sparkling wines of genuine ambition and character. Whether the label reads Cava or Corpinnat, the method is the same, and the landscape that shapes them is the same. The two systems are not in conflict; they are, at their best, two different answers to the same question: what does the finest sparkling wine from this corner of Catalonia look like?
It looks, as it turns out, like quite a few things. That’s the point.
Producers featured in this article:
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:
- Cava – A Guide to Spain’s Traditional Method, New Zoning and Tasting Notes – The Framework Behind the Category, From Grape Varieties to the New Classification System.
- Cava Beyond the Basics – Altitude, Craftsmanship and the Evolution of Style – How Altitude, Blending and Winemaking Choices Shape the Final Wine.
Browse all sparkling wine articles in the Sparkling Wine section.