Last episode, we took a look at the sparkling wine regions of Champagne and Trento… This episode, we continue our focus on traditional-method sparkling wines with a look at Spanish Cava. 

More than 90% of these wines come from the Penèdes region of the country, a place Jessica had the chance to visit last May. Along with her was our guest today, Chris Tanghe MS. Chris is the Director of Education for the Guild of Sommeliers. Based in Seattle, WA, he began his career in restaurants in his native New England at the age of 13, as a dishwasher for a country club in Pocasset, MA. After graduating, Christopher attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York, where he was first exposed to wine. 

Following his time at the CIA, Christopher worked in restaurants all around the country, eventually settling in Seattle where he began to take classes with the International Sommelier Guild. He passed the Certified Sommelier exam in 2008 while working as the Wine Director and General Manager for Crush restaurant in Seattle, followed by the Advanced exam in 2009 while Wine Director for Matt’s in the Market. In preparation for the Master’s exam, Christopher spent time working with Canlis, an icon of fine dining for 64 years with a 2,400 bottle list, followed by working with Rajat Parr to open Seattle’s RN74 where he specialized in Burgundy & Bordeaux with vintages dating back to the 1940’s. He earned the title of Master Sommelier in May of 2013.

Tanghe and Jessica talk about their experience in Cava, the new regulations set in place in early 2022, and the impressive quality the region is exhibiting in its range of sparkling wines. 

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