Semi Seco
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2023
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fruit-based desserts, spicy Asian dishes, and mild blue cheeses.
✨ Technical Specifications
Bodegas Faustino, world-renowned for its iconic Rioja wines adorned with Rembrandt's portrait of Nicolaes van Bambeeck, brings its centuries-old winemaking heritage to the sparkling realm of Cava. Crafted in the traditional method, Faustino Semi Seco is an off-dry sparkling white wine that beautifully balances vibrant acidity with a delicate, luscious sweetness. The blend typically features Macabeo and Chardonnay, sourced from select vineyards where warm Mediterranean days and cool nights preserve the grapes' natural freshness. After secondary fermentation in the bottle and aging on its lees, this Cava emerges with fine, persistent bubbles and a bouquet of ripe stone fruits, white flowers, and subtle honeyed notes. It represents a classic Spanish style of sparkling wine that honors the historical preference for slightly sweeter, highly festive pours.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1861 by Eleuterio Martínez Arzok in Oyón, Bodegas Faustino remains an icon of classic Rioja viticulture under the multi-generational stewardship of the Martínez Zabala family. The estate commands approximately 650 hectares across Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta, with core holdings spanning Oyón, Laguardia, and Mendavia. Here, Atlantic-influenced continental conditions and clay-limestone soils provide an ideal canvas for late-ripening Tempranillo, alongside Graciano, Mazuelo, and Viura. Viticulture emphasizes sustainable stewardship, certified under Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection. In the cellars, Faustino champions prolonged elevage in American and French oak followed by extended bottle resting, maintaining an inventory of over 60,000 casks and millions of maturing bottles. While the bodega produces crisp Viura whites, fruit-forward rosados, and method traditional Cava Reserva, it is universally revered for Faustino I Gran Reserva—an archetypal, cellar-worthy benchmark distinguished by tertiary spice, refined leather, polished acidity, and its iconic frosted bottle bearing Rembrandt's portrait.
🍇 Grapes
Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir