Cava
It seems a little bit early to be thinking of Christmas, but then again it always does and the next thing you know it’s upon us. You can’t fight it so you might as well enjoy it, and with that in mind, two festive treats have crossed my radar in the last few weeks that I feel compelled to share for the festive season.
Cavas Rimarts (www.rimarts.net) make excellent cava, they always have, but this latest bottle of theirs—the result of several years experimentation between themselves and the Carpier smokery near Arenys del Munt—is a showstopper. It is called Rosae, a salmon pink Pinot Noir fizz that releases just a hint of smoke as the bubbles dance around your month, and then dissolves into refreshing, redcurrant fruit. It’s inspired stuff, unusual but totally drinkable, and priced at around €23 in shops, accessible enough to treat your pals to a taste.
Now, to really impress, I’d pair it with triangles of brown toast and butter, some plain smoked salmon from Carpier (www.carpier.es) topped with a spoonful of Tsar Nikolay caviar (www.tsarnikolay.com) from sturgeon reared in the Delta Ebre. This costs €36 for 20 grams of the Siberian Caviar, €48 for 20 grams of the Osetra Caviar, with fresh Esturión yet to be released.