Cava, Asti, Prosecco, Sekt: other histories

Limoux: 1531 or 1544

The Sieur d'Arques cooperative says monks of the abbey of Saint-Hilaire made the first sparkling wine in 1531.¹ INAO appellation pages say the monks made effervescent wines from 1544.² Limoux sparkling wines became an appellation in 1938, and Crémant de Limoux exists since 1990.^10,2 See Blanquette de Limoux.

Legend: "the world's first sparkling wine, 1531". Neither 1531 nor 1544 is backed by an archival document that we found; the abbey's early role is accepted by INAO.^1,2

Cava

In 1872 Josep Raventós of Codorníu made the first bottles of Cava by the traditional method with Penedès varieties, in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia.^11,5 Freixenet followed in 1914, per the company.¹² The name Cava first appeared in an official document in 1959 and was approved by the sparkling-wine council in 1972; zones were demarcated on 27 February 1986, current rules approved on 14 November 1991, and new zoning approved in 2020.⁵ See Cava.

Asti and the tank method

Per the house, Carlo Gancia, trained in Reims, made the first Italian spumante from Moscato in 1865.^4,7 The Asti consorzio dates Federico Martinotti's first rapid method in large pressure tanks to 1898.⁷ An 1895 patent date is often quoted, but no primary source for it was found. Asti became DOC in 1967 and DOCG in 1993.⁷ See Asti and tank method.

Prosecco

Aureliano Acanti's poem of 1754 is the first written mention of Prosecco.^13,8 Italy's first school of oenology opened in Conegliano in 1876.⁸ Conegliano Valdobbiadene became DOC on 2 April 1969.¹³ On 17 July 2009 the system was reorganised into a Prosecco DOC and two DOCGs.⁸ See Prosecco DOC.

Trentodoc

Giulio Ferrari founded his winery in 1902.¹⁴ The Istituto Trento DOC was set up in 1984, and Trento became DOC by decree of 9 July 1993.^15,16 See Trento DOC.

Sekt

Georg Christian Kessler had been a partner of Madame Clicquot in Reims.³

Abrau-Durso

A decree of Alexander II founded the Abrau-Durso crown estate in 1870.⁶ Per the producer, its first sparkling tirage dates from 1896, under Prince Lev Golitsyn.^6,18 The same pages say only still wine was made until 1898, so the two dates conflict.⁶ See Russia.

England and South Africa

Nyetimber planted its first vines in West Sussex in 1988, per the producer.¹⁹ In South Africa, Simonsig made Kaapse Vonkel, the first Cap Classique, in 1971.⁹ See United Kingdom and Cap Classique.

Chandon abroad