Harvey Nichols Conca del Riu Anoia Sparkling Wine (2018)

An exciting and rebellious addition to the Harvey Nichols own label range. The Super Tuscans sparked a revolution by breaking free from the shackles of Italian wine law; this Conca del Riu Anoia created by the experts at Raventos i Blanc looks set to do the same for Spanish sparkling wine;

A new Grand Cru of Spanish fizz and a serious challenger to Champagne, this deeply aromatic and full-flavoured bubbly erupts from the glass with apple pie, toasted sesame seeds, buttered toast, Amalfi lemons, cherry blossom, and a refreshing maritime tang like a whip-crack of salty sea spray. An exquisite aperitif, or a natural partner to fish and chips, battered halloumi, white anchovies, smoked salmon, tapas, or scrambled egg on an English muffin.

The Raventos family are a rebellious bunch. In 1872, Josep Maria Raventos i Fatjo created Spain's first sparkling wine, which would go on to become the enormous Codornau. In 1986, his descendent Josep Maria Raventos i Blanc sold his shares in the family-owned Codornauto set up Raventos i Blanc. Following in the family's mutinous footsteps, Pepe Raventos took the decision in 2012 to quit the Cava DO, frustrated by its tarnished reputation, low quality and volume-driven attitude. He set up his own quality-oriented designation, Conca del Riu Anoia, employing some of the strictest regulations in the world of sparkling wine. He only uses native grape varieties and pays five times more than most Cava producers do, but they must be organic and biodynamic with yields kept low. His wines are aged on the lees for at least 18 months before disgorging (twice as long as the majority of Cava), are always vintage, and use the lowest amount of sulphur possible. This drastic tightening of the rules has resulted in staggeringly beautiful wines.