The prestige apex of Cava grows with five new Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado Cavas

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) endorses and certifies five new Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado Cavas.

The D.O. CAVA Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado category now totals 15 select products.

The select club of Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado Cavas has welcomed five new members following their ratification by the Ministry of Agriculture and publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE). A total of 15 Cavas now bear this distinction, which places them at the very apex of the D.O. Cava quality pyramid. Three of the new additions come from Sumarroca, located in El Rebato (Subirats): Núria Claverol Allier Finca Cols, Núria Claverol Homenatge Finca Peretes, and Núria Claverol Blanc de Noirs Finca Rosendo. Also joining this demanding category is L’Era del Celdoni by Carles Andreu from Pira (Conca de Barberà), from the vineyard that gives the Cava its name, and MIM Natura Blanc de Noirs by Vins El Cep, from a Pinot Noir vineyard in the Can Prats estate, Espiells. At the same time, the Vallcirera estate of Art Laietà d’Alta Alella has been expanded.

The five new Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado Cavas have successfully met strict regulatory requirements and were subsequently revalidated by a high-level panel of sommeliers and Masters of Wine. The experts participating in the final tasting panel were Pedro Ballesteros MW, Almudena Alberca MW, David Forer MW, and journalist and sommelier Ramon Francàs. The panel also included Oriol Roig, current Technical Director of D.O. CAVA, and Francisco González, former Technical Director of D.O. CAVA and promoter of the Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado category.

The President of D.O. CAVA, Javier Pagés, celebrated the continued growth of the sector’s highest qualitative category and announced that other wineries have already begun the process to soon become Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado Cavas. Javier Pagés emphasized the commitment to enhancing Cava’s prestige “with products of unquestionable quality.”

Guarda Superior de Paraje Calificado Cavas

A Paraje Calificado Cava is the highest distinction within D.O. CAVA, reserved for sparkling wines from a single estate with exceptional soil and microclimate characteristics. It represents the most singular and demanding expression of the territory, as obtaining this classification requires meeting very strict criteria:

• Vineyards over 10 years old within a designated estate
• Maximum yield of 8,000 kg/ha
• Hand harvesting
• Vinification on the estate
• Produced exclusively as Brut Nature, Extra Brut, or Brut
• Extraction yield limited to 48 hl/ha
• Vintage-dated Cava only
• Prior qualifying tasting
• Full traceability from vineyard to market release
• Minimum aging of 36 months
• 100% organic as of the 2025 harvest

Additionally, these Cavas are subject to specific official controls beyond those of D.O. CAVA itself, including reinforced full traceability, official review and approval by the Ministry of Agriculture, and qualification tastings conducted by a dedicated tasting committee composed of independent high-level professionals. This guarantees an especially rigorous and difficult-to-achieve level of excellence, quality, and authenticity. Paraje Calificado Cavas are synonymous with high quality and singularity — long-aged Cavas, unique products with their own personality, delicate and truly special.

Currently 15 Cavas hold the Guarda Superior de Paraje Calificado Cava distinction:

1. Art Laietà d’Alta Alella. Migin Exeo Paraje Calificado Vallcirera. Aging: +66 months.
2. Art Laietà d’Alta Alella. Migin Opus Paraje Calificado Vallcirera. Aging: 50 months.
3. Carles Andreu. L’Era del Celdoni Paraje Calificado. Aging: 87 months.
4. Codorníu. Ars Collecta Paraje Calificado La Fideuera. . Aging: +90 months.
5. Codorníu. Ars Collecta Paraje Calificado La Pleta. Aging: +90 months.
6. Codorníu. Ars Collecta Paraje Calificado El Tros Nou. Aging: +90 months.
7. Ferrer Wines. Can Sala Paraje Calificado. Aging: 144 months.
8. Ferrer Wines. Vinyes de Can Sala Paraje Calificado. Aging: +120 months.
9. Juvé & Camps. La Capella Paraje Calificado. Aging: +150 months.
10. Pere Ventura. Gran Vintage Paraje Calificado Can Bas. Aging: +96 months.
11. Sumarroca. Núria Claverol Allier Paraje Calificado Finca Cols. Aging: 36 months.
12. Sumarroca. Núria Claverol Homenatge Paraje Calificado Finca Peretes. Aging: +80 months.
13. Sumarroca. Núria Claverol Blanc de Noirs Paraje Calificado Finca Rosendo. Aging: +36 months.
14. Vins El Cep. Claror Paraje Calificado Can Prats. Aging: +84 months.
15. Vins El Cep. MIM Natura Blanc de Noirs Paraje Calificado Can Prats. Aging: +36 months.

D.O. CAVA, commitment to origin, land and sustainability

With more than 70% of sales in international markets, CAVA is one of Spain’s most exported Designations of Origin. It encompasses 38,000 hectares of vineyards and 6,200 winegrowers. Its 349 associated wineries are present in more than 100 countries worldwide. CAVA — a universal harmony for gastronomy — is produced using the traditional method, with a firm commitment to origin, the land, and sustainability.