• When in Spain drink cava.champagne image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  
  Cava is the bubbly beverage of choice for toasting in Spain. This sparkling wine, made using the Champagne method, is produced mainly in the Catalonian region of Spain. The first primitive version of cava was bottled in the mid-14th century. Today, the cava industry makes over 200 million bottles for export and domestic consumption. If you want an authentic Spanish experience, enjoy some cava with a meal of tapas and take a tour in Cava country. Most tours leave from Barcelona, the capital city of Catalonia.
  
  

Freixenet Winery Tours

• Freixenet is one of the top Cava producers in Catalonia and is comparable to France's distinguished Moet & Chandon. The firm was established in 1889 by Francesc Sala i Ferréa, first as a wine-exporting company. His son Joan Sala i Tubella began cava production by 1900. An elegant family estate was built shortly after in the Alt Penedes region. Export business thrived following the Second World War, when the United States began importing Freixenet. Today the company is one of the best-known wineries in the world. For tour information visit www.freixenet.es or call +34 938 917 000.
  
  

Rovellats Cava Tours

• Enjoy a one-hour tour of the Rovellats family vineyards, located amid 15th-century architecture and modernist gardens. You'll visit the original Rovellats farmhouse, the winery and underground caves known for their unique radial architecture. While you're there, see the Chapel of the Virgin of Montserrat, which holds a replica of the original statue of the Madonna and infant Christ. The tour will end in the garden with an aperitif-buffet and Gran Reserva sparking cava. For information call +34-93 488 05 75 or contact the tour operator through Youdogo.com.
  
  

Cordorniu Cava Tours

• The Cordorniu Cava Winery is located outside of Barcelona in Sant Sadurni D'Noia, within the Penedes wine region. This winery is a major competitor of Freixenet. Visit Cordorniu in style in your choice of a Peugeot 406, a VW Caravelle, a Chryster Voyager or a Mercedes Benz Vito. An English-speaking chauffeur will pick you up at your hotel in Barcelona and take you to the Cordorniu Winery. Tour the winery and taste its signature D.O. Cava. At the end of the day, the chaffeur will take you back to Barcelona. For more information visit http://www.codorniu.es/.