Meaning & use
cava
Last updated
UK/ˈkɑːvə/
US/ˈkɑːvə/
Meaning
noununcountable
A sparkling wine from Spain, made mostly in Catalonia, whose bubbles come from a second fermentation in the bottle.
Grammar: Uncountable for the drink (a glass of cava), countable for bottles or types (two cavas).
Patterns
- a glass of cava
- a bottle of cava
We toasted the new year with a glass of cava.
The tapas bar serves a dry cava by the glass.
She brought a chilled bottle of cava to the picnic.
Word forms
| plural | cavas |
|---|
Common combinations
- glass of cava
- She ordered a glass of cava with her paella.
- bottle of cava
- They shared a bottle of cava on the terrace.
- dry cava
- A dry cava goes well with salty snacks.
- pink cava
- The pink cava was served cold.
- chilled cava
- Serve the cava well chilled.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sparkling wine
- Sparkling wine is the general category, while cava names the Spanish type.
- champagne
- Champagne comes only from the Champagne region of France, whereas cava is Spanish and usually cheaper.
- prosecco
- Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine, usually fruitier and made by a different process.
Word family
Commonly confused: cava or kava?
cava vs kava
Kava is a Pacific drink made from a root, nothing like sparkling wine.
Practice
Cava is a sparkling wine that comes from ___.
Choose one answer.
Cava is Spanish, mainly from Catalonia. Prosecco is Italian and champagne is French.
Make it your own
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