D.O. Cava consults world-leading experts about its project of segmentation and zoning

The Cava Regulatory Council invited world specialists in sparkling wines to examine its segmentation and zoning project.  The aim of the D.O. Project is to highlight the quality, differentiation, origin and prestige of Cava. Its purpose is to provide opinion formers, wine professionals, sommeliers and consumers with more information about the wine, its origin, the vine and vineyard characteristics, and to promote sustainability.

The six professionals who have carried out this work are recognized for their professionalism and experience in the world of wine. The group includes Masters of Wine, specialists in sparkling wine, wine writers and sommeliers, all of whom are knowledgeable about the sector. As Mr. Javier Pagés, President of the Cava Regulatory Council, said:

They will contribute, with their international vision, expert analysis, and proposals, no doubt, to improve the final result of the segmentation and zoning, in front of the challenge of highlighting qualitative differentiation, origin and Cava’s prestige.

Cava, after a long period of success and strong development and growth in international markets, is currently in a process of transformation to face the challenges of the global market for sparkling wines.  The segmentation and zoning Project of the D.O. CAVA is one of the three pillars of the Strategic Plan of the D.O., together with the strengthening of the guarantee of the Cava brand, and marketing to increase the prestige of Cava and encourage its consumption both nationally and internationally.

The six professionals consulted were Pedro Ballesteros, Ferran Centelles, Sarah Jane Evans, Richard Juhlin, Fernando Mora and Tom Stevenson.

Pedro Ballesteros is a Master of Wine and an active communicator about wine, especially wines from Spain. Based in Belgium, he trained as an agronomist and has a master’s degree in viticulture and oenology and contributes to a number of wine publications.

Ferran Centelles is a sommelier and wine writer, a contributor to JancisRobinson.com, and co-author and coordinator of the Sapiens del Vino encyclopedia, currently under development.

Sarah Jane Evans is a Master of Wine, a wine writer, and Co-Chairman of the Decanter World Wine Awards. She is Vice-Chairman of the Gran Orden de Caballeros de Vino, and author of The Wines of Northern Spain.

Richard Juhlin is widely recognized as a leading expert on Champagne. He is founder of Champagneclub.com; and his Champagne guide features more than 10,500 champagnes.

Fernando Mora is a Master of Wine, and winemaker. He specializes in the Garnacha variety in Aragón; he also contributes to wine publications and websites.

Tom Stevenson has specialized in sparkling wines for 40 years, during which time he has won 33 literary awards, including The Wine Literary Award, America’s only lifetime achievement award for wine writers, and inducted into the New York Wine Media Guild’s Hall of Fame. He is the founder of Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships.