Cava placa, the Penedés region just outside the city of Barcelona will host the 2016 IWINETC.

This is not a negative. The word placomusophile refers to a collector of placas or chapas, those metal coverings that are affixed to a wire cage holding a cork in a bottle of sparkling wine. This piece of metal protects the cork from the wire cage. The use of metal coverings dates back to 1844 when Adolphe Jacquesson filed for a patent. Placing words on the metal appeared in the early twentieth century. The term placomusophile has been used since the 1980’s. Placa is the term for the metal piece affixed to a wire cage or muselet. In the Penedés region of Catalonia, Spain, the term chapa is also used. Why would someone collect these?

The next time you open a bottle of cava or champagne as well as the many other sparkling wines produced throughout the world, look at the wire cage for the placa. Some of the metal caps that I’ve seen on sparkling wines produced in the United States are all black or silver. It is the French and the Spanish that took placa design to another level. Cava and champagne producers are often creative in the image put on the metal. Some of these are so creative that they are collected by placomusophiles. What do collectors do with their collection?

Champagne Morize Père et Fils placa collection

Collectors often trade placas with other collectors. Some collectors showcase the placas in display boxes. On a recent trip to the Champagne region of France, after the 2015 International Wine Tourism Conference, we observed several champagne tasting rooms that had placas in a visual design. Champagne Morize Père et Fils had a large cutout of a cork covered with placas. The same is true for cava producers in Spain. One cava producer even sells the placas they produce to collectors while others prefer that you purchase the cava to get the placa.

The many different designs of placas attracts collectors. Some placas have grayscale photos of family members. Others show the producer’s logo. Vallformosa in Vilobí del Penedès offers advice on its placa, “Sip Beautifully – Act Responsibly.” One of my favorite champagne placas is from Champagne Bonnet Ponson. I like the shiny gold, black and red colors encircling a black on gold image in the center. My champagne placa collection is limited to ten placas, collected at the 2015 IWINETC in Reims, France.

My cava collection is much more extensive, a result of two trips to the Penedés and visits to 28 cava producers. Of the 66 cava placas, I have two favorites. One is from a bottle of Kripta Brut Nature by Agustí Torelló Mata in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. Colors range from white to gold with several shades of blue. There is an image of a woman with golden colored grapes for hair. Another favorite is a placa from a bottle of Mestres 2008 80th Aniversario. This multi-colored placa shows a collage of images including the model the producer used for their 1920s Coquet.

My favorite cava placas

Collecting placas has the appeal of tracking your wine journey. They also offer talking points and can be traded with other collectors. Attending the International Wine Tourism Conference in Barcelona in April 2016 may afford an opportunity to trade placas as well as begin a collection.

Cheers,
Terry