Cava Faustino Semi Seco
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 1–3 years from release to appreciate its primary freshness and balance.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fruit tarts, blue cheeses, spicy Asian cuisine
✨ Technical Specifications
Crafted via the traditional method under the Cava DO regulations from estate vineyards in Rioja, this semi-seco sparkling wine centers on Viura alongside Chardonnay. Grapes are harvested selectively and undergo temperature-controlled primary fermentation in stainless steel vats before the second fermentation in bottle. Following an aging period of at least nine months on the lees to develop delicate effervescence and subtle autolytic undertones, the cuvée receives a generous dosage typical of the semi-seco style, balancing vibrant natural acidity with residual sweetness.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1861 by Eleuterio Martínez Arzok, Bodegas Faustino stands as one of the preeminent historic estates of Rioja Alavesa, now guided by the fourth generation of the Martínez Zabala family. Headquartered in Oyón, the estate controls roughly 650 hectares of prime vineyards distributed across Oyón, Laguardia, and Mendavia. These sites benefit from a confluence of Atlantic and Mediterranean influences, where vines flourish in poor, chalky clay-limestone soils ideally suited to low-yielding Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo, and Viura. Viticulture balances precision canopy management with certified sustainable methods under the Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection framework. In the cellar, led by enologist Juan José Díez González, Faustino exemplifies benchmark classic Rioja, defined by decades-long barrel and bottle maturation using both American and French oak. Renowned internationally for its iconic frosted bottle bearing Rembrandt’s portrait of Nicolaes van Bambeeck, the flagship Faustino I Gran Reserva is complemented by classical Reservas and traditional-method Cavas, capturing timeless tertiary complexity, bright acidity, and refined structure.
🍇 Grapes
Macabeo, Chardonnay
🍷 ABV
11.5%