Venture into the effervescent world of traditional Spanish sparkling wine with an affordable gem that punches well above its $11.99 price tag. The Cune Cava Brut from Catalonia delivers the elegance and complexity you’d expect from wines twice its price, all while telling a fascinating story of Spanish winemaking heritage.
This Barcelona-area bubbly begins with an unexpected twist – the producer’s name itself. While we know it as “Cune” (pronounced COO-nay), the company was actually founded as CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) in 1878. A simple printing error on early labels transformed the “V” to a “U,” creating an accidental brand name that has persisted for nearly 150 years. This charming quirk is just the beginning of what makes this sparkler special.
Unlike many affordable sparkling wines, this Cava follows the same meticulous traditional method used in Champagne production, with each bottle undergoing its own secondary fermentation. The result is a refined sparkling wine with persistent tiny bubbles and perfectly balanced acidity that allows its subtle flavors to unfold gracefully. The blend of indigenous Spanish grapes (40% Xarel·lo, 30% Parellada, and 30% Macabeo) creates a distinctive profile of delicate lemon, apple, peach and subtle citrus notes that reward thoughtful sipping. For those tired of overly sharp Cavas or seeking an alternative to pricier French options, this bottle delivers remarkable quality from a producer with 150 years of winemaking expertise.
Next time you’re looking for the perfect summer refreshment or an affordable luxury for your table, reach for this Spanish gem. Subscribe to hear more value wine recommendations that help you drink well without breaking the bank!
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Introduction to Cune Cava Brut
Speaker 1
0:01
Hello
,
it's
Dave
from
CheapWineFindercom
,
again
with
another
podcast
for
value-priced
wine
.
This
time
it's
a
Spanish
Bubbly
,
a
Cava
.
It's
a
Cune
Cava
Brut
.
Brut
means
that
it's
in
dry
.
There's
three
levels
of
dry
and
this
might
sound
backwards
,
but
Brut
is
the
most
sweet
of
the
three
levels
of
dry
,
which
means
not
sweet
.
Cune
Cava
Brut
.
Speaker 1
0:30
The
Cune
company
originated
in
Rioja
in
1878
,
and
their
actual
name
is
it's
an
acronym
C-V-N-E
.
It
stands
for
a
wine
company
from
northern
Spain
.
The
C
is
for
company
,
the
V
is
Vinicola
,
which
is
wine
,
and
the
E
is
Espanol
,
which
is
their
word
for
Spain
The Cune Company History
Speaker 1
1:01
.
We
don't
put
the
E
in
front
of
it
,
so
the
name
of
the
company
is
actually
C-V-N-E
,
but
for
some
reason
,
when
they
first
came
out
with
their
first
wine
brand
,
whoever
did
the
labeling
thought
that
the
V
should
have
been
a
U
,
and
so
their
wines
,
even
though
the
company
is
C-V-N-E
,
the
wines
have
been
C-U-N-E
,
cune
,
which
you
can
actually
pronounce
that
Ever
since
,
and
they
never
planned
on
that
.
That
was
just
they
wanted
their
acronym
,
but
that
was
178
years
ago
.
So
here
we
go
Now
.
They
started
in
Rioja
,
but
this
is
not
a
Rioja
.
This
is
a
wine
from
the
Catalonia
,
the
Penediz
.
This
is
an
area
in
northeastern
Spain
,
think
Barcelona
.
Barcelona
is
the
biggest
town
and
this
is
a
traditional
method
.
Traditional Method Sparkling Wine
Speaker 1
2:05
Bubbly
Traditional
method
is
also
called
the
champagne
method
.
I've
got
an
explanation
on
the
cheapwinefightercom
website
and
it's
basically
they
do
the
second
fermentation
in
the
bottle
.
Prosecco
is
in
a
tank
,
a
pressurized
tank
,
where
they
put
CO2
,
they
put
sugar
and
yeast
in
the
tank
with
the
first
wine
.
Every
time
they
ferment
these
twice
and
there
the
pressure
pushes
the
CO2
back
into
the
bottle
and
you
get
the
bubbles
.
Here
it's
the
time
spent
in
the
bottle
,
each
individual
bottle
.
They
put
yeast
and
sugar
in
there
and
each
individual
bottle
.
There's
no
place
to
go
the
bubbly
.
The
co2
has
got
to
go
back
into
the
wine
.
So
that's
where
you
get
the
bubbles
.
On
this
thing
it
is
the
exact
same
way
as
a
made
as
um
champagne
and
it's
different
from
Prosecco
.
Still
bubbly
,
still
like
both
,
still
like
all
three
.
Speaker 1
3:10
The
grapes
are
traditional
grapes
,
exarlo
,
which
is
weird
because
it
has
a
dot
in
it
.
Usually
you
see
a
hyphen
because
most
keyboard
won't
put
a
dot
up
that
high
,
won't
put
a
dot
up
that
high
.
So
you
get
that
it's
an
old
Basque
grape
.
The
Basque
language
goes
back
so
far
that
people
aren't
sure
where
it's
from
.
And
then
it's
also
got
perlata
.
Well
,
it's
40%
Nixarlo
,
30%
perlata
and
30%
Macabeo
.
That's
traditional
grapes
,
that's
the
grapes
you'd
normally
find
.
A
combination
of
those
three
grapes
is
what
you
find
in
Cava
,
though
nowadays
you
could
also
find
Chardonnay
and
Pinot
Noir
Tasting Notes and Impressions
Speaker 1
3:55
in
some
.
I
mean
,
you
have
to
actually
look
for
it
.
And
then
,
because
they
make
it
like
champagne
,
there's
producers
out
there
that
are
also
using
the
champagne
grapes
.
Speaker 1
4:04
I'm
going
gonna
take
a
sip
.
That's
good
.
This
is
Chris
.
Chris
,
light
got
really
balanced
acidity
.
I've
had
some
cavas
that
are
so
sharp
with
the
acidity
that
you're
taking
an
acid
a
couple
of
hours
after
you're
done
.
Speaker 1
4:34
This
one's
balanced
.
It's
got
length
.
The
acidity
should
give
the
wine
enough
structure
for
the
flavors
to
unfold
,
and
that's
what
happened
here
.
If
it
goes
overboard
and
starts
getting
,
you
know
,
it
starts
getting
an
accident
reflex
or
something
.
No
,
no
,
they
didn't
handle
it
right
.
Here
it's
handled
right
.
Speaker 1
4:52
I
mean
,
it's
a
company
that's
been
around
for
150
years
making
all
different
types
of
wine
.
You've
got
to
figure
.
They
know
what
they're
doing
.
And
it
tastes
great
.
It's
got
lemon
,
it's
got
apple
,
it's
got
peach
and
pear
and
maybe
nectarine
,
maybe
some
tangerine
.
Yeah
,
there's
all
faint
.
This
is
not
one
of
those
wines
.
This
isn't
the
Sauvignon
Blanc
,
where
the
flavors
come
up
and
hit
you
over
the
head
.
This
is
all
faint
stuff
that
you
actually
have
to
think
about
just
a
little
bit
.
But
that's
okay
.
Think
about
your
wine
for
a
few
seconds
Any
good
wine
you
should
do
that
and
then
after
that
you
don't
really
have
to
.
After
that
you
can
enjoy
yourself
and
just
sip
and
not
have
to
worry
about
things
.
Speaker 1
5:36
The
bubbles
are
tiny
,
which
is
good
.
They
keep
going
and
it
tastes
good
.
I
paid
$11.99
for
bubbly
in
a
traditional
method
.
At
a
retail
Value Assessment and Conclusion
Speaker 1
5:55
.
You
can
sometimes
get
a
Trader
Joe's
,
aldi
,
costco
bubbly
for
a
really
good
price
because
they
got
different
pricing
structures
because
they're
a
store
brand
.
But
to
get
a
really
good
sparkling
wine
from
a
retailer
who's
been
around
a
long
time
,
that's
not
too
bad
.
So
this
is
the
Cunicaba
Brut
.
It
is
dry
,
it
does
taste
good
,
it
is
well
made
.
It
is
Barcelona
bubbles
.
That
ain't
bad
.
That's
it
for
me
.
Domain
Dave
cheapwinefightercom
.
We've
got
more
wines
coming
.
This
is
a
good
wine
for
the
summer
.
Keep
this
chilled
and
you're
going
to
have
a
nice
sip
on
a
hot
day
.
So
,
adios
,
keep
it
cheap
and
I'll
be
speaking
to
you
.
Bye
,
bye
.
